UPS prepared for holiday shipping surge
UPS' projected package volume will grow from roughly 15 million packages a day to more than 21 million on its busiest day, Dec. 20.
On the peak day, UPS said it will deliver 240 packages every second through its worldwide ground and air network.
On Dec. 22, UPS will handle its largest volume of air shipments for the year by delivering roughly 5.6 million packages, which amounts to more than double the normal average for air volume.
In the process of delivering those holiday packages, UPS, Atlanta, said it would apply its tracking technology to make it easy for customers to monitor the movement of their gifts.
UPS expects more than 130 million online tracking requests during the peak week (Dec. 18 through 22) and the daily total could exceed 25 million on the peak day.
To accommodate the holiday surge, UPS will add roughly 60,000 seasonal workers. In addition, UPS' ground delivery fleet of 91,700 package cars, vans and tractors will increase by more than 7,000 vehicles, and the UPS Airlines will add 31 large jets for the period.
UPS also said it offers an Internet shipping option at UPS.com. This portal allows customers to indicate service preferences, pay by credit card, print shipping labels and track packages.
Once the label has been placed on the package, a customer can hand it to any UPS driver, arrange for a special pick-up or drop it off at any of UPS' 70,000 shipping locations.
