How often does UPS recycle their tracking numbers?

[ArJuN]

I got a shipping notification from Monoprice this morning and after tracking it, it says:

Delivered On: Tuesday, 09/22/2009 at 3:04 P.M.

Left At: Front Door

Shipped/Billed On: 02/27/2011

I've never had this happen, but I'm not really surprised. It makes sense that they'd run out of numbers, but in 17 months?

 

[Engineer]

I got a shipping notification from Monoprice this morning and after tracking it, it says:

Delivered On: Tuesday, 09/22/2009 at 3:04 P.M.

Left At: Front Door

Shipped/Billed On: 02/27/2011

I've never had this happen, but I'm not really surprised. It makes sense that they'd run out of numbers, but in 17 months?

I had a package that shipped last week that was delivered mid June of 2010. I had the same question last week.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

UPS uses an 18 digit tracking number - 16 numbers, 2 letters. 1ZXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

They ship a couple billion packages a year. So, it would take hundreds of thousands of years before they had to increment from 1ZX to 1ZY...

I don't think it's a recycled tracking number. I think somebody's hand scanner had its clock battery die, somebody fat-fingered the 10-key punching in a date, etc.

If nothing else, tracking numbers would have to be kept sacrosanct for a few years, because of investigations re: theft, fraud, damages, etc. No sense confusing the issue by recycling a tracking # people are still grumbling about.

 

[jonks]

OP: same thing with my last order from amazon, still awaiting delivery. Apparently it was sent to RI...2 years ago.

UPS might have a bug or something.

 

[ArJuN]

Yeah I knew it'd take a long time for them to run out of number combinations, I just wasn't sure if they changed the letters or not. If this has recently become common, I wonder what the problem is. I'm more curious than anything, I love learning how a business like UPS and its technology/software operates.

 

[InverseOfNeo]

UPS uses an 18 digit tracking number - 16 numbers, 2 letters. 1ZXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

They ship a couple billion packages a year. So, it would take hundreds of thousands of years before they had to increment from 1ZX to 1ZY...

I don't think it's a recycled tracking number. I think somebody's hand scanner had its clock battery die, somebody fat-fingered the 10-key punching in a date, etc.

If nothing else, tracking numbers would have to be kept sacrosanct for a few years, because of investigations re: theft, fraud, damages, etc. No sense confusing the issue by recycling a tracking # people are still grumbling about.

Not necessarily true...
It is 1Zxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. However, there is a bit of a formula in the first 8 spaces after the 1Z. The first 6 is usually the UPS account number, and the 2 spaces after that is some code for the service level (i.e. ground res., ground comm., next day air, second day, etc.). This is so even if the label is blown to pieces but they have the tracking number, they still know who sent it and when it needs to get there (although if the label is blown to pieces, one would assume the package would be as well). So really, they only have 8 numerical spaces to increment with. I doubt many companies even come close to shipping 100,000,000 under one speed/service level.

 

[Pantoot]

Just got a tracking number for UPS from Amazon, same story:
Shipped/Billed On:02/28/2011
Delivered On: 08/28/2009 11:20 A.M

 

[wabbitslayer]

NECRO

but it still happens. Package that I ordered and was shipped yesterday apparently was delivered back in March 2012. I didn't even know I wanted it back then.

I'm hoping my future me has ordered a GTX1080ti that will come one day this week :awe: