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What Does in Transit Arriving Late Mean for a USPS Package?

Nov 21, 2020

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I had a package sent to me, and when I checked the tracking number, it said ‘in transit arriving late’. I wasn’t 100% certain about what it meant and dug around online to find the answer. I assumed you’d probably run into this at some point in the future, so I put together what I found in the article.

So, what does in transit arriving late mean for a USPS package? Packages that are in transit are going from where the package was sent to a sorting facility. But, they can also be going from one sorting facility to another facility that is closer to you. On the way, it got delayed, and the estimated delivery date is now further in the future.

If there are no delays, your package would have the status ‘in transit, arriving on time’. There are a few reasons why your package would get delayed along the way. Keep reading below, where I will explain how long it will take for your package to get to you and the common reasons why your package is delayed.

When will I get my package if it has the status ‘In Transit – Arriving Late’?

At the bottom of the tracking page, there will be an estimated delivery date. This is the most accurate way to tell when your package will arrive. If no estimated delivery date is listed there, it’s best to wait until your tracking number is updated again.

USPS generally has the same information that is listed on your tracking page since their system is based on when your package is scanned in. So, if you call them, they won’t usually be able to give you any additional information.

Although your package was delayed in transit, your package will still usually get to you by the estimated delivery date that they gave you in the first instance. That’s because it only got delayed in transit and not necessarily delayed overall.

If USPS has removed the delivery date because they are recalculating it based on the delay. You can still get a rough estimate of when it would be delivered.

When the package is something you bought online, you will get a confirmation email that has an estimate for how long the package will take to get to you. You can also check the original listing, which will usually give an estimate of delivery time.

For example, if they said it normally takes 5 to 7 days, even though it got delayed in transit, it will still get to you in 5 to 7 days.

A good idea is to sign up for email updates with their free Informed Delivery service. It will send you an email when the status of your package updates. This is more convenient than checking the status of your package periodically and is helpful to make sure that you get your package on time.

If you’re not home, and the delivery driver can’t leave your package, then they will attempt to redeliver the next day. They will also attempt to redeliver up to 3 times.

They won’t leave a package in your mailbox or on your doorstep if they think it will get stolen. And some addresses and buildings are very hard to find, because of the layout of the properties around it so they might need additional information for you to deliver it.

All of this can get updated in the dashboard when you sign up for Informed Delivery, again the link to do that is here.

Packages can either be signed for or not require a signature. You can update your package’s requirements so that someone will need to sign for it or not. You can also designate additional people who can sign for it.

So, a family member or friend can sign for it on your behalf. Which is a good idea if you know they’ll be home around the day that your package should get delivered.

Organizing a different time for it to be delivered, or delivering to a post office.

If you know you’re not going to be home, or if you prefer to get it delivered to your local post office or to another address, you can do that. For example, you can get it delivered to your work office and then pick it up on your coffee break.

But, sometimes the lines can be long at the post office, and you won’t be able to get it before you need to back at your desk, which makes leaving it at reception a really good option.

There are also designated secure lockers around most cities. You can have your package delivered to them in a secure locker and then pick it up at your leisure.

That way, the package is waiting for me, and I can pick it up at a time that suits me and somewhere that is close to my home. Then I don’t have to worry. I’ll miss the driver.

How will I know exactly what day my product will be delivered?

The estimated delivery date is fairly accurate. But, you won’t know exactly when it will get delivered until you get the final delivery status. Which is what does out for delivery mean?

Once your package has gone through the sorting process, and USPS has transported it to the final stage – when a delivery driver will hand deliver the package to you. Or, it’s destination. The final update status will change to ‘out for delivery’.

Out for delivery means that your package is on the delivery truck that is used to deliver packages individually to customers.

This gets updated in the morning when the delivery driver scans all the packages he is loading onto his truck. So, when you get that status, you will know to be on the lookout for the driver.

Or, you’ll know that your package will be delivered to the post office or another location on that day.

What could have caused it to arrive late?

The in-transit delay could have been caused by the following reasons:

1. Severe weather

2. Road closures

3. Delays at customs

4. A mistake

5. A big increase in workload

1. Severe weather

Certain states such as Florida have hurricanes regularly. Others have large snow storms or snow dumps. Others may have random severe weather such as extreme winds and twisters. These factors can shut down USPS operations, because it is unsafe, and can have caused the delay.

2. Road closures

Sometimes, certain arterial routes can be closed to allow a crane or fleet of trucks to access a certain part of a building because of construction projects. Other times, there can be a big event, such as a parade, which can close down a whole road. When this happens, delivery drivers have to take a different route, which can cause delays in transit.

3. Delays at customs

If your package is coming internationally sometimes, they can get held up at customs who checks all packages that come into the country. A common status update you will get when this occurs is processed through ISC. ISC stands for International Sorting Center, and there are 5 of them in the USA. USPS doesn’t have control over how long customs takes to clear an item and can only give a good estimate. When your items are in transit, it can be arriving late because it took longer to get through customs.

4. A mistake

There could have just been a mistake in the process. For example, a bag or container of packages might have been put on the wrong truck. So, it will have to go back, and then be put on the right truck. Although USPS has streamlined their processes and mistakes are rare, they still can happen, and it could have caused the delay.

5. A big increase in workload

During peak season, USPS can have a huge increase in packages. This is generally planned for in advance, and the estimated delivery times will remain accurate. But, in a rare instance, they might have a huge increase in a certain kind of mail.

For example, a new product that is extremely popular goes on the market. USPS might not have been able to predict that, and it could have made your package to be delayed.

What happens if USPS doesn’t deliver on time?

All of the delivery times that USPS gives you are estimates only. When USPS lists a timeframe that a package will be delivered by, it’s an average based on how long it has taken them in the past.

There are many factors outside of USPS control that can mean that your package won’t be delivered within the timeframe that they give.

They call them delivery standards. USPS lists how long you should wait for each package type before contacting customer support.

For the full list click here, to go to the page that shows how long each type of delivery method takes to get delivered and how long you should wait if it hasn’t been delivered within that time.

USPS will make the final decision about what to do if your package is delayed. But, if your package is lost completely, it’s different, and you’ll have to file a claim.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your package, the company you brought the product from might refund you the money.

In the rare case that your package has been lost, USPS will update the status of your package and likely send you an email with a link to make a claim.

In that case, it’s a good idea to contact the person or the business that sent you the package. This is because they might want to make the claim for you. They may also have insurance for such cases.

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Conclusion

In transit arriving late means that your package is on its way to a USPS sorting facility or being transported from USPS sorting facility to another one, but it got delayed. Generally, if it got delayed it can still get delivered to you on the day that they originally estimated. Because packages can get sorted and delivered faster than expected. There is a range of reasons why your package may have been delayed, which are:

Severe weather
Road closures
Delays at customs
A mistake
A big increase in workload

The timeframes that USPS gives are estimates. They also list how long you should wait before contacting them if your package has not arrived by the estimated delivery date.