Abstract: An electronic locking system and method for controlling the locking and unlocking of a container or trailer. An electronic lock includes a locking mechanism, and lockable member, an electronic user interface and a memory. The lock components can be included within a housing or distributed throughout the container or trailer. Lock data, such as a unique seal number, is loaded from a source computer to a lock memory. When the container reaches its intended destination, a user inputs a data via a user interface, such as a keypad. If the lock data and the user data match or satisfy other criteria, then the electronic lock can be released, thereby permitting the seal to be broken and access to the container. The lock data can also be based location data such as global positioning system (GPS) data. Timestamp and customer identification data can be loaded to the electronic lock and source computer.