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What Does Out for Delivery Mean?

Nov 11, 2020

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When I first got a package delivered, I didn’t really watch its progress that closely. I recently monitored the updates on my package, and saw that it had the message ‘out for delivery’. I didn’t know what that meant, so I looked into it, and here’s what I found.

So, what does out for delivery mean? According to UPS, ‘out for delivery’ means that your package is with the delivery driver who is out delivering packages to homes and businesses. Which means the package will be delivered to you today. All courier companies use similar wording for packages at this part of the delivery cycle.

There are some reasons why a package may be ‘out for delivery’ and not be delivered that day. So, read on to discover what can cause your package to not get delivered, and more details about how to make sure your package gets delivered as soon as possible.

Will my package be delivered today if it says out for delivery?

If everything goes according to plan, your package will be delivered today if it says that your package is ‘out for delivery.’ However, if you aren’t home and you need to sign for it, or they can’t find your house or business, then they may not deliver it today, and it will go back to the depot.

I’ll explain why below:

1. You aren’t home and the package needs to get signed for

If you specified when you had it delivered that you have to sign for your package, then if you aren’t home or miss the courier when they come to your house, they won’t leave your package for you.

Sometimes you might have specified that an item needs to be signed for but forgot that they were coming today. Or, you might be in the shower, doing some vacuuming, or in a part of the house where you don’t hear them knock or ring the doorbell.

This has happened to me a few times. When this happens, the courier will drive off and won’t leave the package. It’s a security issue so that someone doesn’t steal your package if they leave it on the front doorstep or in your letterbox.

Other times certain packages may be marked as ‘must be signed for’ whether you ticked a box or not because of the value of the item. So, it’s best to have someone home when the package is scheduled to arrive.

When this happens, the driver will normally leave a card which says that they tried to deliver your package, but you weren’t home. On the card, it will have a phone number and the package ID number, with instructions about what to do next.

Some courier companies will also give a delivery time. They might write ‘scheduled to be delivered at 2pm’; this makes it really easy to coordinate. However, because of your schedule, you might not be able to be home when they arrive.

If you miss the courier driver

If you miss your package, though, it’s not a big deal, and you have a few options. You can call the courier company, and organize a redelivery date.

Or, you can go to the depot to pick it up. Most courier depots are only open to pick up packages at certain hours, which can be hard to get to.

So, it’s usually easier to have the package redelivered and to keep an ear out for the courier driver. But, you may happen to be close by the courier depot, and it’s easy enough to walk or drive there and pick up the package.

That way, you don’t have to wait another day or a few extra days for it to be redelivered. I’ve done this a few times when I was super excited about what was in the package. Other couriers will also give you the option to organize everything on their website.

2. The courier driver can’t find the address that you listed

Certain places you’re getting your package delivered to can have funny addresses or be very difficult to find. When this happens, sometimes the courier driver won’t be able to deliver your package, and they will put your package back in their van/truck and take it back to the depot.

For example, a street number might be listed in the wrong order. Officially it’s 1/42 – unit 1, number 42, but on their system, it got listed as unit 42, number 1. In that case, the driver might go to the wrong address and be unable to deliver it.

Most courier companies will have a comments box on the webpage. You go see the details of your order, where you can write specific notes for your delivery. For example, ‘it’s the house at the end of the driveway’ or ‘leave it at reception’.

You definitely want to leave detailed notes or contact the delivery company by phone when that happens. Some companies will automatically attempt to redeliver it the next day or in 2 days. So, you definitely want to update it so that it definitely gets to you when they attempt to redeliver.

3. Some other unforeseen event that delayed the driver

There may be a big storm, a car accident, road works, or an event that delays the courier driver. And they can’t get through their full run on that day. So, the package will be scheduled to be delivered the next day.

When this happens, the courier company will generally leave notes on the web page for your delivery. They can leave a note that says something like ‘package delayed, delivery scheduled for tomorrow.’ But, this rarely happens in most cities.

So that’s everything that could delay your package and stop it from being delivered on that day. Other than that, when your package is in the ‘out of delivery’ phase, it will be delivered that day.

Does dispatched mean delivered?

Dispatched means that the package has left the warehouse of the company that you bought your item from. For example, if you bought a chair from Target, dispatched means it has left the Target warehouse and is on its way to the courier depot. Once it gets to the courier depot, it is sorted and organized for delivery to your residence or office.

Companies like Target have many orders, and it is more efficient to send them all to a local courier office. Once they’re at the courier depot, they will sort them by suburb and then load them onto the delivery truck in the morning, ready to be delivered that day.

Once the truck has left your package will be updated to the status of ‘out for delivery.’ Package should be delivered that day.

It’s easier for companies like Target – as an example – to send their packages to a mail processing center that specializes in sorting and delivery. Where they also have detailed software that tracks the packages and updates them on their website.

For a company to make a whole system like this for themselves is a big undertaking because they have to have complex relationships and workflows with the big logistics companies and airlines. So most companies prefer to send them to UPS or a similar company who specializes in it.

Can I track a UPS truck?

UPS has recently added this as a feature to the tracking page on their website. Once you’ve signed up for a free account, you can see a map that shows the exact location of the truck. But, the route the driver takes is not shown on the map, so your package might look like it’s getting close, and then the driver turns and takes a different route.

UPS does not offer an exact time when the package will be delivered. Unfortunately, they will deliver it at any time between the hours of “9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (and sometimes later) to residences, and by close of business for commercial addresses”, according to their website.

What does in transit arriving late mean for a UPS Package?

It means that your package is on its way from one location to another UPS facility. When it is being delivered to your location that day, it will say ‘out for delivery.’ USPS will generally update the delivery date if the details have changed.

Arriving late is a message to the facility that it is being delivered, too and doesn’t always mean they will update the date that it will be delivered to you. I recently wrote an article covering this, you can read more details about what it means by clicking [here: link to What does in transit arriving late mean for a USPS Package].

How long does out for delivery take UPS?

Out for delivery means that your package will be delivered that day. A package changes to the status ‘out for delivery’ when the package is on the truck that delivers the packages to residences and offices. Which means it will be delivered that day between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm unless they run into an issue with delivering it.

What does it mean when the USPS says the acceptance of your package is pending?

This means that your package has arrived at the sorting facility but hasn’t been sorted yet. Once it has been sorted, it will be grouped together with other items that need to be delivered close to each other. For example, on the same street or in the same suburb.

Logistics companies update the status of packages with terminology that only the staff at the mail facility are familiar with. I wrote more about this [here: link to What does it mean when the USPS says the acceptance of your package is pending?].

The software systems they use have rigid terminology that is locked at the software level and can’t be changed easily by USPS. It is universal and used to communicate between the different companies and scanners as part of the delivery process.

Some of these software are a bit older, but USPS still uses them because they are very reliable. Making changes to the software, so the language makes sense to the freight company, and customers is a big undertaking. Doing so is very risky because it could disrupt the entire system. And all of their processes will need to be changed.

Anyway, once the delivery driver has loaded your package – together with other packages – onto their delivery truck in the morning, they will update the status on your package to ‘out for delivery’. Which means it will be delivered to you that day, barring any unforeseen circumstances.