Get Information & Insights on Final Mile Delivery
Final mile (also called “last mile”) is a term used to refer to the last leg of a delivery route (it is not a mode of transportation). Businesses can define last mile in different ways, depending on what is most relevant to their business and their customers’ expectations. Final mile delivery falls into two categories: light goods (typically less than 150 pounds) and heavy goods.
Last-mile delivery of big items is slowing down as fewer houses change hands in a difficult real estate market. Carriers are trying to beat competitors in a slowing market with top-notch service and technology, but also need more scale to deal with vertically integrated retailers.
DoorDash has synced its marketplace with the Shopify app to enable small retailers with stores to utilize its on-demand delivery network.
Texas authorities and Walmart agree to a settlement returning more than $13 million to drivers and the state.
Descartes announced Monday that it has acquired Santiago, Chile-based last-mile solutions provider Drivin for $30 million.
UPS wants to reduce the size of its workforce in the UK by transferring last-mile delivery to outside couriers, which would significantly change the labor landscape for legacy parcel cariers.
The Teamsters union is gearing up to file grievances against UPS for allegedly funneling package delivery to Roadie, a subsidiary that uses less-expensive gig drivers.
Canada Post announced it plans to transition nearly 500,000 more people to centralized community mailboxes because home delivery is too expensive.
Under pressure from the Teamsters, UPS has retrofitted 2,000 package cars with air conditioning and the union says its enforcement campaign is forcing company compliance across many areas of their labor contract.
Walmart is making e-commerce delivery more convenient with a new 30-minute delivery service, an offer to deliver Subway sandwiches from in-store restaurants, and the expansion of its membership program, which includes free delivery, in Canada.
By Satish Jindel On Monday, FedEx Corp. spun-off its Freight division. What is left is the combined network of FedEx Express and FedEx Ground. It’s an opportune time to remember that FedEx (NYSE: FDX) would be a distant third-place parcel carrier in the U.S. market without the acquisition of RPS as part of the $2.4 […]
A new $10 billion delivery contract with DHL eCommerce is an example of how the U.S. Postal Service under new Postmaster General David Steiner is trying to be more responsive to the shipping needs of online retailers and their logistics partners.
Amazon is making deliveries in the District of Columbia using battery-powered cargo bikes, part of a broader micromobility policy aimed at reducing emissions, noise and congestion in cities.
The U.S. Postal Service and its largest block of unionized letter carriers are headed to mediation over a new contract.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is calling for an investigation into Chinese-controlled parcel delivery companies in the U.S., saying they receive heavy subsidies that allow them to underprice domestic carriers and could be sharing critical U.S. market data with the Chinese government.
Walmart’s sophisticated supply chain system is allowing it to speed up delivery speeds to customers who order online. The extra convenience was a key factor in the company’s 26% gain in e-commerce sales during the first quarter.
Amazon is expanding its new 30-minute delivery service to dozens of U.S. cities this year.
The U.S. Postal Service made strides in the second quarter reducing heavy losses, but has a long way to go to become profitable.
DHL Express gets four years of labor peace after Teamster union workers voted in favor of a negotiated contract.
Amazon announced that same-day grocery delivery is now available to Business Prime members.
Sam’s Club members can now pay for one-hour delivery from a neighborhood store, part of Walmart’s strategy to compete with Amazon for online sales.
Canada Post has published a timetable for switching communities to community boxes instead of home delivery and closing post offices to save money.
Uber Eats has added returns service for retail goods purchased through its app, becoming the first delivery app to do returns.
Ace Hardware is now offering fast in-store delivery on the Uber Eats app.
The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service has suspended pension payments and seeks to raise the price of a First-Class stamp by 4 cents.
The U.S. Postal Service has retained Amazon as a customer, but the new contract represents a 20% reduction in shipping business.
DHL investments to create a unified parcel network between Deutsche Post and DHL Express have paid dividends during the Easter holiday shipping season.
Under strong pressure from the Teamsters union, UPS has agreed to limit how many drivers it eliminates through an early-retirement program
Canada Post is moving ahead with a modernization plan aimed at reducing excess capacity and cutting costs in an effort to restore its financial health.
Amazon this month has made several moves that appeal to customer expectations for fast, convenient delivery and put pressure on rivals.
A growing list of transportation companies filed for Chapter 11 in March, highlighting continued financial strain across the supply chain.
FedEx is launching same-day delivery through a partnership with OneRail, a final-mile platform.
Maersk’s Sam Coiro explains how the ocean giant uses its existing fulfillment infrastructure and multi-carrier network to deliver packages coast to coast with one label, one invoice and one tracking number.
The owner of an Amazon delivery service provider was recently convicted of defrauding the retailer of nearly $10 million.
Amazon has taken the lead as the largest U.S. domestic parcel carrier and smaller independent couriers are also taking market share from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.
UPS is pulling back from its relationship with Amazon, undergoing a huge restructuring to prioritize healthcare, SMBs, and premium e-commerce customers.
Target is expanding its next-day delivery service to 20 additional cities.
Straightship and Dragonfly have launched a strategic partnership that gives U.S. retailers a single integration point for northbound shipments, delivering one tracking number, pre-cleared customs and consistent service from major cities to remote communities.
Walmart has agreed to pay $100M to dismiss a lawsuit by the federal government and 11 states that it deceived app-based delivery drivers about pay they would receive.
UPS is using incentives to encourage parcel drivers to leave their jobs.
Walmart’s e-commerce business, supported by its store-fulfillment and delivery services, grew 27% in the fourth quarter and has turned profitable.
When it comes to e-commerce delivery, FedEx only wants longer-haul, heavy and high-value parcels because operating as a local courier for small packages isn’t profitable.
Another attempt to license last mile delivery drivers in New York City is raising many questions on numerous logistics issues.
FedEx management on Thursday explained the rationale for their new investment in InPost, a fast-rising European parcel carrier.
Amazon continues to set the pace for parcel delivery expectations, rolling out same-day pharmacy delivery to another 2,000 locations this year.
Newbie parcel carrier Gofo stoked its big growth ambitions with the acquisition of Cirro E-commerce, an e-commerce logistics platform company, giving it better inroads to retail customers.
FedEx has partnered with three investment companies to buy European parcel carrier InPost and take it private, with both sides leveraging complimentary strengths in last-mile delivery and global distribution.
The U.S. Postal Service saw quarterly adjusted operating income tumble by nearly two-thirds as parcel volume fell by double digits and revenue contracted during the peak shipping season.
Veho is offering e-commerce shippers a way to reduce costs so they can offer free shipping if they are willing to accept day-range certainty instead of a day-definite delivery, in effort to differentiate themselves from other independent parcel carriers.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have finally finalized language on a new labor contract. It’s been a long, difficult process.
Last-mile delivery technology platform FarEye has partnered with Amazon Key to address costly delivery failures stemming from access issues at gated communities and apartment buildings.
The U.S. Postal Service has launched a new platform for e-commerce retailers to submit bids for its last-mile delivery service.
The CEO of Tier 2 parcel delivery company OnTrac has resigned to become the head of a pest control company based in England.
The 2025 peak parcel season saw fewer shipping delays as a percentage of total volume than during the prior year.
Bipartisan legislation would make stealing private-carrier packages a federal crime, extending cargo protections to shield drivers and potentially reduce carrier insurance costs.
In a novel move, the U.S. Postal Service will open access to its last-mile delivery service for companies with the highest bid.
Amazon has more than doubled its same-day delivery footprint for fresh groceries since the summer.
Bouqs has added same-day flower delivery in select markets with the help of Roadie, a UPS company.
PostNord in Denmark is dropping letter mail service to focus on parcel shipping.
SpeedX has invested in a huge parcel center in Chicago as the arms race among parcel carriers to build competitive networks escalates.
Amazon is testing an ultra-fast delivery service in Seattle and Philadelphia, but in the United Arab Emirates shoppers the service is so fast shoppers can get orders within 15 minutes.
E-commerce volumes have been trending upwards much of the year in Australia and the postal operator has added weekend delivery for the busy holiday season.
After the U.S. Postal Service deemphasized last-mile delivery service for parcel consolidators, the new chief now says workshare partnerships are a path to revenue growth.
Uber Freight enters the last mile delivery market through an investment in technology platform Better Trucks.
UPS could unite management, its union workforce and the cost-efficient crowd-sourced delivery model by trying a new triple-win strategy centered on the UPS Store.
The Teamsters union plans to file a grievance against UPS over the use of non-union drivers by a UPS e-commerce subsidiary, FreightWaves has learned.
UPS wants to outsource final-mile delivery of its two economy parcel services to the U.S. Post Service, which is better suited to make residential drops because of its lower cost structure.
Last-mile parcel carriers Veho, SpeedX and Gofo continued to build out their capabilities, either through geographic expansion, hiring top executives or partnering with other vendors.
For the second time in the last two years, the transportation of bread will be the focus of a Supreme Court case involving the rights of the drivers who deliver those loaves and other baked goods. The case is also the second transportation-related case the Supreme Court has selected for review this term. It earlier […]
UPS is speeding up deployment of air conditioned vehicles by agreeing to install systems in existing vehicles after the Teamsters union complained of slow progress purchasing new vehicles with A/C.
By Satish Jindel (The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) In 2019, FedEx dropped Amazon as a customer for B2C parcels because the retailer was becoming a competitor, with its own last-mile delivery solution that mimicked FedEx Ground’s model for […]
Final-mile courier Frontdoor Collective is testing a fleet of Chevy electric vans on delivery routes for Target.
Veho is continuing its rapid growth in the parcel delivery industry by expanding warehouse infrastructure in multiple markets to support rising parcel volumes.
Home goods retailer Ikea has acquired U.S.-based logistics technology company Locus to improve its final-mile delivery network.
A group of New York City retail stores that offer parcel pick up and drop off counters is adding parcel lockers from GoLocker to increase convenience for online sellers and shoppers.
Striking Canada Post workers are angered by the company’s new contract offer because it is worse than the previous one and calls for job reductions as part of a major downsizing plan.
Startup e-commerce logistics companies Gofo Express and Veho have invested in new high-capacity sortation centers to help speed deliveries for retail customers.
DoorDash on Tuesday unveiled a fulfillment service for retailers, a road-capable delivery robot, an autonomous delivery platform and a smart-scale device to ensure order accuracy.
Parcel industry executives agree that Canada Post can’t afford union demands for greater benefits and that it needs to radically change its business model or risk losing e-commerce customers.
DHL eCommerce is expanding its footprint in Poland with an agreement to buy the remaining shares of its parcel locker partnership.
Parcel carriers like FedEx and UPS are implementing peak season surcharges to recover costs when there isn’t a spike in volume to gear up for, leaving frustrated customers looking for alternative providers.
Mail carriers went on strike Thursday after the government ordered Canada Post to streamline operations, angering businesses that rely on the postal operator to ship orders.
The Canadian government is shaking up Canada Post to reduce excess capacity and save money as postal demand shrinks.
Target is offering next-day delivery to 35 major cities by the end of October after tweaking its stores-as-hubs logistics model.
UPS has dropped its planned purchase of Mexican express delivery company Estafeta because closing conditions were unable to be met.
Canada Post has asked the mail carriers’ union to end its ban on direct mail delivery because it is returning to the bargaining table.
The Canada Post labor dispute continues to worsen, with letter carriers announcing they won’t deliver marketing mail.
DHL’s contract logistics arm is buying another last-mile delivery company serving the healthcare industry.
Regional parcel carrier Veho has begun offering retailers last-mile delivery in the Los Angeles area as it continues to grow.
OnTrac is differentiating itself from other regional parcel carriers by offering coast-to-coast service to take more business from FedEx and UPS
Private-equity backed ADL Final Mile has purchased DMC Logistics, a courier that operates in the Southwest.
InPost partners with Bloq.it to install 20,000 smart lockers, enhancing out-of-home parcel delivery.
Canada Post and the mail carriers’ union refuse to budge on contract talks.
New UPS and DHL surcharges will add delivery costs for customers during the upcoming peak season.
Ajex Logistics acquisition boosts DHL’s presence in the Middle East e-commerce market.
Amazon is scaling up same-day delivery for fresh groceries, giving it the ability to capture more of the online grocery market.
Driver subscriptions for UPS’s buyout offer are lower than expected, forcing the company to give workers more time to make a decision.
Canada Post mail carriers turned down the company’s last contract offer, extending a 20–month labor dispute that has helped private couriers siphon package business from the postal operator.
Businesses will stop using Canada Post if workers decide to go on strike again, worsening the existing mail drain, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Poland-based InPost continues to implement its pan-European expansion strategy with the acquisition of Spanish parcel operator Sending.
Regional courier service Deliver It has gone out of business.
