DPD tracking
DPD tracking statuses explained
DPD is one of the UK's largest parcel carriers and delivers for many online retailers. Your parcel is scanned when DPD collects it, usually sorted overnight at one of its Midlands hubs (shown in tracking as Hub 1 to Hub 5), then sent to your local depot and out for delivery with a one-hour time slot. You can follow every scan and change the delivery on the DPD website or app.
Every DPD tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| At a DPD hub | Your parcel is being sorted at one of DPD's large Midlands hubs, such as Hub 5 in Hinckley, before it travels to your… | Normal |
| Delayed due to an unexpected issue in your area | DPD could not get your parcel out as planned, usually because of a driver, van, weather or volume problem on your… | Keep an eye on it |
| Your parcel has been delayed | Your parcel missed a planned step in DPD's network, usually a sort at the hub or the truck to your local depot, so it… | Keep an eye on it |
| Out for delivery, but not arrived | Your parcel is on a DPD van today, and you should get a one-hour delivery slot, usually by midday. | Keep an eye on it |
| Sorry we missed you | The driver could not hand over your parcel, so DPD left a 'Sorry we missed you' card and usually plans another attempt. | Take action |
| Being held at the depot | Your parcel is at a DPD depot but is not planned for delivery yet, often after a failed attempt, an address problem… | Take action |
| Your parcel was refused | DPD recorded that the parcel was turned down at the delivery address, so it will normally go back to the sender. | Take action |
| Delivered, but you do not have it | DPD's driver marked the parcel as delivered, to you, a neighbour or a safe place, but it has not reached you. | Take action |
| On its way back to the sender | DPD has stopped trying to deliver and is sending the parcel back, often after failed attempts, a refusal, an… | Take action |
| Tracking not updating | Your parcel has had no new DPD scan, either because the sender has not handed it over yet or because it missed scans… | Keep an eye on it |
| Hub 1 - Bham | Your parcel is being sorted at DPD Hub 1, one of DPD's two hubs in Smethwick, on the edge of Birmingham. | Normal |
| Hub 2 - Bham | Your parcel is being sorted at DPD Hub 2, one of DPD's two hubs in Smethwick, on the edge of Birmingham. | Normal |
| Hub 3 - Bham | Your parcel is being sorted at DPD Hub 3 in Oldbury, just west of Birmingham. | Normal |
| Hub 4 - Hinckley | Your parcel is being sorted at DPD Hub 4 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, the older of DPD's two Hinckley hubs. | Normal |
| Hub 5 - Hinckley | Your parcel is being sorted at DPD Hub 5 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, DPD's fifth UK hub. | Normal |
DPD delays
Delays build up around Black Friday, in the weeks before Christmas, after bank holidays and in snow or storms. A parcel that misses the overnight truck from a hub usually waits a day, and DPD lists postcodes with known problems on its Service Disruption page.
Is your parcel from DPD late or missing?
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from DPD?
If you bought online from a business, the seller is usually responsible until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act), the goods stay at the seller's risk until you or someone you named has them, unless you chose and booked the courier yourself. DPD's contract is with the seller, so a lost, damaged or very late parcel is the seller's to put right.
If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with DPD, under its terms. DPD postage bought at a Post Office branch includes cover up to the lower of the item's value or £50, and DPD's standard conditions for business senders cover the lower of the item's value or £100 per parcel, unless extra cover was bought.
Questions about DPD tracking
What do the hub numbers mean on DPD tracking?
They name the DPD hub that scanned your parcel. Hubs 1 and 2 are in Smethwick and Hub 3 is in Oldbury, all shown as 'Bham', and Hubs 4 and 5 are in Hinckley. The number says nothing about where your parcel will be delivered.
What does 'unexpected issue in your area' mean on DPD?
Usually the depot or driver route that covers your postcode had a problem that day, such as a lack of drivers, a breakdown or bad weather. Sometimes the parcel is still held at a hub. It does not mean your parcel is lost.
Why is my DPD parcel delayed?
Usually because of a backlog, a mis-sort to the wrong depot, a label problem or bad weather. The message does not always give the reason.
When will my DPD parcel arrive today?
DPD sends a one-hour slot once the van is loaded, usually by 12 noon. You can follow the driver on the live map when they are close.
How many times will DPD try to deliver?
DPD does not publish a fixed number for home deliveries. It usually tries again on the next working day or takes the parcel to a nearby Pickup shop, and if delivery keeps failing the parcel can go back to the sender, so rebook quickly.
Based on
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
- DPD UK: Standard Terms and Conditions of Carriage (PDF)
- DPD standard terms for delivery services bought at a Post Office branch