Though there are plenty of shipping services to take advantage of these days, FedEx remains in the minds of many the “universal gold standard” thanks to the reputation that they have built over the past few decades. Federal Express completely and totally changed the game when they began to offer overnight delivery services that actually worked, with the original company tagline being “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight”.
Today, lots of other companies offer overnight delivery – and many of them provide similar services to the ones that FedEx makes available, too – but this company remains at the top of mind for most people that want to send packages securely, safely, and with real speed. At the same time, like every other shipping service, people want to know exactly when their package is going to arrive – not just the day, the time of day, too. That’s what we’re going to dig into below. Let’s get right into it!
Shipping with FedEx – What Makes This Shipper So Popular?
Believe it or not, up until 50 years ago – 1971, to be specific – the USPS was the only real game in town when it came time to ship things domestically and internationally. Then an enterprising and innovative entrepreneur by the name of Fred Smith decided to totally transform the shipping industry from top to bottom, taking advantage of airlines to transport packages with a hub and spoke infrastructure system that would speed things up significantly.
FedEx also capitalized on new technology faster than any of the traditional shipping companies, moving a lot faster than UPS and other competitors to not only leverage cutting-edge tech but to innovate and improve on it as well. The way that FedEx implemented barcode technology, package tracking, and other infrastructure elements from companies outside the shipping and transportation industry revolutionized the world of shipping from the ground up.
Combine that with smart marketing, a great corporate culture, fantastic prices, an excellent reputation for delivering on their promises, and no small amount of risks that paid off with a bit of luck and it’s not hard to see how FedEx became the giant it is today.
What Time Does FedEx Deliver Packages?
As far as what time FedEx delivers packages throughout the week (with Monday through Saturday delivery available in all 50 states), the company has a window of between 9 AM and 8 PM that they communicate to their customers. In reality, though, it’s impossible for FedEx let you know exactly when your package is going to arrive at your doorstep outside of those business day hours. We’re sure FedEx would love to be able to let you know that the packages you have been sent to you from San Diego, California are going to arrive at your home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 1:34 PM local time – but the technology just isn’t there right now. At the same time, we are pretty sure that if any shipping company is working on technology to provide that kind of information to their customers is going to be the folks at FedEx!
The only way you’re going to be better informed about what time your FedEx packages are going to arrive is if you pay close attention to when most of your FedEx packages have been dropped off in the past. If you have packages being delivered from FedEx on a regular basis and they are showing up in the middle of the morning, towards lunchtime, or later on in the evening (maybe even closer to that 8 PM cut off time) and then the odds are pretty good that it’s going to be your specific delivery window.
FedEx drivers (just like USPS drivers) have pretty concrete delivery routes that they like to keep as consistent as possible. Unlike the USPS letter carriers and drivers however, FedEx drivers and delivery agents aren’t going to have a steady flow of packages to deliver to their customers every single day, which adds a little bit of variation into their delivery route. But they are still going to try and keep to those delivery routes as best they can, sticking to those delivery windows (morning, lunch, afternoon, or evening) pretty consistently whenever possible.
You might have a bit of an “oddball” location in these delivery routes that have packages dropped off midmorning the first time, late at night the next time, and then around lunch after that with no real consistency. But that’s very rare, especially with how serious FedEx is about optimization – not only with their infrastructure, but with how their routes are planned and how their deliveries are scheduled.
Better Understanding the FedEx Process
To better understand just how serious FedEx takes optimizing your business on a regular basis you’ll want to know just how ingrained this critical approach is to the fabric of FedEx itself. Each and every day more than 3.4 million packages are handled by the folks at FedEx. Every FedEx contractor has the capacity to deliver between 500 to 2500 packages a day as well, with many of these contractors having fleets of delivery vehicles that can range between 5 and 25 trucks to make sure that things go out efficiently on a daily basis. Your average FedEx driver has the ability to deliver between 75 and 125 packages a day as well, far beyond the “industry average” that sits at between 15 and 35 packages per day.
Here’s how the FedEx delivery process works
Everything begins the moment that your FedEx package is entered into the computer system. After dropping off your package to be shipped or printing out your own shipping labels and having FedEx come out and pick them up, the information for those packages is immediately entered into the FedEx delivery database. Those packages are then sorted by FedEx routes that have been established by zip and postal code information, finding the smoothest and fastest way to get your packages from Point A to Point B.
All of this happens instantaneously, with FedEx contractors and drivers knowing almost immediately – before your package even starts to move through the FedEx system – when that packages going to arrive, who is going to be responsible for moving it through the system, and even who is going to be driving it and dropping it off at its final destination. The infrastructure that FedEx has is very much its “secret sauce”! From there, your FedEx packages moved along the preprogrammed route designed to get it to its ultimate destination with as few stops and as few hurdles as possible. Upon arriving at the last regional hub or distribution center, those packages are then going to be sorted into individual piles with other territorial packages which are then broken down further by each individual driver for their specific route and territory.
As each package is loaded onto the vehicle the barcode is scanned, not only updating the tracking information (to let you know that it’s on its way and is out for delivery) but also helping drivers/loaders organize the back of the truck so that everything gets packed each day according to its position on the delivery route. A delivery sequence is then created and the driver heads out to make their deliveries. Experienced drivers know how to move through this process relatively quickly, speeding things up and keeping delivery drop-off times as consistent as possible.
At the end of the day, the odds are pretty good that if your local FedEx driver shows up in the middle of the day to drop off your packages a handful of times that’s your delivery window (regardless of the 9 AM to 8 PM delivery window FedEx advertises on all of their drop-offs).
Scheduling Weekend and Afternoon/Evening FedEx Delivery
FedEx also gives you an opportunity to send packages with specific delivery windows in mind, including weekend delivery (Home Delivery on Saturday as well as Sunday) and afternoon/evening delivery (a delivery window of between 5 PM and 8 PM local time). This gives customers a little bit more control over when their packages are going to arrive, and it also gives package recipient an opportunity to better plan their day around when their packages are going to arrive. The feeling of watching that FedEx truck pull up to drop off your packages is one that is always exciting! Best of all, FedEx Home Delivery offers Saturday and Sunday (weekend delivery) available 100% free of charge without exception. Evening Home Delivery may or may not cost a premium, depending on your specific local FedEx contractor price points.
Straight from the Mouths of FedEx Drivers – Inside Information You Need to Know
There are some other things you’ll want to know about the FedEx delivery process that can have an impact on when your packages are going to arrive. Below we highlight a couple of things shared by professional FedEx drivers, experienced delivery people that know the ins and outs of this legendary shipper the way no outsider can. For starters, you should know that not all FedEx drivers are actual employees of FedEx itself! It turns out that FedEx Express and FedEx Ground are actually two totally different entities owned and operated by the same company, with FedEx Ground deliveries almost always contracted out to third party organizations. Just know that if you are having something delivered by FedEx Ground they may not have the same delivery schedule or delivery timeline that you come to expect from regular packages coming from FedEx Express.
Secondly, you should know that FedEx discourages their drivers from keeping their cell phones upfront in the cab with them while they are on the clock. This can be a problem for new delivery drivers that have to learn a route, and can cause delays in your packages arriving at your doorstep you didn’t have to worry about when a more veteran FedEx worker was handling the deliveries themselves. Finally, FedEx drivers regularly say that if homeowners want to improve deliverability and speed things up – creating faster and more consistent delivery times – they should put house numbers closer to the road and in more prominent positions. The easier it is for FedEx drivers to find the exact home that they are looking for their route, the faster they are going to be able to get your package to you.
Eliminate the Stress of Waiting for Packages to Arrive with US Global Mail
At the end of the day, there’s always going to be at least a little bit of stress waiting for a FedEx package to arrive – especially since it’s impossible to know exactly what your package will arrive outside of a general ballpark timeline on delivery day. With US Global Mail, though, you can eliminate that headache and that stress altogether thanks to their virtual mailbox service and digital instant notifications.
The second that a package (from FedEx or any other shipping service), parcel, or envelope arrives at your US Global Mail address you get an instant notification that it has arrived as well as a digital scan of that package, parcel, or envelope as well. This lets you know exactly what has arrived in your mailbox and when without ever having to wonder about when your stuff is going to arrive.
On top of that service, US Global Mail also offers a physical street address versus a PO Box number that offers more privacy and security, secure check depositing features, mail forwarding to any address on the planet at shipping costs 80% off of retail, and so much more. To learn more about everything that US Global Mail offers (and has been offering for more than 20 years now), or to ask any questions you might have about this service, don’t be shy about reaching out to US Global Mail at your earliest convenience. Drop them a line today!
