Q&A

'Don’t sell your MC number to strangers on the internet'

Data visibility can help stamp out freight fraud and cargo theft

(Photo credit: Kate Magee Barber)

It's an ironic situation: the interconnected supply chain has a bit of a data black hole. Carriers typically know their own information inside and out, but that data isn't always conveyed to other parties. Likewise, brokers and shippers aren't always transparent with their freight partners.

GenLogs has set out to change the visibility problem with a tech system of sensors, satellites and cameras that capture real-time truck data—but with privacy top of mind. CEO & Co-Founder Ryan Joyce believes improved visibility could help stamp out freight fraud and cargo theft.

—Interview by Shefali Kapadia, edited by Bianca Prieto

Do you think small trucking carriers have a good handle on their real-time data and visibility into their operations?

Knowing your own operations and effectively communicating them to third parties are two separate issues. Small trucking carriers almost always know where their trucks are and the lanes they prefer to run, but transmitting this information to load boards, freight brokers, shippers or insurance companies can be a complex task—either requiring API connections and manual inputs.

Some carriers or drivers have concerns about privacy and security when it comes to visibility. What's your response to their concerns?

We are concerned too! This is why GenLogs filters out all private vehicles collected from our cameras and deletes those images immediately. We then blur all windows of any commercial vehicles before looking for a valid USDOT or MC number. We are left collecting the same data that Google Streetview does—just a motor vehicle at a time and place. We have no idea who is driving—and, in the cases of autonomous vehicles, there is no driver! It is through this privacy-enabled data that we are actually able to provide better security for carriers. We can offer a counter-fraud 'overwatch' that alerts carriers if someone is impersonating their authority on the roads.

How do visibility issues contribute to freight fraud and cargo theft?

So much of the fraud and theft these days is from double brokers who do NOT actually operate any trucks on the roads. We help shippers and freight brokers validate that a carrier is real, running on the roads and has the right equipment. By doing so, we help keep freight out of the bad guys' hands so that the good guys can flourish with more freight!

What's one thing motor carriers, particularly small businesses, can do to prevent as much fraud and theft as possible?

Smaller carriers can help safeguard their operations by investing in cybersecurity software that protects them from hacking or phishing attacks. Always use two-factor authentication and, for the love of all that is holy, please do NOT sell your MC number to unknown individuals on the internet!