FMCSA leader seeks industry input to combat criminals

Elison. (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The trucking industry has become an increasingly critical partner as federal officials refocus efforts to combat cybercrime, according to Jesse Elison, deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association hosted the speech during its Cybersecurity Conference 2026. Elison stressed the importance of industry insights as federal officials confront cybersecurity risks.

“We see our mission, we see our efforts, being completely aligned with the good actors in our industry,” Elison said. “Those who want to make things better.”

Elison also encouraged industry participants to seize opportunities to educate or inform his agency. That includes participating in the formal review process when a new industry rule or regulation is proposed and engaging with the administration’s cybersecurity efforts.

“Cyber touches every point of a business,” Elison said.

Electronic logging devices have become a major concern because criminals can exploit them. Elison said the administration instituted a more aggressive vetting process for ELD applications but also realized the rule needed revision. He specifically criticized the self-certification process that allows manufacturers to attest that their devices meet federal technical standards.

“Since the beginning of 2025, we’ve only allowed one or two new providers to be certified,” Elison said. “We’ve kept off hundreds, and we’ve removed upwards to a hundred, and we have law enforcement actions with respect to that. But the real challenge there is making sure that the rule is reworked in a way that works for our industry.”

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(Connor D. Wolf/Transport Topics)

Elison attributed much of that work to the administration’s focus on improving commercial transportation safety. That has included a fraud task force from Vice President JD Vance. He also highlighted U.S. attorneys in Illinois, Detroit, Indiana and Ohio for focusing on rooting out industry fraud.

“Now is absolutely a time to collate and curate all of that information to make sure that we get the right people to take action against some of the bad actors,” Elison said. “ELDs are unquestionably a vulnerability for our industry.”

FMCSA also has worked to update its company-level business registration process through a new centralized portal called Motus. The ELD and registration efforts have been important pillars in a broader enforcement crackdown across commercial transportation. Elison acknowledged that the portal’s rollout has been rough since its launch in May 2026 but said many issues have been addressed.

Elison said fraud prevention has helped draw the transportation secretary’s attention to Motus, but the modernization project also fulfills a long-standing statutory obligation.

He stressed the need to replace the legacy, disparate platforms with a robust vetting process, because the old systems had multiple entry points for bad actors to exploit.

Elison next addressed cargo theft.

“We have a unique opportunity right now with law enforcement taking an interest,” Elison said. “But we also have an opportunity at FMCSA through the various fronts that we can to combat cargo theft. Now we have limited authorities.”

FMCSA has authority over certain commercial matters and hazardous materials, but its primary authority stems from its commercial motor vehicle safety mission. Elison also noted opportunities to expand the agency’s authority to pursue those goals.

Elison cautioned that additional safeguards should not eliminate the flexibility and decentralized structure that make the industry efficient.

“We don’t want to lose that incredible efficiency that we enjoy, that is so heavily exploited by the bad actors,” he said.