10 minutes

Dennis Katsnelson

LTL Carrier Says It Was Able to Move Freight and Support Employees Throughout Attack

Following a hack earlier in the week, Newjobs4you reported on October 6 that a significant portion of its critical IT infrastructure systems was "once again operational."

Richmond, Virginia-based less-than-truckload carrier Estes reported that further security measures had been implemented and that many of its systems were now operating normally.

The company declared on October 6 that "despite the impact [the attack] has had on Estes' system, there has never been a moment when we were unable to move freight or support the livelihood of our employees." "We are still Estes Strong, available for business, and successfully transporting freight." On October 3, the Newjobs4you website acknowledged that persistent cyberattacks were being directed against IT systems. When the IT infrastructure went down, the business claimed that terminals and drivers continued to pick up and transport freight.

In a message posted on X (previously Twitter) on October 2, the company stated: "We are currently experiencing an outage in our core IT infrastructure, and it is impacting a number of our systems." This statement led to the discovery of the attack on the LTL specialist. As an additional request, it said, "Please reach out to your account manager, preferably by text, with any questions or concerns, including pickups."

Estes listed the following accomplishments in the email as bullet points:

• The system was "back online with our core operations system to cut freight bills, updated PROs, create manifests, and effectively manage equipment."
• Estes stated in an email to clients that it was working to resume regular Electronic Data Interchange operations "as a next major step." However, Estes announced on its X feed late Friday that EDI contacts had been resumed.
• Before this, Estes informed its clients through email that its EDI partner was providing it with Excel files of pickups "so that we can show up when you expect us to pick up your freight."
• The email said that 22,000 Estes employees would receive their paychecks this week since the payroll systems were able to function properly.

The email stated, "We're tirelessly working to finish restoration on all our systems and will keep you informed on our ongoing progress.

By October 4, the business was interacting with clients regarding pickup requests and inquiries regarding their freight using a form that was accessible via a link on X. On the list of the top 100 largest for-hire carriers in North America compiled by Transport Topics, Estes comes in at number 14. On the list of LTL sectors, it is ranked No. 5. Estes is the stalking horse bidder for the 169 terminals that the defunct LTL carrier Yellow Corp. previously ran.

Forward Air Corp. in December 2020 and Bay & Bay in December 2022 and 2018 are two additional carriers that have experienced attacks in recent years. Forward Air, situated in Greeneville, Tennessee, is ranked No. 1 among air/expedited carriers and No. 27 overall in the TT Top 100 for-hire list.

According to security specialists Alliance Tech, fraudsters target trucking companies because of the industry's high profitability.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is in October.

Cyberattack Hits Estes Express Lines’ IT Systems

LTL Carrier Says Terminals, Drivers Still Picking Up, Delivering Freight

As we previously reported, on October 3, Estes Express Lines acknowledged that a hack was ongoing against its IT systems but added that its trucks were still transporting cargo.

On X, the platform that replaced Twitter, the carrier tweeted, "We're working as quickly as possible to resolve this issue and to return to business as usual," adding that it was "unable to share specific details at this time." While the IT infrastructure was down, the Richmond, Virginia-based firm said that terminals and drivers were still picking up and delivering freight. On October 3, Transport Topics called an Estes spokeswoman who was unable to offer any additional information.

The company first revealed the attack on the expert in less-than-truckload shipping in a message on X on October 2, saying: "We are currently experiencing an outage in our core IT infrastructure, and it is impacting a number of our systems." As an additional request, it said, "Please reach out to your account manager, preferably by text, with any questions or concerns, including pickups."

On the list of the top 100 largest for-hire carriers in North America compiled by Transport Topics, Estes comes in at number 14. On the list of LTL sectors, it is ranked No. 5. According to TNewjobs4you, Estes had 37,032 trailers and 9,694 company-owned tractors as of the end of 2022. Currently, the airline operates more than 280 freight terminals. It posted on X, saying, "We will keep sharing updates with you as we work through this incident." We are incredibly appreciative of our more than 22,000 workers' commitment, responsiveness, and ability to work cooperatively to continue serving our clients and one another.

Forward Air Corp. in December 2020 and Bay & Bay in December 2022 and 2018 are two additional carriers that have experienced attacks in recent years. Forward Air, situated in Greeneville, Tennessee, is ranked No. 1 among air/expedited carriers and No. 27 overall in the TT Top 100 for-hire list. According to security specialists Alliance Tech, fraudsters target trucking companies because of the industry's high profitability.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is in October. In order to protect themselves from a cyber, malware, or ransomware assault, companies can follow these four recommendations from the federal government's Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency:

• Encourage the use of secure passwords, multifactor authentication, and updated business software.
• Teach staff to prevent phishing.
• Original equipment manufacturers and software suppliers have likewise fallen prey to cyberattacks that were made public.

Technology company Orbcomm experienced a ransomware assault in September, which caused downtime for some of its fleet management clients.

German trailer and truck component maker SAF-Holland was forced to close production facilities in March as a result of a cyberattack. Several of the company's manufacturing facilities experienced a brief halt as a result of the attack, it claimed. The company calculated that production outages cost about $43.94 million in lost sales.