The National Motor Freight Traffic Association is opening its annual Digital Solutions Conference on Cybersecurity to the entire trucking industry, rather than just the less-than-truckload industry as in the past.

This year's conference is Nov. 13-15 at the Westin in Old Alexandria. This is a free educational event, with discounted hotel rates in Alexandria.

NMFTA has been a leader for more than a decade in addressing cybersecurity issues, including research work and educational efforts on the topic of cybersecurity for the American Trucking Associations and other organizations within the industry.

Registration is available at www.nmfta.org/digital-solutions-conference-cybersecurity/.

After kicking off with a welcome reception on Sunday, Nov. 13, the general meeting begins on Monday with educational sessions touching on cellular cybersecurity, e-mail security and mobile device security.

Tuesday's sessions cover topics such as vehicle security and enterprise security, as well as keynote speaker Eric O'Neill, a former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative. In 2001, O'Neill helped capture the most notorious spy in U.S. history: Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI.

Another highlight will be a presentation by Yongdae Kim, professor of Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Kim and his team have recently developed a system that can automatically analyze vulnerabilities of LTE mobile systems.

The conference will close with a panel discussion titled "The Future of Cybersecurity – Where Do We Go From Here?” moderated by Michael Wickham, senior staff engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.

“We have been having this conference for many years for the LTL industry,” said Debbie Sparks, executive director of NMFTA. “With so many digital security threats facing the trucking industry, we are very pleased to open the conference up to the entire industry so all will have the opportunity to benefit from these insights."

Those interested in attending are encouraged to register soon to ensure availability. NMFTA encourages participation not only from IT professionals in the industry, but also from individuals who manage their own trucks along with supporting software.

Since 1956, the National Motor Freight Traffic Association has represented the interests of the less-than-truckload motor carrier industry.