FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Holiday shopping is now in full swing.
We’re starting to see more delivery drivers knocking on doors, but they’re not always in vehicles you might expect.
We’ve all seen them – the big white trucks with the colorful logos. And, of course, the big brown ones.
The next time you order a package from UPS, though, it might be delivered by someone driving a vehicle, other than the brown truck you’re used to.
With the increase in shipping this holiday season, some workers are using their personal vehicles or even other trucks, also familiar to us, to deliver packages.
“We have a driver that typically, we’ll see him in the brown trucks come and pick everything up, and sometimes this time of year we’re gonna see them picking up in rental trucks,” Appleton UPS Store general manager Bobbi Stern said.
A local rental agency says FedEx does the same. It says it has sent out several rental vehicles to the company, since the onset of the pandemic.
In a statement to FOX 11, FedEx said:
“Service providers for FedEx Ground may add rental vehicles to their fleets to accommodate increased package volume. In most states, service providers also may have the option to use personal-type vehicles, like SUVs and mini vans, when needed to provide increased delivery capacity and flexibility.”
For some, it’s a cause for concern and may raise some safety or security alarm bells.
Stern tells FOX 11 her UPS Store uses precautions.
“We’re checking the drivers’ ID, we’re making sure it’s safe for those packages to go out with that person.”
FedEx also said:
“Service providers contractually agree to meet the high safety and service standards that customers expect from FedEx Ground.
FOX 11 reached out to UPS, whose spokesperson tells us, this is nothing new. Drivers have been using personal vehicles for years.”
So, as a customer, what can you do to ensure your safety?
UPS officials say, tracking your package and signing up for notifications when your package has been delivered can help put your mind at ease.
Comments