FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., announced its upcoming FedEx Freight Advance Notice service yesterday, which the company said will give customers greater visibility and control of their less-than-truckload shipments.
FedEx Freight Advance Notice will be available Sept. 13 free to registered “My Account” users on the FedEx Freight password-protected Web site who ship within the contiguous United States.
Advance Notice will proactively notify FedEx Freight customers via the Internet and fax when a shipment may be delayed beyond its estimated delivery date, FedEx Freight said. The communication will let registered customers make decisions and adjustments while a shipment is still en route, avoiding or minimizing problems.
“In today's environment of fast-cycle logistics, a late shipment is more than just an inconvenience — it can result in an idle production line, empty store shelves and missed sales,” said Douglas G. Duncan, president/CEO of FedEx Freight, Memphis, TN.
Advance Notice will apply to most direct shipments handled by FedEx Freight, but not FedEx Freight international shipments. FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Kinko's shipments also are not included.
Meanwhile, FedEx Ground, the small-package ground carrier and operating company of FedEx Corp., opened a new automated distribution center yesterday in McCook, IL. It is one of nine FedEx Ground automated centers that complement the company's existing network of 28 U.S. hubs by enabling more direct loading of packages and faster processing.
The new terminal is part of a network expansion that includes the addition of nine hubs and the relocation or expansion of more than 290 pickup and delivery terminals through 2010. The nationwide expansion will boost the company's average daily pickup capacity by nearly 70 percent.
This year, FedEx Ground opened new hubs in the metro areas of Cincinnati, Dallas and Hagerstown, Md. A fourth new hub, under construction near Memphis, will begin operations in 2006.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
