FedEx Prepares for Unprecedented Surge Ahead of Holidays

FedEx Ground is expanding its year-round Sunday residential coverage to nearly 95% of the country. (FedEx)

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FedEx Corp. is positioning itself for what it is predicting will be an unprecedented peak holiday shipping season, the company said Sept. 8.

The Memphis, Tenn.-based delivery package shipper is looking to increase capacity in preparation for the holidays. The company is investing in new and existing facilities, expanding its e-commerce capabilities and bolstering its workforce.

“We once again expect to see a large number of packages traverse our global network over the 2020 peak holiday shipping season,” a FedEx spokesperson told Transport Topics. “In order to continue to deliver the best possible service during this busy time of the year, FedEx is increasing hours for some existing employees and boosting our workforce with seasonal positions.”

The company on Sept. 3 first predicted that the peak holiday season would be unprecedented. At the time, it detailed how it is leveraging the benefits of its ongoing strategic initiatives, including implementing value proposition advancements such as expanded freight services.

FedEx Freight Direct and the retail convenience network are being bolstered with investments. FedEx Ground is expanding its year-round Sunday residential coverage to nearly 95% of the country. Its automated facilities also are seeing further investments. FedEx Home Delivery now is allowing shippers to send packages as heavy as 150 pounds.

More than 70,000 positions are expected to be added in the lead-up to the holidays. The delivery team currently has more than 500,000. The majority of the new workers will be added to the FedEx Ground network.

“We continue to ramp up our resources, maximize our capacity and collaborate with retailers to ensure we’re doing everything possible to prepare for the anticipated peak volumes,” the spokesperson said.

FedEx Freight Direct offers delivery of heavy and bulky shipments inside customer homes or businesses. It is expanding its standard and premium service offerings to cover 90% of the country, effective Sept. 14.

SmartPost facilities are being repurposed for package sortation. FedEx Ground is optimizing its network capacity through the addition of new and expanded facilities along with new technology solutions. That includes six regional sortation facilities, four new automated stations and eight new or expanded large package facilities.

FedEx also has expanded its retail convenience network. Package pickup and drop-off services now are available at more than 8,000 Dollar General locations. This increases the network to more than 20,000 staffed FedEx sites. The network includes more than 2,100 FedEx Office locations, along with retailers such as Walgreens, Kroger and Albertsons.

FedEx Corp. ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. 

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