A tractor and trailer tracking system comprising, in combination:
- a plurality of trailers each having a horizontally oriented bar code positioned on a side face thereof including a plurality of spaced vertically oriented lines representing a trailer code, the trailers each including a global positioning satellite unit adapted to generate current coordinates of the trailer, an alarm for generating an audible signal upon actuation, a transmitter for transmitting an alarm signal containing the current coordinates of the trailer via free space upon the actuation thereof, and a microcontroller connected between the global positioning satellite unit, alarm, and transmitter for actuating the alarm and the transmitter only upon the lack of receipt of an authentication code in combination with the trailer being moved;
- a plurality of tractors each having a horizontally oriented bar code positioned on a side face thereof including a plurality of spaced vertically oriented lines representing a tractor code, each tractor further including a card reader mounted within a cab of the tractor and releasably connected to one of the trailers for transmitting the authentication code to the microcontroller of the trailer only upon a proper card being swiped through the card reader;
- a plurality of checkpoint posts each including an associated check point identification code, a gate with an opening having a pair of bar code scanners for reading the bar codes of one of the tractors and the trailers upon the same passing therethrough whereby the tractor code and the trailer code are ascertained;
- a central monitoring unit connected to the bar code readers of each of the checkpoint posts and including a clock/calendar circuit for tracking a current time and date, a first database including a plurality of tractor vehicle numbers, tractor driver names, and tractor codes, a second database including a plurality of trailer registration numbers, trailer owner names and trailer codes, a third database including a transportation schedule database including a schedule of tractor and trailer passes at each checkpoint post, wherein the central monitoring unit is adapted to store in a fourth database an entry upon each passing of one of the tractors and trailers through one of the checkpoint posts with each entry including a time and a date of the passing of the checkpoint post, the check point identification code of the checkpoint post passed and further the tractor vehicle number, tractor driver name, trailer registration number, and trailer owner name as indicated by the tractor and trailer codes, the central monitoring unit further adapted to provide an alarm upon a passing of one of the tractors and trailers through one of the checkpoint posts that is not indicated on the transportation schedule database;
- said central monitoring unit further including a display and a receiver for receiving the alarm signal and depicting on the display the current coordinates of the trailer.