Comparison of shipping services

[jackaninny]

Popular Mechanics sent some cool little data loggers on a shipping journey to see what conditions the different delivery services subject your packages to. I think it was Fedex that has a similar device available for certain customers to purchase (I think I read once they were ~$100) and pack in with their shipments - they mention the device but ended up using a custom designed one.

 

Shipping Company Reviews

[Emerald525]

Good stuff! My brother worked for UPS during the holidays and there was so much pressure to move things quickly they just tossed stuff in when they loaded it.

[Rick]

Good stuff! My brother worked for UPS during the holidays and there was so much pressure to move things quickly they just tossed stuff in when they loaded it.

 

I was a supervisor at UPS on the load lines for about 6 years and would never have allowed this to occur. If an employeee did do this and got caught then their job would be in jeapordy.

 

The single test in this review is insignificant. It would take many tests to several destinations during different times of the year to get enough data to make a fair comparison. While none of the services will allow packages to be thrown they are more like to get caught in a belt jam during peak season which can subject the package to a good bit of abuse. (This friday and the following monday being the heaviest days of the year) If this happens on the top belt then it can pile up to a point that the packages spill over the side and fall more than 20 feet to the floor. While this is rare it does sometimes occur.

 

Note: Most people are under the impression that the packages get carried from point a to point b which only occurs at the beginning and ending of their journey. The rest of the time they are moved using rollers and conveyor belts. (Fragile or this side up stickers are meaningless once it's inside the package car)

[blown65]

Makes sense since pretty much every package we ever get thru Fedex is trashed.

 

Always love the delivery guys answer of "Its not packaged correctly"

 

UPS has always done pretty good for us.

[Emerald525]

I was a supervisor at UPS on the load lines for about 6 years and would never have allowed this to occur. If an employeee did do this and got caught then their job would be in jeapordy.

 

The single test in this review is insignificant. It would take many tests to several destinations during different times of the year to get enough data to make a fair comparison. While none of the services will allow packages to be thrown they are more like to get caught in a belt jam during peak season which can subject the package to a good bit of abuse. (This friday and the following monday being the heaviest days of the year) If this happens on the top belt then it can pile up to a point that the packages spill over the side and fall more than 20 feet to the floor. While this is rare it does sometimes occur.

 

Note: Most people are under the impression that the packages get carried from point a to point b which only occurs at the beginning and ending of their journey. The rest of the time they are moved using rollers and conveyor belts.

 

I agree Rick if the employees got caught by a supervisor hurling packages in the truck they would have been reprimanded but the problem is there are mixed messages. There is pressure for the packages to get moved quickly and pressure to handle them with care which during busy times don't always gel together.

 

I'm not saying that UPS is the only place that this occurs as I'm sure it happens with other shipping. It certainly happens with airline luggage.

[Rick]

I agree Rick if the employees got caught by a supervisor hurling packages in the truck they would have been reprimanded but the problem is there are mixed messages. There is pressure for the packages to get moved quickly and pressure to handle them with care which during busy times don't always gel together.

 

I'm not saying that UPS is the only place that this occurs as I'm sure it happens with other shipping. It certainly happens with airline luggage.

 

When you tell the employees point blank that it is never acceptable under any condition to throw a package then any mixed message is due to the employee ignoring the supervisors instructions. There isn't any reason to throw a package anyway even when the pressure is on as it actually takes more effort to move it that way. As I mentioned above the packages get moved on belts and rollers which put the packages at the load with the least amount of physical effort.

[snowpunk]

My girlfriend used to work with a guy that was at ups for a while. He said his boss would be the one to push all the packages off the top roller to clear up any jams. He said the same thing about always having to hurry at any cost and they still wanted you to take care of it all with to few guys to get it done.

 

My favorite one is the youtube video from a homes security cam that shows the ups guy stop at the road(about 40ft from the door), jump out of the truck, and huck the package at the house! LMAO!!!

[jgf86123]

Rick is 100% correct in how they're moved, I've delivered to hundreds of warehouses all across the country, an I've never seen them unload a trailer by hand, it's all done with either belts an rollers they back up to the trailers when you're docked in the loading/unloading bays, or forklift for the loads on pallets.

[CoralCrazy]

My mom use to work for fedex and at the local station she would see the couriers kick the boxes to their trucks. The only good point I see is I know I can refuse any package that comes to my door. Our usps driver is wonderful when it comes to any fish or corals that are delivered to us. He handles the package with kid gloves and will even call me to come pick it up at the post office if he is running late. I know the packages get slammed in transit but it's nice to know the one who delivers personally cares atleast a little.

[Emerald525]

And now it is time to Clay up the thread!

 

My girlfriend used to work with a guy that was at ups for a while. He said his boss would be the one to push all the packages off the top roller to clear up any jams. He said the same thing about always having to hurry at any cost and they still wanted you to take care of it all with to few guys to get it done.

 

My favorite one is the youtube video from a homes security cam that shows the ups guy stop at the road(about 40ft from the door), jump out of the truck, and huck the package at the house! LMAO!!!

 

rofl Do you have that link Brandon?

 

 

Now it's time to Clay up the thread. I have to say my local UPS delivery guy is awesome and goes above and beyond. (clap)

[tanktop74]

I found a good youtube link to UPS video....

 

rofl Do you have that link Brandon?

 

 

I wonder if this is

rofl

 

And just to be fair... here is on on

.

[stylaster]

about 10 years ago i was expecting a nice shipment of clams through southwest airlines cargo, it never showed as i was waiting at the cargo terminal. Called the shipper she said it had shipped and i should have gotten it, SW airlines shows it never left the original airport, after about a week i got a call and found out though the person i bought the clams from and that SW airlines that the box was ran over with a forklift! OUCH! I called SW to confirm this and they said it was true, but offered no apology. Sad thing is SW didn't feel like telling me what happened.

[Rick]

Obviously all of the shipping companies sometimes have problems. Of the big three USPS is the only one that does not automatically have $100 in insurance. I.E. USPS will not pay for a package that is damaged or lost unless insurance has been purchased in addition to the normal shipping cost whereas UPS and FedEx both pay up to a certain amount without it. What I find interesting here though are the secondhand claims made that are unlikely to occur except in rare instances. (I.E. They can occur but normally would not due to the way the system is set up) An example is that it would be unlikely for a driver to kick a package to their truck since they normally do not even load it. A specific loader does so when the packages roll into the truck off the belt. The first time the driver normally even touches the package is when they arrive to deliver it. It also will be unlikely since the delivery driver is the one that actually faces the customer when the package is delivered.

 

Do packages get lost or damaged? Having been there I know all too well that they do. Lost packages are usually due to either a label falling off (not attached very well) or the package breaking open on the conveyors due to poor packaging and the contents getting separated from the container. Sometimes it is due to them jamming up in the machines (which is also often due to poor packaging but can also occur when the volume is too high on the belts). Then there is also the occasional theft that accounts for some lost packages. Actual damaged packages are usually due to poor packaging by the shipper and also sometimes are from the machines jamming up for the same reasons as above. Poor loads account for some damages as well. (A loose load will shift in transit and can break stuff) There is also the rare occurance where a package is actually abused however this will amount to only a very small percentage. (Certainly nowhere near what people are often led to believe) Please be fair folks. For most of the people that actually handle your packages it is in their best interest not to do any damage to the packages (It's one thing the unions and management both agree on as being unacceptable). More often than not packages that are lost or damaged occur in the machinery rather than being at the hand of someone that has abused them.