System for providing a virtual vehicle boundary

1. A protection system that operates to provide a virtual fence for use with a delivery vehicle, the protection system comprising:

input logic that is coupled to receive a protection signal, indicative of other than vehicle location, from the vehicle;

fence logic that is coupled to the input logic, being operable to activate a selected virtual fence from a plurality of virtual fences in response to said protection signal being indicative of one of a plurality of activation events involving vehicle motion and not having vehicle engine dependence, said fence logic being further operable to concurrently activate a route fence along a route of said delivery vehicle, from said plurality of virtual fences, in connection with a determination of a delivery vehicle route.

2. The protection system of claim 1 , wherein the input logic is operator input logic and the protection signal is an operator input signal.

3. The protection system of claim 1 , wherein the input logic is a sensor input logic and the protection signal is a sensor input signal.

4. The protection system of claim 3 , wherein the delivery vehicle comprises a tractor portion and a trailer portion and the sensor input signal indicates when the trailer portion is unhooked from the tractor portion.

5. The protection system of claim 1 , wherein the input logic is position input logic and the protection signal is a position signal.

6. The protection system of claim 1 , wherein the input logic is communication input logic and the protection signal is a communication signal.

7. The protection system of claim 1 , wherein the protection signal is any combination of an operator signal, a sensor signal, a position signal, and a communication signal.

8. The protection system of claim 1 , further comprising position logic that operates to determine a vehicle position, wherein the position logic outputs the vehicle position in a position signal that is the protection signal.

9. The protection system of claim 1 , further comprising message processing logic that is coupled to the fence logic, wherein the message processing logic outputs a vehicle message that is used to control a vehicle control system.

10. Apparatus for providing a virtual fence for use with a delivery vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a protection event;

means for determining that the protection event is one of a plurality of activation events involving vehicle motion and not having vehicle engine dependence;

means for activating a selected virtual fence, from a plurality of virtual fences, based on the activation event and a signal, indicative of other than vehicle location, from said delivery vehicle;

means for activating a route fence along a route of said delivery vehicle, from said plurality of virtual fences, in connection with a determination of said route of said delivery vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for determining that the activation event is a sub-event; and

means for activating the selected virtual fence based the sub-event.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising: means for activating one of a boundary fence, a perimeter fence, and a route fence based on the sub-event.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the delivery vehicle comprises a tractor portion and a trailer portion and the apparatus further comprises means for determining that the sub-event is a trailer sub-event that occurs when the trailer portion is unhooked from the tractor portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the trailer portion comprises cargo and the apparatus further comprises means for determining if the cargo is moved outside the selected virtual fence.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising means for deactivating a virtual fence based on the activation event.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising means for outputting a vehicle message that is used to control a vehicle control system.