With e-commerce sites like Amazon offering what is nearly round-the-clock service, shipping companies like UPS have had to start offering more competitive services in order to keep up.
One of the services UPS offers is longer delivery windows. So, does UPS deliver at night? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I learned!
Does UPS Deliver at Night In 2024?
UPS doesn’t deliver late at night, but the company sometimes delivers packages after sunset in 2024. UPS delivers packages from 9 am to 7 pm local time, but occasionally will deliver packages as late as 9 pm depending on the time of year and your location. UPS typically has all-day delivery windows, but some services give more specific delivery windows.
If you want to learn more about what you can expect out of your UPS package delivery and when to expect it, be sure to check out the rest of the article for more information!
How Late Does UPS Usually Deliver?
Officially, UPS delivers packages from 9 am to 7 pm local time, but there are some exceptions to this rule.
Most UPS trucks leave the facility around 8 am, and depending on how close you are to the UPS facility and what shipping service was used, you may get your package before 9 am.
7 pm is typically the time most drivers begin the journey back to the UPS facility so that they arrive around 8 pm.
However, if your address is on the way back to the UPS facility, you may receive your package a bit after 7 pm.
UPS drivers will also deliver packages after 7 pm if it’s a particularly busy time of year, like around Christmas, but won’t deliver packages any later than 8-9 pm.
Note that residential areas tend to get their packages later in the evening due to UPS prioritizing the delivery of commercial packages.
Most businesses close at around 5-6 pm, and since UPS must have someone sign for a package, most drivers try to do all of their commercial deliveries before their residential routes.
If you have a time-sensitive package or want to receive your package early in the day, you can use services such as UPS Next Day Air Early to ensure early delivery.
To see what shipping services may be right for you and your shipping needs, you can visit the shipping service page of the UPS website by following this link.
Does UPS Deliver On Saturday Nights?
Saturday deliveries are available for most shipping services, and can be included for both residential and commercial deliveries.
UPS delivers on Saturdays from 9 am to 7 pm local time, with some couriers delivering later into the evening if it’s around Christmas or if an urgent delivery needs to be made.
Most deliveries are generally made by 8 pm at the latest, although some can be made as late as 9 pm.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that if you’re looking for a residential package, it will likely be delivered later in the day as commercial packages take precedence.
How Do I Know What Time UPS Will Deliver?
Only certain shipping services offer delivery window times rather than delivery window days.
Therefore, there’s usually no way to know what time your package will be delivered.
The UPS shipping services that offer more specific delivery windows are as follows:
- UPS Next Day Air Early
- UPS Next Day Air
- UPS Express Critical
- UPS Worldwide Express Plus
If your package wasn’t shipped using any of these delivery services, you will receive a notification that your package will be delivered before the end of the day on a certain day.
Otherwise, the only way to know what time your package will be delivered is by knowing your driver’s route.
It’s worth noting that even when you know your driver’s route, things like inclement weather, bad traffic conditions, or a high number of commercial or priority packages can all affect what time your driver actually makes it into the neighborhood.
Can I Track the UPS Truck?
The tracking feature offered by UPS is used far and wide by many customers and helps to inform you of when your package should arrive, and any issues that may occur in transit.
In fact, UPS rolled out a feature in 2016 allowing customers of certain shipping services to receive real-time notifications on a package’s whereabouts, as well as other fun features.
This new feature is called Follow My Delivery, and is only available for customers who have a free UPS My Choice account.
As well, MY Choice account holders must be receiving packages shipped using UPS Air or UPS Worldwide Express services to qualify.
This tracking tool allows you to see a driver’s location on a map, and gives you an approximate delivery window of 1 to 2 hours in length.
However, this feature doesn’t show you the driver’s route for safety reasons.
With this tracking tool and a UPS My Choice account, you can also reroute packages you won’t be home to receive to nearby UPS Access Point locations.
You can also direct the package to an approved address like your work or a neighbor’s house.
If you’re interested in using this new feature, make a free UPS My Choice account on this page of the UPS website.
To read more about the new Follow My Delivery feature, you can check out this article from The Verge.
To learn more, you can also see our posts on whether or not UPS delivers on Sundays, if UPS delivers on Saturdays, and if USPS takes UPS packages.
Conclusion
UPS doesn’t deliver packages late at night. However, depending on your location and the time of year, it’s possible to catch a UPS courier delivering packages after the sun goes down.
Most UPS couriers only deliver packages from 9 am to 7 pm local time, however, many deliver packages as late as 9 pm during the busy Christmas season.
