Your package is reaching its final destination and you are getting excited about its arrival.
However, when you check your FedEx tracking number update, there are some notifications you don’t quite understand.
Does “In Transit”, literally mean on the way to your door? Is “arrived at FedEx Location” the local FedEx depot or somewhere else?
And what does “Submitted at FedEx OnSite” mean for goodness sake?
All of that and more is what we will look into today….
What does FedEx “In Transit” mean?
We’ll start with this deceiving little update. According to FedEx, “In Transit” doesn’t necessarily mean that the package is moving.
It might not be in a van on its way to you or between FedEx facilities on a plane or truck. It could even be on the shelf at a FedEx facility.
Typically vague the FedEx “In Transit” update means “that your package is on its way to its final destination”.
What does “Arrived at FedEx Location” Mean?
Arrived at FedEx Location means that the package has arrived at a FedEx sort facility, but has not been unloaded from the arrival container or been prepared for sending out.
Importantly, the FedEx location does not necessarily mean the local facility nearest the recipient. It can refer to any facility along the journey of the package.
These updates normally appear in the early stages of a package route. They are also earlier in the day before the workforce has sorted the package for its onward journey.
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What does “Departed FedEx location” mean?
“Departed FedEx location” means that your package has left the FedEx facility where it was last processed and is on the next step of its journey.
In other words, the package has left one FedEx location and is on its way to the next FedEx location.
Depending on the distance between the shipper and the recipient, you may see this update several times on a package journey as the item is processed through various FedEx locations.
What does “Arrived at local FedEx Facility” Mean?
The clue here is in the title… “At Local FedEx Facility” is when the package has arrived at the sorting facility nearest to the recipient.
Similar to the above update, the fact it states arrived means that the package has yet to be sorted onto the truck that will make the final delivery.
It does mean that the package is close though. It is at the nearest facility and “should” be delivered to the recipient soon.
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What does FedEx “In transit at local facility” mean?
This is a combination of two of the updates covered above.
The “In Transit” part, as you might remember means “the package is on its way to its final destination”. The “At local Facility” part, means just that – the package is currently there.
However, the important fact is, the package has been sorted at the local FedEx sorting facility and has been allocated a truck for the final delivery.
It might not have been loaded onto the truck, but it knows which truck it is going on.
When you see an “In transit at local facility” update, you should be receiving the package that same day.
What does “submitted at FedEx onsite” mean?
This is an update you may receive if you are using FedEx OnSite delivery options, (i.e FedEx package pickup from an OnSite participating retailer such as Walgreens or Dollar General).
Essentially, “submitted at FedEx onsite” means that your package is ready for pickup at the location specified when the order was made – your local Walgreens for example.
The package will be held at the location for up to 7 days, providing ample opportunity to pick up your item.
After this period, the package will be returned to the nearest FedEx facility. Your tracking information will then show a different update stating that the package is no longer being held for pickup.
You will need to follow the updated instruction in order to retrieve your item.
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Final Words
This is a mix of the more common FedEx tracking updates that you will receive as a package makes its journey from shipper to recipient.
The important fact is that on all of these there is no action you need to take. The item is going through the normal process of delivery.
That being said, if you ever have a situation where the tracking details do not update or remain stuck on one of these notifications for more than a 24hr period, (depending on the service used) it would be a sign of delay.
When this happens you should consider calling FedEx Customer Services.
I’m a 25 year veteran of USPS. I’m retired now, but as the editor of Mailbox Master, I can’t quite remove myself from the carrier industry just yet. 🙂
