why won’t usps tracking update?
If USPS tracking is not up to date, make sure you have entered the exact same tracking number. USPS has a tracking number for each shipment, so you must use the correct number. If the problem persists, there may be a carrier issue.
There may also be more than one reason why you are not receiving tracking updates on time. most of these reasons are minor and you should be able to get notifications again soon. however, it’s still best to understand how long it takes USPS to update tracking to help you prepare to handle such scenarios.
unforeseen weather conditions
Severe or extreme weather, including flash floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc., can be a significant reason for USPS tracking updates to be delayed. Such unforeseen weather conditions can slow down the shipping process and prevent your shipments from getting ahead of the USPS infrastructure. therefore, your items may be held in a postal facility for longer than expected, causing tracking updates to remain the same for a couple of days.
For example, if you ship something from California City to Grand Forks, there are several stops along the way. In this case, your postal items have to fight against various weather conditions, from sunny days to excessively cold temperatures. therefore, it is not unlikely that your mail will take longer than usual to reach its destination, getting stuck at some points for several days. Therefore, it’s a good idea to know the weather situation where you’re shipping to to avoid worrying about updating your USPS tracking.
Another way inclement weather hinders the delivery process is through damaged barcodes. If the barcode on your package is damaged and the USPS worker can’t scan it anymore, there’s a higher chance that your first-class tracking won’t update on time.
mail not updated or scanned
usps workers can miss a package scan, which could be the reason why usps tracking is not updating. it’s also possible that the carrier may not change your item information every step of the way. therefore, the tracking details may be updated only at some stops. This happens infrequently, you can still expect it to be a common reason USPS tracking updates are delayed.
usps does an excellent job of scanning all mailpieces at all facilities. however, some elements still remain. Using batch scanning, the USPS updates the details of different groups or pallets of shipments together.
Also, postal workers don’t always scan your items when they arrive at a post office. they could do so at the time of departure, causing delays in updating delivery statuses. If you’re shipping items via Priority Mail or Express Mail and your USPS tracking isn’t updating, try checking back after a few hours. You can sign up for a USPS account and receive regular email and text notifications.
packet delayed or not moving
We often get the query: how often do you update USPS tracking? the short answer is 24 hours, but we’ll cover more shortly.
Although the update time is less than 24 hours, it is not what happens throughout the year. During the Christmas season, almost every person and business sends holiday greetings. Businesses can also send seasonal sale coupons, discount offers, etc. to persuade their prospects and boost sales. therefore, the usps faces a significant increase in demand during the holiday season, from thanksgiving to the new year.
Naturally, the USPS works faster during October, November, and December to meet increased demand. still, it is impossible to process each item as soon as it arrives at the post office. So if your USPS tracking doesn’t update, it’s likely that your item hasn’t started moving yet.
In addition to a traffic jam, there are many more reasons for an item to be delayed, such as:
- truck malfunction.
- driver illness.
- flat tires or other similar mishaps, etc.
The USPS fixes these issues as soon as possible, but it may affect the delivery process for at least a few hours. therefore, your mailpieces may start moving later than usual, causing your first-class tracking to not be updated.
also read: postgrid and zapier integration.
mail lost in transit
Unfortunately, USPS cannot deliver all postal items to their destination. Some items are lost in transit or misplaced, especially when you ship items with a wrong address. mail with inaccurate or invalid addresses is more often lost because it doesn’t go to a proper destination. they can confuse postal workers and lead to various problems such as mail delays and returns. however, sometimes you may be out of luck and your items may be lost due to incorrect address information.
so missing mail items can be another reason for usps tracking not updating. You can prevent this by double-checking your email addresses with an address verification API like Postgrid, ensuring deliverability. can help you standardize and validate your database beforehand to speed up the delivery process and prevent your items from being lost due to inaccuracies.
Remember, your packets can also be lost due to some uncontrollable reasons. They can fall off USPS conveyor belts or be destroyed by postal equipment. If such things happen, your shipping status may not be displayed on the website and cause first-class tracking not to be updated.
correspondence already delivered
If your USPS tracking has not been updated for a long time, the reason could be that the item has already been delivered. your carrier usually needs to update the status of the item as “delivered” right after it is delivered to the resident or dropped off in their mailbox. but it’s common for postal workers to forget to update the status of their delivery.
usps tracking not updating but delivering is not a big deal as the status would update over time. you can expect the website to display “out of delivery” in a couple of hours. Or, you can contact the recipient in person and ask if they received your package.
In addition to forgetting to update your status, it’s also possible that the carrier was unable to scan your item due to a damaged barcode. therefore, keep checking your tracking status multiple times before taking further action.
In addition, the USPS also states that some items are scanned only after delivery. therefore, you may not receive any updates during the trip and directly receive a delivery notification once they are delivered. It happens, especially in the case of first class mail, a mail service that does not offer to track envelopes. if you want to track first class mail items, you must pair it with certified mail or registered mail.