DPD tracking status
DPD “At a DPD hub”: what it means
The short answer
NormalYour parcel is being sorted at one of DPD's large Midlands hubs, such as Hub 5 in Hinckley, before it travels to your local depot. This is a normal overnight step, and most parcels leave the hub within a day.
When to act: If a hub scan is still the latest update after 2 working days, file a complaint and we send it to DPD.
Also shown as: “We have your parcel, and it's on its way to our [depot name] depot”
What to do now
- 1
Open the full tracking history on the DPD website or app: if the hub message already names your local depot, the parcel is on its way.
- 2
Wait for the next morning's scan before doing anything, because hubs mostly work overnight.
- 3
If the delay lasts more than a day, check whether your postcode is listed on DPD's Service Disruption page.
- 4
Keep a screenshot of the tracking history and note your parcel number, your order number and the date of the hub scan.
- 5
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to DPD, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “At a DPD hub” mean?
DPD routes parcels through a few very large sorting hubs in the Midlands, at Smethwick, Oldbury and Hinckley. Parcels usually arrive from collection depots in the evening, are sorted by postcode overnight and leave early the next morning for the depot that covers your address. The hub name in your tracking, such as 'Hub 5 - Hinckley' or 'Hub 2 - Bham', is simply the site that scanned your parcel.
The message next to it often already names your local depot, for example 'We have your parcel, and it's on its way to our [depot name] depot'. That means the hub has done its job and the parcel is waiting for, or already on, the next truck. A hub is a sorting site, so its town says nothing about where your parcel will be delivered from.
Why does DPD show it?
- Normal overnight sorting between the collection depot and your local depot
- The parcel is waiting for the next truck to your area
- Peak weeks such as Black Friday and the run-up to Christmas
- A missed scan or a mis-sort that needs re-sorting
- Bad weather or road closures between the hub and the depots
How long does it last?
The next scan is usually 'Your parcel is at our [depot name] depot' the following morning, then out for delivery the same day or the next working day. If the parcel misses a truck, it normally moves on the following night.
Other DPD statuses
- Delayed due to an unexpected issue in your areaKeep an eye on it
- Your parcel has been delayedKeep an eye on it
- Out for delivery, but not arrivedKeep an eye on it
- Sorry we missed youTake action
- Being held at the depotTake action
- Your parcel was refusedTake action
- Delivered, but you do not have itTake action
- On its way back to the senderTake action
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Hub 1 - BhamNormal
- Hub 2 - BhamNormal
- Hub 3 - BhamNormal
- Hub 4 - HinckleyNormal
- Hub 5 - HinckleyNormal
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 “At a DPD hub”
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.
How long do DPD parcels stay at the hub?
Most parcels pass through a hub overnight and reach the local depot the next morning. A parcel that misses its truck usually moves on the following night.
Can I collect my parcel from a DPD hub?
Hubs are sorting sites, not collection points. If you want to collect, choose a DPD Pickup shop in the DPD app or on the website, and DPD says it will be ready the next day.
Why is my DPD parcel stuck at the hub?
It may have missed the overnight truck, been mis-sorted, or be caught in a peak-season backlog. If nothing changes for 2 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to DPD.
Based on
- Logistics Manager: DPD's £150m super hub takes shape (Hub 5, Hinckley)
- Post & Parcel: DPD opens extension at UK parcel sorting superhub (Oldbury and Smethwick)
- Amazon Seller Forums: DPD tracking history with 'Hub 5 - Hinckley' and 'Hub 2 - Bham' scans
- DPD UK: How can we help? (missed deliveries, Pickup shops, delivery slot)
- DPD UK: Service Disruption (list of postcodes with known delivery problems)
- DPD UK: Complaints Charter (contact details and complaint timescales, PDF)
- DPD job advert for a Hub Manager at Hub 5, reposted on Built In London ('5 Hub Operations based across Smethwick, Oldbury and Hinckley')
- 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