Can a receiver pay more to have a package delivered on Saturday?
Can a receiver pay more to have a package delivered on Saturday?
Delivery companies such as UPS will deliver packages on Saturday. However, it is very tricky if you do not understand the rules. That is why we at RunRex have taken some time to explain Saturday delivery to you. We will restrict ourselves to the discussion on UPS, which is quite a popular package delivery option. We hope that it will help clear up some anxiety for you about sending or receiving your package on Saturdays.
Understanding the Saturday schedule
At 7 AM, all packages are unloaded from the planes and taken to the conveyor belt for sorting. They are then loaded onto trucks for delivery.
At 9 AM, all the Saturday EAMS have to be delivered. The upgraded weekday EAMs have to be delivered by this time too.
At 12 PM, the NDA Saturday packages have to be delivered. At some hubs, the upgraded NDA packages have to be delivered by this time, but there is no guarantee.
At the end of the workday, all the second day Saturday, upgraded air packages that are not yet delivered, and scheduled on-demand packages are delivered.
The details about UPS services
UPS has three services available for the weekend. These are Next Day Air Early AM Saturday Delivery, 2nd Day Air Saturday Delivery, and Next Day Air Saturday Delivery. The services are quite different from services offered during the rest of the week.
One major difference is that the commitments for delivery are more relaxed during the weekends. For instance, the NDA Saturday has to be delivered by noon instead of 10.30 AM. NDA Early AM has to arrive by 9 AM instead of 8 AM.
The Saturday deliveries also have an end of day commitment. Technically that should mean up to 11.59PM. However, the volume on Saturdays is usually quite light. Besides that, the delivery day for the driver is not as long as that for the driver during the week. You also factor in the fact that the 7 AM start time can be as much as 2 hours earlier than that of the non-air drivers. The air drivers also have to stay later to make afternoon pickups, which usually happen no later than 5 PM on Saturday.
Besides the regular Saturday service, a driver could sometimes be requested to deliver various packages which have had their service label upgraded. These are usually the NDA, EMA, and 2DA, packages. However, they can also include Next Day Air Saver packages. These packages usually do not have a corresponding Saturday service.
These packages usually have a 3 PM commitment during weekdays for commercial addresses and an end of the day for the residential addresses. However, some Ground packages have been delivered on Saturday on some occasions. All packages with Saturday service are given priority over any upgraded packages.
Why upgrade a package
Sometimes packages are upgraded when there is likely to be a huge volume of Air packages the coming week. Thus, he or she will have some packages delivered early to ease the pressure for Monday deliveries.
Others that may be upgraded are medical supplies packages, service failures from the previous day, crucial packages such as a wedding dress delivery and many others. However, these upgrades are at the discretion of the manager. It is not something anyone can request to have done.
About pickups
Pickup accounts can arrange to have an attempt for pickup made on the weekend. The public can also schedule an on-demand pickup for a package with Air service level. Standard UPS Ground packages are not included in this schedule.
Tracking packages
For all Air packages, customers are now able to track them in real time. UPS customers are now able to know how far their package has progressed. The online map is usually updated every three minutes to let customers track packages. That means all packages delivered on Saturdays can be tracked save for Ground packages that are upgraded for Saturday delivery.
Regular service may be coming soon
UPS has been trying regular Saturday deliveries for a while now in certain areas. These pilot studies are expected to test how viable it is to have packages delivered on the weekend. The main consideration is of course cost. The company needs to be making more money than it costs to deliver packages on such days.
The company still has to make a profit, and it still has to pay drivers and others working on weekends. If Americans changed their schedule, it might actually make sense for them to have deliveries made on Saturdays.
Can receivers upgrade their packages?
It is not possible for a receiver to upgrade the package in transit. The reason for this is that UPS bills the shipper for the shipment. Thus, it is up to the shipper to determine how much they are willing to pay. Thus, if a shipper chooses 2nd Day Air on Thursday, your package will arrive on Monday. It can only change if he or she specifically label it for Saturday Delivery.
