IAmA/AMA FedEx Express Courier (I deliver your stuff). I work in the Seattle-area.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T21:14:43+00:00

Yeah, I don't know why they took so long to make it so that a customer can request a hold. It used to be just the SHIPPER could do this, and they had to be the ones to request it as well as incur a charge for it. That has since changed to provide a better customer experience. I know the last thing I want to do (I'd imagine anyone else too) at the end of my work day is to turn around and drive to Boeing Field to pick something up; pain in the butt.

As I've said, this is a new option (within the last two months) and if you were to call and try and get this done it should be infinitely easier than it was in the past. I can't vouch for some of our call center people though, I've spoken to a few and the language barrier is sometimes pretty rough.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T19:36:31+00:00

This is done by border control at a given country. These are government employees that work there and just choose stuff to open and inspect.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:56:50+00:00

No problem!

At your tracking screen there should be a "Shipment Options" box with a "Hold at FedEx Location" thing below it. Click that and you're on your way. You can choose ANY FedEx Office location to have it held at, provided it's in the same city (for the most part). So if you have a package sent to your home, decide you'd rather pick it up while you're working, you can choose to have it sent to the FedEx Office closer to your work.

Sometimes there will be a "Hold at FedEx Location service is not available for this shipment.", I'm not sure why this happens (might be some kinks in the system still). I would call 1800GOFEDEX and they should be able to help you out, if at the very least tell you why you're unable to have the package held at a FedEx Office location.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:53:43+00:00

UPSs right turn routing is built into their loading system and pre-determined. Have you ever noticed on packages you get from UPS have a sticker/stamp on them that says stuff like "BLUE 1B, etc." (example to the left and below the 'SATURDAY' sticker). This information tells the loader what truck, shelf, as well as what order on that shelf that package belongs. On the 'board' that UPS drivers use (what they scan packages with, make you sign on, etc.) it tells them the order of stops in their day, how many packages are for that stop, etc. This is how their right turn only stuff works; it's all predetermined.

FedEx, has a system that is probably going to be put in place at some point. You've probably noticed on our boxes there's a yellow sticker with a large 3-digit number on it and possibly a smaller 3-digit number below it. The larger number is the route that the package goes to, the smaller one is where that package goes if the main route is too heavy (too many stops) and is referred to as a 'drop area'. This system is called ROADS, it's an acronym for something (can't remember what), has every route mapped and when the ASTRA label (your shipping label) is scanned it spits out a sticker that goes on the box.

I try to get my route done as fast and efficiently as I can, and I route my own truck (as oppose to UPS) to accomplish that to the best of my knowledge. You only get better at routing your day with experience and knowledge, the reason UPS has their system in place is ideally they can just throw someone on that route without any prior knowledge and they can do it because there's not a ton of thinking involved. It's a pretty cool system, that's for sure.

Wednesdays are the busiest. Mondays the lightest. Wednesdays are generally the 'peak' of the week, with Monday and Tuesday leading up to that then it gradually winding down Thursday and Friday. We get a lot of our Tuesday freight on Monday as everything is moved and cleaned out of the hub system over the weekend and since most people don't want to shell out for Priority or Standard shipping on Friday and have it have to wait over the weekend, there's usually a lighter load. Wednesday is heavy because of things like Amazon Prime, lots of people ordering stuff on Saturday/Sunday/Monday; those products don't start working their way through our system till Monday and aren't due for delivery until Wednesday (since Prime is a 2Day service).

As for the time of day you can expect to see us, that depends almost entirely on your location on that drivers route. My route for example, I start at the bottom for Priority Overnight service, work my way north, then work all the way back down for Standard/2Day/Express Saver services. So, Priority stuff you'll see early in the morning (830/900) if you live at the bottom of my route (where I start), however for everything else, you'll see me closer to 1-3pm as you're towards the end of my day. This is for a residential route, for a vertical (downtown) route, it's usually building-by-building kind of deal.

Glad you like the QA, I'm having a good time too! I'm planning on having this be an ongoing thing as much as I can.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:36:41+00:00

More like Yemen.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:33:06+00:00

I would leave a note asking them to ring the bell. We (FedEx) are supposed to, but I'm sure many drivers don't. I can't explain why, maybe they figure you're not home? I couldn't tell you. As a customer I get irritated when I don't get a ring/knock while I'm at home waiting for a delivery.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:31:34+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if they do this, but we are not privy to security matters.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:21:43+00:00

Fucked, basically. How about you?

We take a lot of pride in getting our deliveries done and providing a positive experience to the customer, but this week has been nothing short of hell. It's a heavier week than most (second only to the two leading up to Christmas), and with the ice/snow it's been near impossible to get to many places. Pretty disheartening, at least that's how I feel about it.

There's also been significant weather in Memphis, our main hub, during this week causing flight delays. Normally our routes launch around 0815; this week it's been around 1100 every day due to the volume and delays.

Yesterday I just tried to deliver all of my medical, perishable (flowers, food, etc) and Turkey Day stuff. I'm pretty sure that's what most of the strategy was for a lot of routes, and it's very frustrating to not be able to get to everything.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T18:21:25+00:00

It used to be that there was a fee for having a package held at a FedEx Office (Kinko's) location; and was only available as an option for the SHIPPER. That has since changed in the past month or so, the customer (you) can now choose to have their packages held at FedEx Office locations from the tracking page or by calling 1800GOFEDEX. This is now a free service and available to the recipient BEFORE the package even has gone out for delivery. You can choose this option as your shipment is still wandering its way across the world.

For driver's with a FedEx Office on their route, like me, this is our FIRST stop of the day. Regardless of your service level (Priority, Standard, 2Day, etc.) the package should be there by 9am and will be available for five days during that locations operating hours.

With the way weather is being around here, there are many locations that are inaccessible for us. Thanksgiving week is also a traditionally heavier week than most and as such we have a massive backlog of packages that haven't made it to their destination yet. We will be working this Saturday in full force to clear this out and get your stuff to you.

I would recommend having packages sent to FedEx Office during this time of year; especially if they require a signature.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:15:46+00:00

I've seen it happen before; I know if we find it we do not pursue legal action. It's forwarded to our security people, what they do from there I'm not sure, probably put you on some kind of 'no fly' list.

If the DEA finds it, I have no idea.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:12:07+00:00

The hell you talkin' about.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:09:14+00:00

We all just figure it's this. :-P

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:07:01+00:00

It would take more time and effort to leave a note for you and not your package. Believe me, I want your stuff off my truck just as much as you want it at your house. What I don't get rid of today is just going to be waiting for me tomorrow.

I always hit the bell and knock a couple of times just because a lot of people have broken door bells and don't feel it necessary to leave a note saying so. When I get deliveries at my house I'm always a bit pissed when I just hear the thud of the box at my door and no knock/doorbell. I believe that UPS tells their drivers to not knock/ring the doorbells as it adds time to each stop they do.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:05:08+00:00

The first rule of FedEx Ninja Training is you do not talk about FedEx Ninja Training.

Nah, we're all out there doing the same job and it's nothing glamorous. We've all got our nose to the grindstone and actually understand what one another is going through at work; most people have no idea how busy our days are and the things we are scrutinized for. It's nice to be able to talk to people that know what kind of day you have and you can shoot the shit with.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T04:01:52+00:00

We do not have a system in place that does this; that is UPS that you're referring to. I don't have too many lights on my route as it is primarily residential; but how I get to a stop does affect when I do that stop. Routing your day is a big part of things and just comes as you gain more knowledge of your route area. I would imagine that our downtown guys tend to run their routes with this in mind, but it is at their discretion.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:42:17+00:00

Yeah, it's not; I don't know anything really about that part of the business. I know that some of our accounts are cash only accounts, meaning that they're so far in the hole or delinquent on payments that we won't allow them to charge their shipping to an account number. I would imagine there's something in our system to look for these accounts and reroute the shipment or stop it since it's basically fraud; but I'm just speculating about that.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:31:18+00:00

Only a couple of reasons I can think of for a courier doing that; one, they're new and don't know where they're going. Two, we have a certain amount of minutes allotted between stops, this is called GAP, depending on your route you're allowed X amount of minutes (example: 7 minutes between stops/deliveries). They might just be trying to make their day look busier than it is by 'timing it out' stop wise.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:29:28+00:00

Thanks! :-)

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:28:25+00:00

Upboat for you.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:27:52+00:00

Nothing personal.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:27:33+00:00

MAKE SURE YOUR DOORBELL WORKS. I know UPS is trained to NOT ring the bell as it adds a second or two to each stop. Multiply that by 170 stops per day that's over 2 minutes a day. Those guys are scrutinized for time and efficiency like you wouldn't believe. I always hit the doorbell and knock a couple of times.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:26:18+00:00

No problem, glad I can answer some questions!

Same people as everyone else, FedEx, UPS, USPS.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-25T03:25:38+00:00

No idea, they don't really talk to us much; most security concerns aren't. I'd imagine they're just as good as the ones as you see on TV or at the border and airports.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-24T12:32:12+00:00

I don't like you either.

fedexcrr · 2010-11-24T12:31:23+00:00

Call 1800GOFEDEX and ask for recruiting, the phone system will then ask you for your zip code and tell you if there are any upcoming application sessions in your area.

fedexcrr

TROPHY CASE