A trip meter, such as a taximeter or a mileage meter for a commercial
vehicle, such as a truck, are combined with an integral GPS
receiver/computer which provides GPS position and time information.
Odometer input pulses to the trip meter are accurately calibrated by using
GPS position, velocity, and time information to generate corrected
odometer pulses which are provided to the odometer input terminal of the
trip meter. The GPS system is integrated into the trip meter for
calibrating and cross checking of the input odometer pulses to provide
reliable, consistent distance measurements by the trip meter. GPS
position, velocity, and time information produce incontrovertibly accurate
corrected, odometer input pulses and GPS time signals for the trip meter
to precisely compute elapsed time and distance traveled. A backup
dead-reckoning subsystem operates when the GPS receiver has service
outages. The GPS receiver/computer system provides trip information such
as information about when and where the commercial vehicle enters and
leaves a predetermined zone, information establishing proof of a path
followed by the commercial vehicle, information about operation within
speed limits, and information verifying operation within a certain
geographic area. A data recorder records the trip information.