What does ‘pending delays’ mean when I send a consignment?
What does it mean when a courier provider says; 2-3 days transit ‘pending delays’? ‘Pending delays’ is the general term used to explain a host of things outside of the carrier’s control that can cause delay to the predicted transit time of a consignment. Below are ten reasons your international consignment may be delayed and where possible, how this can be avoided:
- Customs delays – This can happen when the necessary paperwork is filled in incorrectly or is incomplete. Equally, it can happen due to customs being very busy or if your package is picked for a spot check. Following our guidance on customs declarations will greatly help reduce the possibility of this.
- Failed delivery attempt – Courier drivers have a big number of packages that they need to deliver and collect daily. If the consignee is not present at the address, the delivery attempt is deemed unsuccessful. In most cases, the courier cannot return to the address on the same day because it will translate into delays with their other packages.
- Inclement weather – Safety must always be a priority and equally, drivers do not have unlimited time to make each delivery, this means things like unexpected heavy snow or flooding could create a delay to the consignment if it is either unsafe or would take far too long to make the journey.
- Missed connection – Sometimes a flight, trunker, or ship may miss the connecting journey, causing a delay to the overall transit time – this would be noted in the tracking.
- Missort – In rare occurrences human or barcode error may cause the consignment to be sorted for the wrong destination point, sometimes the cause for this is an old label on the box which makes it particularly hard to track as it then runs on a different consignment code. To reduce the possibility of this we require customers only send packages that are free of any other labels.
- Traffic – Every country in the world has the possibility of traffic, particularly in big cities. In some cities like Bangalore, Manilla and Bogota; traffic is almost a guaranteed element to any journey. Route optimization software is used to aid efficient delivery speed, however, when heavy traffic combines with road closures, accidents, or road works, even the best tools and drivers cannot always fulfill all their deliveries that day.
- Vehicle breakdown – Where possible companies will try to offload whatever the courier has on their vehicle and pass the route to a relief driver however this isn’t always possible, particularly if it’s a congested route, a rural route or if it happens later in the day.
- Strikes – In certain countries like France, strikes can hugely affect the logistics industry, halting deliveries completely or adding long delays.
- Incorrect delivery address – This could be due to the sender using an old address, misspelling the address or the address may be incomplete although usually the international provider would notice an incomplete address before it reaches the destination country enabling speedy correction. We recommend always checking with your consignee that the address you have for them is still correct before sending something out and ensuring a phone number for the recipient is provided to reduce delays in communication. Additionally, it should be noted courier providers generally cannot deliver items to PO Box numbers.
- National Lockdown – Finally, there is of course, the possibility of places being on some form of lockdown, whether that be because of riots or coups or as we’ve now become accustomed to, national lockdowns due to a pandemic. These don’t necessarily mean there will be a delay to a consignment but it does increase the likelihood as courier services become strained and/or it may be unsafe to operate.
Ultimately with the best will in the world sometimes there will be unexpected delays. At Wey Group International we have high customer satisfaction levels for not only getting your goods to their destination on time but also in the unlikely event there is a delay – communicating the delay and next steps within a timely manner.
If you have an extremely time-sensitive/important item to be delivered internationally the most secure way to send the item would be via an onboard service which specialist couriers such as ourselves can provide. This service means the item goes directly with the courier from point A to B. Whether that be on a commercial flight then taxi’s or using our same-day van service it doesn’t leave the designated courier, almost eliminating any risk of delays and ensuring complete peace of mind for the sender.
This article is intended for educational purposes only, wherever you have an unexplained delay with your delivery you should always contact your own courier provider for more details.