What Does “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” DHL Mean?

You’re expecting a delivery from DHL and you have received a “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” status alert.

What does this mean exactly? Will your package be delivered that day? Is the courier still DHL?

Let’s take a look…

What to do After A “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” Update?

The steps you take after receiving this update are dependent on the type of package you are expecting.

Signed for Package

The most important task for the recipient is to check whether the package needs to be signed for or not.

If it does, someone will need to be home at the address in order to provide a signature for the delivery.

Failure to do so will likely end up in your package being scanned as a “Delivery Attempted”, and the driver taking it back to the DHL facility at the end of the day.

You will be able to find the type of shipment (i.e whether a signature is required) on the DHL tracking page.

You should also have details within the original order confirmation if this is something you have bought from an eCommerce store online. 

As mentioned, the “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” update does mean that the package should arrive that same day.

However, DHL does not provide specific delivery times for the package. This means that you or someone in the household will need to be around if a signature is needed.

• Related Content: DHL “Shipment Information Received” Status Alert – Meaning

A Large Shipment

Likewise, even if a signature isn’t required, yet you expect the package to be too large for the mailbox and will need to be left on the porch, (or is ultimately quite valuable), you will want to ensure that someone is home for the delivery.

As a signature isn’t required, it does make it easier to arrange with a neighbor to pick up the parcel on your behalf should you not want it left outside.

The weather is also a factor here. If rain is expected that day, a fragile package exposed to the elements could easily be damaged if no one is home to collect it.

Signature Not Required

The situation is easier if no signature is required on delivery. Assuming the above variables are not an issue, (weather, large and/or expensive item), the package can be delivered whether you are home or not, and everything will be in order.

• Related Content: What Does the DHL “Close Bag” Tracking Update Mean?

Who Is The Delivery Courier in the “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” Update?

The courier is still a DHL driver. However, the couriers are drivers tasked specifically with delivering DHL shipments to the final address.

The only time it will not be a DHL driver is if earlier on your package journey you had a “Forwarded to a Third Party Agent” update (meaning another carrier will be completing delivery) or you live in the USA and are receiving a DHL eCommerce shipment.

In the latter scenario, USPS is responsible for last-mile delivery, (i.e delivery to your door or mailbox).

DHL has other drivers that are responsible for other sections of the shipment journey, such as the hub facility to a local facility.

When the package is on the truck in this situation, you will simply see an “In Transit” status alert.

• Related Content: DHL Shipment on Hold: What Should You Do?

Will My Package Arrive in the Morning or Afternoon?

As mentioned above, DHL does not give specific details on delivery times. The “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” update is merely telling you that the package will arrive that same day.

While DHL drivers will leave the local facility early in the morning, there are no guarantees that you will be first on the list.

The driver’s route will generally be determined by the number of packages they have on the truck, with the concentration of deliveries in certain areas being a factor.

Essentially, the driver will take a route that is most efficient in relation to the deliveries they need to make that day.

Where your address comes on the delivery route will be down to variables that you cannot control.

So morning or afternoon, the package will arrive sometime during the day.

• Related Content: DHL ”Delivery Attempt Could not be Completed” – Tracking Guide

What is the Delivery Cut-Off Point?

DHL attempts to complete deliveries to residential addresses by 8 PM.

This, naturally, is the cut-off point before which you can expect delivery. (You will not normally receive a package before 7 am in the morning either).

What to do if you Didn’t Receive Your Package

If at the end of the day you haven’t received your package, you should check the tracking details to see if an attempt was made.

You should also check your mailbox or porch to see if a delivery note was left, (DHL will leave a note on an attempted delivery if the package couldn’t be left).

The normal procedure is for undelivered packages to be driven back to the nearest DHL facility at the end of the delivery route.

The shipment will then be placed overnight onto a truck for delivery the next day, (this could be the same driver or another one).

If you miss repeat delivery attempts, you will either have to reschedule a delivery or arrange to pick up the package yourself from the local facility.

• Related Content: “Unsuccessful Delivery Attempt” Lazada Tracking

“Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” vs “Out For Delivery”

“Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” has exactly the same meaning as “Out For Delivery”.

Different companies use different tracking updates and it so happens that DHL likes to use the more verbose “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” status alert.

Essentially though, whichever version you receive, you now know that it means your package is on the truck ready for final delivery to your address.

Package Stuck on “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery”

If your package is stuck on “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” until the end of the day without any further updates, the first step is to check the mailbox and around the exterior of your building for a delivery note.

Sometimes, you might even get lucky and find that package was delivered and left on your back porch or beside the garage entrance.

Either way, it is important to check around the property in case the item or not has been left.

If yes you can act accordingly, (i.e happy you have your package or can follow any details left on the delivery note).

In the absence of these, you should wait until the following day and then call DHL customer services.

By waiting overnight you are giving the DHL tracking system a chance to update with details of a new “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” alert for the day.

There might also be further updates providing information on the package location. Without any of this, however, speaking to DHL on the phone is the recommended step.

• Related Content: What Does “Shipment Has Been Given a Release by Customs” DHL Mean?

Final Words

Ultimately, the “Shipment is Out With Courier for Delivery” is a good one to get.

It means that DHL will attempt to deliver your package that same day and that it will be with you soon.

You should make effort to have someone at the delivery address if a signature is required. If you can’t, you may need to arrange to pick it up instead.

That being said, DHL will attempt redelivery the next day.

Also keep an eye out for any delivery notes, as these will help you make arrangements should your package not have been delivered after you received the update.

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