If you use USPS frequently then you might have received a ton of updates regarding your package being moving within the USPS Delivery Network. One not-so-common update is “In Transit To Next Facility”.
Do you know what it means? How long do you have to wait to get your package delivered? Here, I have tried to provide all the information related to “In Transit to Next Facility” so that don’t have to worry about anything.
What’s the Meaning of “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late?”
Whenever you receive this “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” update it simply means that your package has been depated from the initial regional facility of USPS. Now it’s moving within the USPS Delivery Network to reach the next nearby regional facility so that the package can make progress and get delivered to the recipient’s address.
Keep in mind, if you have got an update then it’s sure that your package will arrive later than the estimated delivery date. For those who don’t know every package needs to go through the various stages of the USPS Moving Network before it makes its way to your address.
USPS usually mails the recipients that their package is “in Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” so that recipients don’t panic and assume that their package has been lost. The mail assures them that their package is on its way to arrive at your address although it’s late.
What are the Reasons why your package shows In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” Status?
To be true there are a lot of different reasons that can cause a package to show the status of “In Transit to Next Facility”. Here, we will be discussing some of the most common reasons behind this issue.
Inclement Conditions
Bad or Severe weather conditions have the potential of disrupting the entire chain of any delivery network. Events like floods, heavy downpours, hailstorms, and unpredicted snowfall can halt the entire process of package delivery.
Operating in this unpredicted weather is really dangerous, as one single mistake can take your life if you are not careful enough.
Heavy Volume of Packages
It usually happens at the time of some festive season when thousands of people shop online to give gifts to each other and their loved ones. It results in creating a long queue of packages that remain in the Regional facility of the USPS till they are processed and moved further in the delivery network of USPS.
To bear up with the volumes, USPS generally diverts the incoming packages to another facility that experiences less traffic so that they can process the process and scan the package as usual. However, the packages again get rerouted to their original routes once done getting scanned.
All this causes the tracking status to remain stuck on the “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late“.
Shortage of Working Staff
You will be shocked to know that on a daily basis, USPS processes more than 22 million packages that’s an insane number of packages. If something like this happens then you are sure to get your package late.
USPS usually borrows staff from other regional facilities so that they can process the backlog and make the queue smaller as it does on normal working days.
On top of that, if USPS is experiencing heavy traffic(volume of packages) then congratulations you will(confirm) get your package at least a week later after the estimated delivery date.
Sorting Errors
Sometimes small human errors like mislabeling or accidentally sorting into an incorrect shipment bound can also be the reason why your tracking status remains stuck on the same notification.
If the package has reached the wrong distribution facility then be ready it will gonna take some extra days to get it delivered to the correct address.
Wrong Tracking Details
Sometimes USPS staff forget to update the Tracking Page of the packages which in turn creates confusion for the recipient as they think that their is still in transit while in reality it’s on its way to get delivered.
Many people have reported this on Reddit where they have described that even when their tracking status remains stuck on the “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” update while the package actually arrives at their address without any call or prior update.
Scanning failure is also one of the reasons why the tracking status doesn’t move while in reality, everything is working perfectly fine at the backend.
The Package may have been lost
Processing millions of packages and getting a few of them lost is not a big thing. Usually, if something like this happens then USPS doesn’t update the tracking status directly to ‘Lost’ instead it takes weeks so that in the meantime they can recover the package and direct it to the recipient’s address.
On Reddit, people have reported that their tracking status remains stuck on “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” for more than a month and eventually, it changed to ‘Lost'(in case of international shipment).
During the whole time, the recipient thought that the package was in Transit while in reality it was lost and USPS was trying to relocate it but when they couldn’t relocate it they changed the status to “Lost”.
Customs Delays (International Packages)
If you expecting an international shipment, then customs inspections & clearance procedures can also cause a potential delay and increase the delivery time of the package. If there are some issues with documentation or prohibited items then your package will be held in the customs facility for further inspection.
During the inspection, if they(officials) find something illegal then your package will seized immediately and authorities will contact you to seek more information about the package from the recipient. If the recipient is found to be guilty then he/she might have to face legal consequences like penalties and prison sentences.
How Long Does ‘In Transit to the Next Facility’ Take?
Unfortunately, there’s no sure short answer to how long a package takes to get delivered when it has “In Transit to Next Facility” remains stuck on its tracking status. It Usually depends upon a bunch of different factors and here are a few of them
- Distance: The time that will be spent in transit purely depends upon the distance between the origin regional facility and the other regional facility during the journey of the package Longer distances naturally take more time compared to the one that is closer or nearby.
- Transportation Method: Generally packages that are being transported through ground transportation (truck) take longer duration compared to those traveling by air.
- USPS Processing Times: USPS always aims to move packages within 24 hours, but that’s not always the case.
- Unexpected Delays: Unexpected factors, like weather, volume surges, and technical issues can cause potential delays.
In normal scenarios, a package gets delivered within a week after the status gets stuck on the “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late USPS”. But in some rare cases, it can take as long as 2-3 weeks to get your package delivered to the address.
What To Do When a Package Remains Stuck on “In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late” for Too Long?
Contact USPS
If weeks have passed and USPS hasn’t provided any update regarding your package then you need to contact the customer care service of USPS and file a complaint. By doing this, you will draw the attention of staff to look into your issue and fix what’s wrong with it.
As per my experience, always go with the calling options as they will pay more attention to a person talking to them rather than a person who has just mailed them about their problem.
If it’s a temporary delay then a simple phone call can make things go as they should be. But if the delay is due to some unforeseen circumstances like bad weather conditions then you are left with the only option which is just to wait till things come back to normal.
Fill Out the Help Form
If your package is a time-sensitive one then you can go with the Help Request Form, which allows USPS to investigate your package as a missing item at your nearby local post office.
Keep in mind, that if you fill out this help form make sure you do it using a desktop otherwise, you might face glitches and bugs if you try to do it on your mobile.