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FedEx unit expands final-mile delivery network

Image: Jim Allen/FreightWaves

FedEx Freight, the less-than-truckload (LTL) unit of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) has expanded its final-mile delivery operation, “FedEx Freight Direct,” to 19 U.S. markets.

The unit, which earlier in 2019 said it would pilot final-mile deliveries earlier in five U.S. cities, will expand its coverage area in time for the holiday delivery season. 

The program is available as a “standard” service – drivers bring the shipment into the first point of entry; and as a “premium” service, which involves carrying the shipment to the room of choice and unboxing the goods. The service is available at residential and business locations.

Each pilot market was expected to work with a mix of company equipment and third-party vendors to determine what would be the best fit, according to an internal memo reviewed in late 2018 by FreightWaves. It is unclear what truck type will be used as the unit expands its footprint.


Each market handled its respective pilots in its own way, and none of the variations were expected to resemble the look of a nationwide rollout if one occurs, company executives said in the memo. The executives also emphasized that the expansion will take time to form. “We are committed to getting this right,” said Ken Frith, vice president of the unit’s southwest region, at the time.

2 Comments

  1. Jose Garcia

    I just retired from FedEx Freight after 37 years with 33 of them as a driver with no accidents. Started with Viking Freight in1982. I drove locally and had many residential deliveries . We were allowed to deliver to the garage but not allowed to go in the houses.
    I hope that they will be training all or some of their drivers with what challenges or guidelines to expect.

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Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.