What Does “Out for Delivery” Mean on UPS? | Explained

Last Updated on 13/03/2022 by Miki Yoshida

If you are a UPS customer, it is likely that you check the package status on the tracking information. In this case, you might find the status of “Out for Delivery”. What exactly does “Out for Delivery” mean? Can you expect UPS to deliver your package on the day? Let’s find out the answer in this article.

 

What does “Out for Delivery” mean?

“Out for Delivery” indicates that your package is at a local pick-up location, with a UPS employee preparing to deliver the package to you. UPS will move the package to the delivery vehicle and check it in.

What if your package is “Out for Delivery” and you do not receive a notice from UPS that your package was “delivered”? Well, in this case, you should contact UPS Customer Service by phone, online or by mail.

Phone: 1-800-UPS-6972 or online: www.ups.com/contactus

Email: cu*************@up*.com

Mail: UPS Delivery Service Center at Shipping & Returns, 2032 U.S. Highway 1, Norwood, MA 02062.

UPS and its employees are committed to safely delivering the packages that their customers order. A package is left “Out for Delivery” if it is available for delivery on a given date. A “Delivered” status is assigned if the package is at your residence. The status changes as frequently as the package changes from “In Progress” to “Out for Delivery.” A different package identifier is assigned to each package to allow UPS to safely track it.

The “Out for Delivery” status does not mean the package is late. It simply means the package is available for delivery on that day. If the delivery driver has not arrived at your door by a certain hour, UPS will hold the package at the local UPS hub.

 

What’s the difference between “Out for Delivery” and “Shipped”?

If you’ve ever received a package that was supposed to be delivered today but is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, the package is most likely “Shipped”. On the other hand, if you’ve ever received a package that was supposed to be delivered and scheduled for delivery tomorrow, the package is most likely “Out for Delivery”.

The difference is that shipments that are “Shipped” are scheduled to arrive at a different date and time than the “Out for Delivery” status indicates. In other words, UPS states that “Shipped” is when the package is in a UPS transportation centre and ready to be delivered. On the contrary, “Out for Delivery” is when the package is at a local pick-up location to be delivered to the customer on that day.

 

Why does my package say “Out for Delivery” but not delivered?

Just for fun, let’s examine how UPS actually explains “Out for Delivery”:

“Out for Delivery” basically tells you that a UPS truck has picked up a package. It is ready to be delivered, however, there is a circumstance that prevents the package from being delivered today. For example, the package is temporarily on vacation somewhere, and it is not in the truck with the driver. Maybe it is temporarily in your local UPS office. Or, maybe it is on an international flight and the driver is travelling to deliver the package. It just so happens that you are the closest person in the neighbourhood that can pick up the package and deliver it.

 

Conclusion

There you have what “Out for Delivery” means on UPS. It is important to know your package delivery status since you expect UPS to deliver the package safely within the expected time frame. There are some UPS terms that help you understand the tracking information and we recommend reading our article on “In Transit” as well if you want to broaden your knowledge.

If you have any experiences that you would like to share with us, please feel free to comment below.