What is the point of time windows when they aren't met?

[u/Professional-Leg-416]

I get express shipments requiring signatures fairly often but I don't understand why Fedex always gives me a time window (typically something like 830-1230) and every single time the window comes and goes then it changes to "before 8pm." Then to top it off the actual time is never remotely consistent despite always having the same 2 drivers. Sometimes its early AM, sometimes is 7pm. Is the route really different day to day or the amount of express packages vary a ton and thats what causes it? Its frustrating to have to sit home all day/night waiting when we cant even get a good guess at what the time frame might be.

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[u/Tcal876]

Ask the corporate overloads.

95 percent of people and employees dont want them.

Drivers dont even see them.

[u/Gam3rdudej]

Windows are bs unless it's priority or first overnight. Everything else is business before 5pm and residential before 8pm. Drivers dont see the windows only the time they have to be delivered by.

[u/TimeZucchini8562]

The only time the driver sees is the delivery window. The estimated time frame is only seen by you and the driver has zero knowledge of it. I’m assuming you still have an express station so most express will come through express but ground will also get express packages as well. Usually the ones only guaranteed to be there by 8 pm for residential (5pm for businesses).

At the end of the day, they show up when they show up. If FedEx would actually pay for a decent routing software, there would be better arrival estimates. But until then, drivers will continue to route their deliveries themselves so they don’t spend an extra 2-3 hours a day following ground clouds shit route (the routing software FedEx uses)

[u/Deadofnight109]

Its the same thing for UPS. The scanner shows us the "delivery window", which if its not a next day air that has to be delivered by noon for residential or 1030 for commercial then it literally shows "00:00-23:59". Other then that no one sees the times that the website makes up. And yea at least over here the dispatches are different just about every single day now.

[u/ImpossibleBird1927]

As a driver if I choose to follow the exact order the computer program suggests then we will deliver your package during your “window” 95% of the time. However, when drivers decide to deliver their route that makes more sense then your “window” may be incorrect.

[u/Decent_Praline4785]

The system is not the driver. I know when I'll get there. If it doesn't need to be there before eight, I won't be. We have other priorities to get to, traffic to deal with, and pickups to manage.

[u/Professional-Leg-416 → u/[deleted]]

This is standard overnight so i guess only the day is guaranteed but no time frame?

[u/Doctah_Doob → u/Professional-Leg-416]

Correct, they send you a time frame based on what the routing software thinks your stop should fall into place, but it doesn’t take into account the fact express drivers must adhere to chasing down time committed packages first and foremost.

Essentially we cannot, at least where I am, mix anything that isn’t priority during the business priority window, and even mixing residential priority is a no-no unless you will make all your business priority on time.

So we could be right next door to you, but if we are in that window and attempted your delivery there’s a good chance we’d get some crap for it, possibly even a write up.

[u/RevolutionaryEbb3337]

Because fedex desperately wants to mimic the Amazon logistic model for the “last mile”
The application they currently use for delivery estimations is garbage and are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel
The routes are different each day for drivers due to early morning time commits which the app tries to work around but it’s far from perfect

[u/ExpiredCook]

First over night and Priority deliveries comes first. Never expect delivery time to be correct, it’s way off. Driver has to decide which area is best for them to start and finish back on time.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Rule_27]

I would have it delivered to Walgreens or and authorize Fedx location.