Estes Rating, Quoting System Returns to Action After Cyberattack
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Estes Express Lines late Oct. 12 said the less-than-truckload carrier’s rating and quoting system, as well as telephone lines and email access, were again operational following a cyberattack earlier in the month.
A return to typical operations is taking place, although the company is not back to business as usual yet, Chief Operating Officer Webb Estes said in an Oct. 12 post on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
Richmond, Va.-based carrier Estes’ systems came under attack in the first couple of days of October.
“I’m … thrilled to share our latest milestone,” the executive said. “Our rating and quoting system, [which] we use to provide pricing to our customers, is back up. This is an integral step to us getting back to providing you with the real-time pricing information you’ve come to expect from us. So, customers can call or email us to get a rate quote right now.”
We’ve made great strides in restoring our systems! Please watch this video update from Webb Estes to learn about the latest milestones we’ve reached. https://t.co/zBdWyRVDUj — estesexpress (@estesexpress) October 12, 2023
“I’m happy to report that we’ve restored the telephone lines to our terminals, customer care and corporate employees. Our email systems have been upgraded and restored. So, you can once again reach out to your Estes contacts at our Estes email addresses,” he said.
“Although we don’t have all our communication channels restored just yet, we’re seeing steady progress. We’re bringing back functionality on our website,” he added.
Estes on Oct. 6 said a large share of its core IT infrastructure systems were “once again operational” following the cyberattack. Late Oct. 6, the company restarted its electronic data interchange (EDI) systems.
Update: EDI Communications Turned On as of Friday Evening
Listen to Webb's message from earlier today: https://t.co/Aw7xnmUKop — estesexpress (@estesexpress) October 7, 2023
Following the EDI restart, Webb Estes said Oct. 12: “EDI communications are securely restored. … We can receive and process customer 204 pickup requests and 211 bill of ladings via normal EDI channels. Customers will receive 214 tracking notifications and 210 invoicing when proper updates to their freight bill occur.”
“We’re continuing to make scheduled pickups and deliveries as freight continues to effectively move through our network,” he said.
On Oct. 3, Estes confirmed its IT systems were the target of an ongoing cyberattack. The attack on the LTL specialist first came to light in an Oct. 2 message on X. By Oct. 4, the company was using a form available through a link on X to connect with customers.
Estes ranks No. 14 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. It ranks No. 5 on the LTL sector list.
Estes had 9,694 company-owned tractors and 37,032 trailers as of the end of 2022, according to TT data. The carrier currently has in excess of 280 freight terminals.
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