The Daily Dash: Virtual truck ride, ransomware attack

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what’s happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, we highlight a virtual ride-along in a Waymo Via autonomous truck, a ransomware attack that underscores freight communications vulnerabilities and more.

The High Five

1. Waymo Via took to the freeways outside Phoenix this week to demonstrate its fourth generation of Level 4 autonomous Class 8 trucking. The system is still “years away” from production. And while the drive was real, invited media experienced it virtually. Alan Adler’s report: A virtual ride-along in Waymo Via’s latest autonomous truck

2. A ransomware attack has targeted an electronic data interchange provider that works with some of the largest shippers in North America and IBM’s supply chain network. The incident highlights the potential vulnerabilities of the most widely used type of technology that businesses rely on to communicate information about freight. Nate Tabak has more: Ransomware attack on EDI provider highlights cyber risks in supply chain

3. Lured by the promise of better pay and the American dream, some truck drivers from Eastern European countries claim they were sold a bill of goods after arriving in the U.S. The drivers told FreightWaves they found themselves trapped in an alleged human-trafficking scheme. Clarissa Hawes investigates: Foreign truckers allege US job offers turned into human-trafficking scheme