So you’re excitedly waiting for your FedEx package and you open the tracking link, only to find that the package skipped your address and is now traveling beyond your location.
Frustratingly, you’re probably wondering “why did my FedEx package go farther away?”. Here are 7 possible reasons to explain the unexpected delay.
Why Did My FedEx Package Go Farther Away?
1. There’s A Sorting Center Ahead
Many people think that the route of their package is a lot simpler than it actually is.
For example, it’s a common misconception that a package goes from one FedEx location to the next until it reaches the one closest to your address that’ll deliver to your doorstep.
What really happens is that packages get sent to sorting or distribution centers where they’re categorized and organized.
After that, the packages get assigned to a courier’s route that offers the highest delivery efficiency.
So if you know that your package was dropped at a certain FedEx location, it’s possible that it still didn’t travel to a sorting center.
It may just be the case that the next sorting center is farther away from your address.
2. Someone Made A Mistake
Everyone makes mistakes, even the folks at FedEx. It’s possible that your package is going farther away from your home because a worker messed up.
In most cases, these errors happen during the sorting stage.
While computers are mainly responsible for sorting packages, sometimes the handwriting is so bad or a barcode is so damaged that the machine can’t read it.
Manual sorting is the only solution in such situations.
However, even a person can missort packages, causing their delivery to the wrong places that are located farther away from the original destination.
3. You Provided The Wrong Address
You know when you’re traveling and you could swear that you packed your toothbrush, but you get to the hotel and find out you didn’t?
This could be exactly what happened with your address or zip code input.
You may believe that you’ve typed in the correct location of delivery, but in reality, you’ve mixed a number or a letter that transformed the address to somewhere further.
Also, if you have multiple addresses, you may end up using one instead of the other and realize only when you check after seeing that your package is going beyond your current location.
4. Weather Conditions Aren’t Helping
At the time of your packages’ delivery, the weather may be bad or unpredictable. In both cases, it can interfere with the delivery route.
Let’s say your package was planned to travel through a certain area that now has heavy rain and is unable to move things at maximum capacity.
This scenario will cause the courier to take a different route where the weather is less problematic.
Unluckily, the new route may be one where the package looks like it’s going farther away from your location as the courier travels back where they came from.
If the weather is the culprit, the only thing you can do is just wait.
5. Your Package Is Stuck
Although it doesn’t happen very often, there’s a chance that your package got stuck to another package.
Sticky materials such as glue residue and exposed bits of duct tape are the reason two packages could get stuck together.
At this point, it’s easy to predict what would happen.
That’s right, both packages will be delivered to the same location.
Unfortunately for you, your package may be traveling to the place the other package is intended to go, and it’s farther away from your address.
Of course, there’s no way to fix this issue until someone notices it; either the person receiving both packages or the courier handing them to the receiver.
6. Traffic Is A Nightmare
When a certain service involves traffic, anything can happen.
If you consider a delivery service like FedEx that’s all about roads and streets, you shouldn’t really be surprised if something goes wrong because of traffic.
From accidents and roadblocks to construction work and rush hours, there are various traffic conditions that could affect the delivery route of your package.
To overcome traffic issues, the courier may resort to rerouting. This could involve traveling farther away from your location and then circling back to your address.
Delays and rerouting caused by traffic are quite common, so don’t panic right away!
7. Your Package Was Lost
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, or possibly the worst news in the case of packages, but your FedEx package could be going farther away because it was lost.
A package can get lost for many reasons including unclear labels, getting misplaced, or getting misdelivered.
If any of these things happen to your package, it may look like it’s traveling beyond your address when you try to track it.
You can contact folks at FedEx and have them check the status of your package using your tracking number.
If your package was indeed lost, you can request a refund or file a claim with the company.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why FedEx sucks, why your FedEx package is not moving, and why DHL is so bad.
Wrap Up
As you can tell by now, there are various reasons that could answer the question “why did my FedEx package go farther away?”
From human error and traffic issues to weather conditions and sorting centers, your package may have been rerouted to overcome a hindered delivery process.
My packages left Eagle Colorado which is 107 miles away from my house to Arkansas, followed by Tennessee, then back west to Fort Worth Texas. It made it back to Hugo Colorado this evening and hopefully it will get delivered tomorrow. It requires a signature, so I’ll sit home again all day waiting for it. How ridiculous is this? I’d ask for an explanation, but there cannot possibly be anything that will explain why this happened. What a waste of time and resources Fed Ex, this cannot be cost effective for your company either.