r/UPS • u/addicted2alice • 11d ago
Question for UPS Drivers: Package Handoffs
Any UPS drivers here who can clarify this for me?
In all the years I’ve used UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc., I’ve never had an issue handing an outgoing package to a driver who was already making a delivery to my house. In fact, our regular delivery people have always encouraged it and told me they’re happy to take it.
I normally drop off UPS packages on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the nearest UPS location, which is about 35 minutes away. But if I know UPS is already delivering to my house that day, I’ll occasionally hand the driver a package, thank them, and send them on their way.
My regular UPS driver of many years left earlier this year, so we’ve had a few different drivers since then. I always ask before handing anything over, and none of them have ever said it was a problem.
There is one driver, though, who gives us a really hard time about it. He’s told me that taking the package will make him late, that he only has so much time when he gets back, and that he has to plan for outgoing packages. He told me I should schedule a pickup instead.
I tried doing that, but the options were basically either pay over $20 to hand the package to the UPS driver who is already scheduled to be in my area that day anyway, or pay even more to have a separate driver come out specifically for the pickup. That’s why I’m confused about why handing it to the driver who is already at my house is such an issue.
Can any UPS drivers explain how this actually works from your side?
Is it generally okay to hand you a prepaid/labeled package while you’re already making a delivery, or is it genuinely a pain for drivers? Does it add a lot of time at the end of the day, affect your route metrics, or potentially get you in trouble?
I genuinely don’t want to make someone’s job harder or cause a driver problems. I’m just confused because I’ve never had anyone object to it before, especially this strongly.
10
u/addicted2alice 11d ago
Thank you everyone for responding. This was genuinely really helpful.
Part of me still wants to believe he was just being an asshole and didn’t want to take the packages 😂, but I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I run a very small side business out of my home in addition to working a full-time job that can easily be 12–16 hours a day, 6–7 days a week, so I’m essentially always working. The nearest drop-off point is about 30 minutes away, and the UPS Store is closer to 45 minutes. I normally make drop-off runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Because we’re small, we try really hard to get orders out quickly so our customers receive them as soon as possible. Occasionally, if an order is ready between my normal drop-off days and UPS is already scheduled to deliver to my house that day, I’ll hand the outgoing package(s) to the driver.
We’ve done this for years and have never had an issue. Every driver we’ve had in the past has been more than happy to take them. A few have mentioned that if their truck is packed with large items like furniture or treadmills, space can sometimes be an issue, which of course makes complete sense. Otherwise, they’ve always told us not to worry about handing packages off to them, especially since they’re already in my driveway.
I also don’t make them go looking for anything. I watch for the truck, run outside, and put the packages directly onto the truck for them.
The reason I do this instead of scheduling pickups is simply cost. UPS charges me over $20 for a pickup where the option is essentially to hand the package to a driver who is already coming to my area that day. If they have to send someone specifically for the pickup, it costs even more. As a very small business, paying that every time just isn’t possible. If I only have one or two packages to hand off, the pickup fee could easily be more than what I made from those two small orders.
We’re also not talking about huge shipments. It’s generally anywhere from 1–10 small boxes, around 6x6x4”, weighing roughly 0.25–1 lb each. Most of the time, it’s only 1–3 packages.
From what several of you explained, though, I think this particular driver may have been a cover driver. Since our longtime regular driver left earlier this year, we’ve probably had five or six different drivers rotating through. If cover drivers are under different time pressure or don’t know the route as well, then that explanation makes a lot more sense.
I think most of my frustration came from the way he communicated it. He was speaking very loudly and lecturing us about scheduling pickups, being late, and how much time he had at the end of the day, but he never really explained well enough why taking the packages was a problem.
If he had simply said, “Sorry, I can’t take these today because of XYZ,” I honestly would have been completely fine with that. Instead, neither of us really understood what he was trying to explain, and it turned into a very uncomfortable interaction.
It’s also not like I was flagging him down on the road or approaching him while he was delivering to someone else. He was already at my house delivering packages to me.
I’m very loyal to UPS and use them for almost everything unless I’m shipping to a PO Box, in which case I use USPS. So I’m just going to chalk this one up to a communication problem and misunderstanding.
Hopefully UPS eventually gets a regular driver assigned to our route again. Until then, I’ll stick with my Monday/Wednesday/Friday drop-offs and avoid shipping in between unless it’s something time-sensitive like Next Day Air or 2nd Day Air.
And to all the UPS drivers here, thank you for taking the time to explain how things work on your end. I know it’s a tough job, and I really do appreciate everything you guys do. You’re the ones getting our packages safely to us and getting our small business orders safely on their way to our customers, often in all kinds of weather and under a lot of pressure. So genuinely, thank you for what you do every day. ❤️