I used that feature last week as well. I was expecting a delivery, my UPS guy usually hits my house very late afternoon, like between 4-6pm. I was out of the house and got back around 3pm, and sure enough, there was a door tag on the front door. So I used the new feature and tracked the driver down just a few blocks away. I grabbed the door tag and met him, gave him the door tag, and picked up my wine. He did make me show him ID though, he said it’s their protocol, because I could have taken the tag off of someone else’s door. He was not my regular driver…
So for me it’s a good service for missed deliveries…
This feature is at least a year old (at least in my service area of Philly). I guess it can be used as a tool to track down the driver, but as far as a time line for delivery, it is not a good predictor. The last package I followed was within a couple blocks of my house early in the day, but the driver slowly moved away, then returned and delivered several hours later…FWIW
Yup, Joe…not very accurate predictor. I’ve yet to figure out how the UPS drivers choose their route. But when it goes
to driverless UPS trucks, it’ll be a whole lot more predictible I expect.
Tom
Not necessarily. Arent their routes currently dictated by some sort of route optimization algorithm? Things that give preferences to right turns (vs. left) and avoid high traffic areas during rush hour? I’m sure drivers have authority to deviate (e.g., police activity, unexpected delays/construction), but I think they’re already pretty well programmed.
Could be, Andrew. I’ve never talked to my driver on how the routes are chosen. But I don’t see
any GPS/electronic gadjet in the vehicle to tell them how to route the deliveries.
Tom
This is great! Been able to watch the driver be within 2 minutes of my house several times, each time thinking I am next, then see them drive miles away from it. I guess its good to know they are close, but if I were out and keeping an eye on this I would have raced home 2 hours ago. Instead I sit like any other day waiting.
I went through this again yesterday. I was home working so it didn’t really matter. However, just watching was so laughable – at 2:00 the driver was a 1/4 mile from my house, but the delivery was at 6:00 – that I called up UPS and told them the system was ridiculous. The first person I talked to thought I called to ask if there was a system to track the driver and he told me no such system existed. He forwarded my on the “technical support.” The second person I talked to could not believe that I actually was using the system to try and anticipate when a delivery would be made. Perplexing.
Hehe - working at home today and doing the same. Was a block away at 10am, then drove off to nearby university, where truck spent several hours. Now circling the neighborhood seemingly hitting every other street first . . .
Update - actually was pretty real-time. Saw truck around corner (and surely he had no stops left nearby). The tracker turned to “almost there”, and then I saw him turn the corner and park near my house, and the map showed the same. I greeted him at the door. (He was probably happy to see me too, so he didn’t have to carry the boxes back down the front stairs).
I first noticed this for a small two bottle package. The truck was a block away downtown so I figured delivery was imminent. Truck then drove across the river where the package was “delivered”. The package hasn’t been seen since and I never received it. The winemaker has sent out a replacement.
on the flip side, its frustrating as hell when youre watching the truck drive through all the neighborhoods right around yours during the time your home for lunch, and then have to head back to work and pull it back up just to see the truck is stopped at your house right then.
I was tempted to do the same and chase down the truck, but if many people start doing that this service isnt gonna last long
UPS “customer support” is pretty terrible. Just had a package take a week to ship to FL then get returned because the address was “incorrect or missing”. Gave them a call and they wouldn’t hold the package for me or confirm the address it was intended for. Only the winery could but they’re closed for Thanksgiving so I’m definitely not seeing that wine anytime soon.
