UPS tracking

American parcel transport founded in 1907 in Seattle

UPS, short for United Parcel Service, is a postal and logistics company originating from the United States. Founded in 1907 in Seattle by James E. Casey, then 19 years old, it began under the name American Messenger Company. Over time, UPS has established itself as one of the world leaders in parcel transport and supply chain, often nicknamed Big Brown due to the uniform brown color of its trucks and uniforms. Its headquarters is located in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Present in more than 200 countries and territories, the company employs nearly half a million people and delivers millions of parcels every day. Through its international reach and the reliability of its network, UPS has become a reference in the sector, on par with the largest logistics companies.

History

Originating from a modest messenger service, the company experienced rapid growth throughout the 20th century. In 1913, the company merged with a competing company and adopted the name Merchants Parcel Delivery. By 1919, it expanded beyond Seattle and permanently took the name United Parcel Service (UPS) to reflect its ambition of a unified parcel delivery service. Initially confined to the West Coast of the United States, UPS gradually extended its coverage to the entire country. In 1975, it served all 48 contiguous U.S. states for the first time, becoming the first carrier to reach all addresses in the continental part of the country. The same year marked the beginning of internationalization with the opening of services in Canada, followed in 1976 by an establishment in West Germany, the starting point of its European network.

UPS simultaneously diversified its services: in 1985, it launched its Next Day Air express air delivery service, and in 1988 it created its own cargo airline, UPS Airlines, after obtaining the necessary federal authorizations. The global headquarters moved in 1991 to the Atlanta, Georgia area to be closer to a major airport sorting center. The company went public in 1999, achieving one of the largest initial public offerings of the 20th century, a sign of its growing economic weight.

At the beginning of the 21st century, UPS continued its expansion and strategic acquisitions. In 2001, it acquired Mail Boxes Etc. (a network of shipping and reprography centers), later renaming it The UPS Store, strengthening its presence among small shippers. In 2004, UPS entered the heavy freight transport market by purchasing Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, integrated under the UPS Supply Chain Solutions brand, then acquired in 2005 the trucking company Overnite to establish itself in U.S. road freight (UPS Freight). The same year in Europe, UPS acquired Lynx Express in the United Kingdom, one of the leading British parcel carriers. In 2012, UPS announced its intention to acquire the TNT Express group to strengthen its position in the European market, but the operation was ultimately blocked by competition authorities in 2013. Additionally, UPS acquired the Belgian company Kiala in 2012, specializing in relay points, to develop its own delivery relay network (UPS Access Point). In 2015, UPS further expanded in logistics by absorbing Coyote Logistics, a road transport broker, to improve its global supply chain. More recently, in 2024 and 2025, the company undertook significant structural adjustments: faced with the renegotiation of a major contract with its client Amazon, UPS cut about 20,000 jobs to optimize its costs, while investing in promising sectors such as healthcare logistics (acquisition of Andlauer in 2025).

Activities and services

UPS offers a wide range of transport and logistics services, covering both light parcel shipments and bulky freight or complete supply chain management. Its historical and main activity is the delivery of parcels and documents, with solutions tailored to customer needs: express air delivery within 24 hours, standard ground services, international options for import/export, etc. Beyond traditional messaging, UPS has developed value-added services in integrated logistics and specialized transport. This includes, for example, warehouse management, customs clearance, distribution of sensitive goods (such as healthcare products), and e-commerce solutions for businesses. The company also offers transport-related financial services through its subsidiary UPS Capital, which provides insurance and financing solutions to secure customer shipments.

Through its Supply Chain Solutions division, UPS handles contract logistics and international freight (air, sea, and road). Until 2021, UPS operated a branch dedicated to partial freight road transport (palletized messaging) under the UPS Freight brand, before selling it to refocus on its core parcel business. The company also operates a large network of retail stores under The UPS Store brand (stemming from the acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc.), offering individuals and small businesses shipping, packaging, and printing services. Thanks to this range of activities, UPS positions itself not only as a parcel carrier but more broadly as a global logistics provider capable of supporting businesses throughout their entire supply chain.

Network and logistics infrastructure

To transport billions of parcels each year, UPS relies on a particularly structured global logistics network. The operation of its operations is based on the hub-and-spoke principle (sorting center and spoke): parcels collected locally are transported to large regional sorting centers (hubs) where they are sorted by destination, before being sent either to another international hub or to the local center closest to the recipient. This star system optimizes flows and centralizes transit on major hubs. UPS's main global air hub, called Worldport, is located at Louisville Airport (Kentucky) in the United States (a sprawling facility where hundreds of UPS cargo planes transit every night). In Europe, the company's main air hub is located at Cologne Airport in Germany, serving as the distribution hub for the Old Continent, while other regional sorting centers serve Asia (notably in China and Hong Kong) and Latin America.

UPS's transport fleet illustrates the scale of its infrastructure. UPS has its own cargo airline, UPS Airlines, which is among the largest in the world with more than 500 aircraft dedicated to freight. These aircraft (mainly Boeing 747, 767, 757, and Airbus A300) provide daily connections on all continents, totaling nearly 2,000 flights per day. On the ground, the company operates approximately 135,000 delivery vehicles (vans, trucks, and tractor-trailers) recognizable by their brown livery. UPS has also built the world's largest fleet of natural gas and other alternative fuel vehicles, reflecting a desire to reduce its environmental footprint. For the last mile, in addition to its driver-led routes, UPS relies on a dense network of proximity relay points called UPS Access Point: partner stores where customers can drop off or pick up parcels. This network, developed notably through the acquisition of Kiala in Europe, extends UPS's presence in the heart of neighborhoods and facilitates deliveries in the absence of recipients.

Innovation and optimization

UPS has built a reputation for operational efficiency through the early adoption of innovative technologies and processes. As early as 1992, the company implemented electronic tracking of all its parcels, allowing customers to track their shipments in real-time, and launched its public shipment tracking website in 1994. In the field, UPS drivers have been using DIAD (Delivery Information Acquisition Device) handheld assistants since the 1990s to record delivery information (barcode scans, recipient's digital signature), which has greatly improved the speed and reliability of delivery data collection.

A notable example of UPS's innovative approach is the optimization of delivery routes. The company developed an algorithm, deployed via the ORION software (for On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation), which calculates the shortest and safest route for each route. One of the pragmatic effects of this optimization is the drastic reduction of left turns taken by UPS trucks, as these maneuvers waste time and increase the risk of accidents in countries where driving is on the right. By favoring right turns and smooth routes, UPS saves its vehicles hundreds of millions of kilometers each year (nearly 300 million kilometers were saved in 2017 thanks to ORION), resulting in faster deliveries, fuel savings, and reduced emissions.

UPS also invests in future technologies to modernize its operations. The company has experimented with drone delivery and obtained FAA (U.S. aviation authority) certification in 2019 to operate a fleet of drones for parcel transport, notably medical samples on hospital campuses. At the same time, UPS is gradually renewing its fleet by integrating electric or hybrid models and has ordered several thousand next-generation electric vans to reduce its carbon footprint. All these initiatives reflect UPS's goal of reconciling logistics performance and sustainable development, relying on innovation to increase efficiency while limiting the environmental impact of its activities.

UPS delivery services

UPS offers a comprehensive range of delivery services tailored to the varied needs of shippers and recipients. The main services include:

• UPS Ground: standard ground delivery service for domestic shipments in the United States and Canada. Offers a balance between cost and speed with delivery times of 1 to 5 business days depending on the distance. It is the most economical service for non-urgent parcels.
• UPS Next Day Air: express delivery service guaranteeing next-day delivery before the end of the day. Ideal for urgent shipments requiring maximum speed. Several options are available depending on the desired delivery time (morning, noon, or end of the day).
• UPS 2nd Day Air: expedited delivery service guaranteeing delivery within two business days. Compromise between speed and cost for priority but non-critical shipments.
• UPS 3 Day Select: service guaranteeing delivery within three business days, offering an intermediate option between ground service and more expensive express services.
• UPS Worldwide Express: international express delivery service with guaranteed delivery in the shortest possible time (usually 1 to 3 days depending on the destination). Includes customs clearance and full tracking.
• UPS Worldwide Expedited: economical international service offering a good balance between cost and speed for non-urgent international shipments.
• UPS Standard: cross-border ground delivery service between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, offering predictable times at a reduced cost.
• UPS SurePost: hybrid service where UPS transports the parcel to the local post office, which performs the final delivery. Economical solution for light and non-urgent parcels.
• UPS Access Point: network of pickup and drop-off points in local stores, offering more flexibility for customers to collect or drop off their parcels.

Business solutions

Beyond standard delivery services, UPS offers comprehensive solutions for businesses of all sizes. UPS Supply Chain Solutions provides supply chain management services including warehousing, distribution, inventory management, and e-commerce fulfillment. The company also offers freight transport solutions (air, sea, and road) for bulky or palletized shipments.

UPS Healthcare specializes in the logistics of healthcare products, offering solutions tailored to the transport of pharmaceuticals, biological samples, and medical devices requiring temperature control and rigorous traceability. This division has experienced significant growth, notably with the transport of COVID-19 vaccines requiring an ultra-low cold chain.

For small businesses and individuals, UPS operates The UPS Store, a network of over 5,000 service centers in North America offering shipping, packaging, printing, and mailbox services. These centers provide a convenient access point to UPS services for those who do not ship regularly.

Environmental commitment

UPS has made environmental sustainability a strategic priority. The company has set ambitious carbon reduction targets, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this, UPS is investing heavily in alternative fuel vehicles: the company owns the world's largest private fleet of natural gas vehicles and has ordered thousands of electric vehicles.

UPS's "Rolling Laboratory" program continuously tests new clean vehicle technologies, including electric, hybrid, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and even hydrogen trucks. The company also uses cargo bikes and foot carts for deliveries in dense city centers, reducing emissions and congestion.

UPS has also implemented packaging optimization programs to reduce waste, encourages recycling, and invests in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facilities. The company regularly publishes sustainability reports detailing its progress towards its environmental goals.

UPS parcel tracking

UPS's tracking system is one of the most advanced in the industry. Each parcel is assigned a unique tracking number, usually consisting of 18 characters starting with "1Z". This number allows tracking the parcel in real-time via the UPS website, mobile app, or by SMS.

The tracking system provides detailed information on each stage of the parcel's journey: pickup, passage through sorting centers, arrival at the local center, out for delivery, and delivery confirmation. For services with guaranteed delivery, the system also displays the estimated delivery time. UPS also offers proactive notifications by email or SMS to keep recipients informed of the progress of their delivery.

For businesses, UPS offers advanced tracking tools via UPS My Choice for Business, allowing to manage and track multiple shipments simultaneously, receive personalized alerts, and access detailed delivery performance analytics.

UPS tracking statuses

When tracking a shipment, UPS displays different key statuses indicating the progress of the parcel in the delivery process. The list below explains the meaning of each of these tracking statuses used by UPS: