As the number of individuals purchasing goods online rises and stores have been closed for almost two months, package delivery has increased to various locations around the nation. Keeping track of these things moving from source to receiver might be difficult.
Tracking is critical because it lets the recipient know precisely where, when, and who is delivering their package. The tracking number functions wonderfully, but what does it hide in itself? Let’s find out in this article.
Tracking Number – Overview
Each package is given a unique tracking number before it is dispatched. Using this number, customers may follow and trace their shipment from the point of departure (warehouse, storage facility, etc.) until its ultimate destination.
An easy way to get the tracking number is by scanning it with your smartphone or barcode reader. The sender’s country of residence is the only place where a tracking number may be found, even if worldwide tracking numbers exist. Regardless of the sort of tracking number you have, the tracking service can locate your package and let you know where it is right now.
Finding Tracking Number
A confirmation email is usually delivered to your inbox after your purchase on a marketplace or other website. Typically, you’ll receive a brief description of the item, and it is pricing, and any further details in this email. The tracking number is, of course, included in this confirmation.
Contacting the parcel’s sender may be done even if this email has been lost or you never received it. Because the shipper has given the shipment a tracking number, this will likely include the information you need.
Composition Of A Tracking Number
Each courier service has a unique tracking number structure. Each business has its coding system that utilizes a combination of alphabetic and numeric characters. However, it’s not uncommon to see letters and numerals separated by spaces or hyphens. As a result, each character has its significance. The initial digits, for example, might indicate the courier business, the location, or other numerals. Tracking numbers typically range from eight to forty characters in length.
Here are a few samples of several international courier firms’ tracking number formats:
- UPS
Starting with “1Z” almost every time, UPS tracking numbers have 18 characters. These are the tracking numbers for UPS Air Shipping Documents and International Air Waybills, which don’t begin with “UPS.”
- FedEx
FedEx Express tracking numbers are 12 tracking number digits, but FedEx Ground tracking numbers are comprised of 15 digits. There are no letters in either case.
- DHL
There are no letters in DHL tracking numbers. They normally consist of 10 or 11 digits. Tracking numbers for DHL Express are made up of simply ten digits or begin with JJD01.
- USPS
These numbers are frequently lengthier and consist of 20 to 22 digits without any letters, making them more difficult to trace. There are 13 characters in the USPS Express Mail tracking numbers, starting with two capital letters and finishing with “US.”
Packages are assigned a tracking number by the postal agency as well. Tracking numbers are visible on some of them. PostNL’s tracking numbers, for example, always finish in “NL,” whereas China Post’s tracking numbers end in “CN,” making them easy to spot.
Summing Up
Package tracking numbers are unique identifiers that are issued to each shipment. Time-sensitive shipments benefit from having a tracking number. A shipment or parcel is given a unique identification number or code.
On the shipping label, the tracking number is usually displayed as a bar code that anybody with a barcode scanner or cell can scan.