What Does “Departed FedEx Location” Really Mean?

A lot of tracking info isn’t that descriptive, particularly FedEx. So, we figured we would look at one of the more confusing terms. What does departed FedEx location mean?

Most of the time, when your delivery says “Departed FedEx location”, it means it is en route to you. It means that it has left the final distribution terminal and, barring last-minute problems, it should arrive that day. That being said, some people have also reported that this means that it has left the distribution terminal to head to another one. If that is the case, then it should list an estimated delivery date instead.

What Does ‘In Transit, Departed FedEx Location’ Mean?

This means that your FedEx package has left one FedEx location and is currently on the road, on the rails, or in the air. It is pretty tough to tell.

You would need to look at the last arrival destination for the package to understand where it may be.

This is a pretty tricky status to understand. In most cases, it just means that your package is being ferried from one location to another.

In other cases, it may mean that your package is out for delivery.

How Long Can a Package Stay At a FedEx Location?

In most cases, the package will not stay at the same location for more than 1-2 days. This may change ever so slightly if the package is being shipped from overseas and needs to clear customs.

However, it is very rare for a parcel to stay in the same place for long periods. In many cases, the package may just stay in one location for a few hours.

If the parcel has gone through an attempted delivery and has been sent back to a FedEx location, then it will remain there for up to 7-days. It will eventually be sent back to the sender.

Why Is The Package At a FedEx Location For So Long?

It can vary. A lot of the time, your parcel seems like it has been stuck in one location for a long period, but it is actually in transit.

Some FedEx locations don’t scan the parcels on the way out. Instead, they scan parcels when they arrive.

So, if your parcel doesn’t get an ‘exit scan’, then it really can look like it has been stuck in the same place for a long time.

Of course, in some cases, your parcel may be stuck in a FedEx location. This normally happens during the busier parts of the year, e.g. Christmas.

If your parcel needs to undergo a customs check, then it may stay in the same place for several days. Although, most of the time, the wording that FedEx uses will highlight that the package is undergoing a customs check.

What Does Departed FedEx Location Pending Mean?

This is the most confusing status that FedEx has. FedEx provides very little guidance on what it means.

It is assumed that any ‘pending’ status means that the package is about to enter a new stage of the delivery process, but it isn’t quite there yet.

This means that if you see ‘Departed FedEx Location Pending’, then there is a good chance that your package has been loaded up onto a vehicle, but that vehicle has yet to leave the distribution center.

This isn’t a status that FedEx uses too much of. Most of the time, they will eliminate the ‘Pending’ wording.

This means that you may just see ‘Departed FedEx Location’, even if the package is still hanging around on a truck.

How Long After This Message Will I Receive The Package?

This message does not give any information about when your package will arrive.

It could be within a few hours, or it could be within a few days. All the message tells you is that your package is currently changing locations.

Luckily, FedEx does guide when your package may arrive. If you check your tracking information online, then you should be given a rough time frame.

This does tend to be pretty accurate. Although, of course, there may be issues along the way which can delay things, e.g. traffic, or certain FedEx locations being very busy.

Some parcels may even get ‘missed’. Although, don’t worry. They will almost always be found within a few hours.

Conclusion

If your package says “Departed FedEx location”, it means that your package has left one of the FedEx terminals.

This could either mean that it is on route to you, or it could be in the process of being transferred to a new location. FedEx will keep you up to date on the estimated delivery time.