In order for fast and punctual delivery to be possible, the processing of both goods and information must take place exactly correctly and in a timely manner. In express transport, standardization has reached its peak. The entire transport network of an express delivery company follows uniform processes and operating methods wherever it operates. Operations are constantly monitored with the help of various quality indicators, so that even small deviations can be detected and addressed quickly.
The customer gives the order to the express delivery company electronically. There are various electronic tools for preparing shipments, which can be used, for example, to print waybills and barcode Address Labels, place a pick-up order and, if necessary, search for the details of a delivery / service point for your own customers.
The driver of the express delivery company (commonly referred to as courier) picks up the shipment from the sender. Companies that regularly use express delivery can also arrange a standard pick-up, in which case the courier will pick up the shipments at the same time every day without a separate pick-up request.
If the consignment has to be cleared through customs, the export forwarding department of the express transport company will handle the matter, and correspondingly, the import forwarding department in the country of destination will complete the necessary formalities on behalf of the customer. The forwarding process begins as soon as the shipment is en route to ensure that the goods are released for free circulation as quickly as possible.
After picking up, the shipments are delivered to the departure terminal in the domestic transport network used by the express transport company. There, they are sorted and packed into transport units, which are loaded onto an airplane (air express) or truck (road express) en route to the international sorting center (hub) of the express company.
At the hub, air cargo (or trucks) arriving from different countries is unloaded, shipments are sorted and new transport units are loaded per destination terminal. Upon arrival at the terminal by air – or road transport – the consignments are unloaded and sorted and distributed to customers. In recent years, deliveries to parcel machines and / or service points have also been introduced in the express delivery range.
The barcode in the shipment is scanned at various stages of transport, from collection from the customer to delivery to the consignee. The scanned data is transferred to the express company’s information systems and enables the shipment to be tracked via the Internet in the Track & Trace system throughout its journey.
Transport companies offer several of their own transmission programs to customers, and in addition to these, many customers have also chosen to integrate their own information systems with express transport companies (e.g. various ready-made interfaces / Webservices / APIs) for data transfer).