Handling your mail while on the road

paid2vacation

Seasoned Expediter
I'm full of questions today. I was wondering how others handle their mail while they are out on the road. I don't have any one who can pick it up for me. I'm afraid I will miss something important (like being called for jury duty) while out for long periods.

Thanks for you help.
 

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I use a private mail box at UPS. They are located in most major cities. They are run by independent franchiser's keep your mail safe,also receive packages from USPS,UPS,FEDEX,etc.

They cant open your mail for you,but they can tell you who your mail has come from.They even call me to let me know when certain things have arrived.

Access to my mail is 24 hr due to a special door lock code.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
We do have someone at home who receives our mail. When we know we will be in a city 24 or more hours in advance, we let her know and she FedEx'es our mail to us.

For example, last Friday we got dispatched to pick up a load in Las Vegas on Monday and deliver it in Portland, OR on Tuesday. We called home and gave our "business agent" (Diane's mother loves it when we call her that, but it is also true), the zip code of our freight delivery. She located the nearest FedEx World Express center (or sometimes Kinko's) where a package can be held for pickup.

She then packaged our mail into a FedEx box, called FedEx for a pickup and set it outside her front door shortly before she knew the FedEx man would arrive. She also called us with the tracking number.

We have a FedEx account set up for that purpose. It's expensive but we also wanted to make it as easy as possible for her to get our mail to us.

Immediately after our delivery, we drove a couple miles to the FedEx facility and picked up our package. They work great because trucks run in and out of them all the time. No worries about low trees in unfamiliar areas or truck-restricted routes.

Another plus about this system is if plans change, our mail is safely in FedEx hands with a tracking number. We can have it returned home or re-routed anytime we wish. That seldom happens. We learned the hard way to not call home for our mail until the freight is actually on our truck.

Again, this is not cheap. One time we ended up paying over $100 for a single package sent to California from Minnesota (home). Diane's mom had our best interests in mind when she sent us a pile of accumulated magazines and a hefty Snap-On tools catalog. She just had no idea how much FedEx charged for such weight. She knows better now.

Oh well. It's still cheaper than going out of service and deadheading home to get our mail. It's also a great way to keep up with the ongoing and vital mail our carrier sends us, especially permits.
 
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