Tour N.A. on $12.00: the Saga

Thread Starter

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
For some years now I have shipped UPS back and forth US and Canada, usually 5 bus days, often there is at least one lay over, sometimes two, which is to be expected.
Also I have large UPS hub in the city I am in.
For a while now I have purchased online from DigerDirect and at first thought that because the item took 10days and did a tour of the US and Canada, it was glitch in the system?
But every time so far they track all over NA.
Itinerary:
Mar17: Leave Doravill GA and zip over to Spartanburg SC
Mar 20: Leave SpartanBurg Arrive Hodgekins IL (800 miles from me)
Mar 25: Leave IL Overshoot me and land US W.Coast at Redmond WA
Mar 25: Shoot up to Vancouver BC Can.
Mar 26: Head back my way, Drop in at Calgary AB
Mar 27: Leave Calgary
Mar 27 : Arrival.
Total distance traveled 4460Miles.
Can this be efficient?
Max.

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#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Efficiency is in the big picture. Just look for the financial reports and see if UPS is circling the drain.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
They use a spoke and hub system and cannot have direct flights between every city so Spartanburg and Illinois stops are to be expected.

The Detroit and Buffalo/Niagara Falls crossings are way too slow so UPS uses crossings that can handle the volume were/when available. Crossings at Thunder Bay and Winnipeg and all points west until Vancouver are too small to handle UPS traffic. You paid for a certain speed, they managed to get it there, regardless of the lack of facilities in the most direct route.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Winnipeg has a major UPS air hub?
Also dead centre of N.A. ;)
Max.
No, my point was that Winnepeg barely has enough Customs agents to handle the four pickup trucks per hour putting in from Grand Forks.

Either UPS or Canada Customs office seems to want the freight to cross on truck, not air when possible. (Are your customs centers at airports too small?). At least this is true for chemical shipments.
 

Thread Starter

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
The vast majority comes in by air, when delivered under UPS brokerage, the B3's are processes by the New Brunswick office.
All UPS trucks usually come in to the depot under bond and are either processed by UPS NB or by local broker at the discretion of the consignee.
Max.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,706
Recently I was tracking a delivery from China. It took about two days to be flown into my city.
Then it was shipped out of town to a sorting hub and took another three days to come back before it was delivered.
 

Metalmann

Joined Dec 8, 2012
703
Recently I was tracking a delivery from China. It took about two days to be flown into my city.
Then it was shipped out of town to a sorting hub and took another three days to come back before it was delivered.

I've had some of those, the longest, was around 3 weeks.
 
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