The American Trucking Associations has joined the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a global community that shares information about cybersecurity risks facing connected vehicles.

ATA wanted to improve its efforts to develop and promote best practices in cybersecurity to better prepare the trucking industry as vehicles become increasingly connected. The strategic alliance with Auto-ISAC provides additional support and resources to ATA’s existing Fleet CyWatch program through added cybercrime analysis capabilities and response guidance for member fleets.

CyWatch is a member-led program for fleets to report cybercrimes, receive analytic support, and incorporate latest developments on cybersecurity industry issues, alerts, best practices, and national security awareness.

“As digital technology advances and the world grows increasingly connected, it is critically important that we unite America’s passenger and commercial vehicle expertise to combat emerging threats and safeguard key transportation modes,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of ATA. “This relationship with Auto-ISAC puts us at the cutting edge and, along with ATA’s Fleet CyWatch program, will strengthen trucking’s security posture in the evolving global marketplace.”

In addition to CyWatch, ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council recently held its inaugural Fleet Data Management and Cybersecurity Conference where TMC unveiled its new Cybersecurity Issues Taskforce. Chaired by Mark Zachos of DG Technologies, the taskforce will ballot the first of several cybersecurity recommended practices to be released later this summer.

“Security is a process. There’s working on awareness, the sharing of information, and conducting penetration testing to find where a company might be vulnerable,” said Zachos. “There is a lot of work to do.”

Related: Can Trucks be Hacked?