OnTrac tracking status

OnTrac tracking not updating: why, and what to do

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

A gap in OnTrac scans does not prove your package is lost, as shared histories show long gaps before delivery. OnTrac's own guide is 3 business days without a status change. Count from the last line with a city, and after that treat it as a problem.

When to act: If there is no new scan after 3 business days, file a complaint and we send it to OnTrac.

Also shown as: “Unable to Locate package” · “Lost in transit”

What to do now

Find the last line with a city in 'All OnTrac Events' and count business days from that date. Skip lines that only change the date.
Make sure you are tracking the right number. OnTrac's numbers start with C, D, 1LS, LS, LX or BN.
Check OnTrac's Service Alerts page for your area.
Turn on text alerts, so you see a new scan straight away.
Keep a screenshot of the tracking page each day, with your order number and the expected date.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to OnTrac, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

No update for days with another courier

What is going on

Tracking changes only when something scans the package: a site, a vehicle or the delivery itself. A long trip can show nothing in between. In one shared history, a package scanned in Los Angeles was due in Connecticut 4 days later with no line in between, and its owner says it came on the expected date, with no update until the night before. 'Delayed. Delivery date updated' lines can make tracking look active when no scan has happened, so count from the last line with a city.

People also report lines that say the package cannot be found, such as 'Unable to Locate package' and 'Lost in transit', and agents writing that they could not confirm control of a package. OnTrac's support page asks for up to 48 hours to look into a missing package. Even a lost line is not always final: one person says an order arrived after tracking said lost, by which time the seller had already refunded it.

Why it happens

The package is on a long road leg between two sites
A scan was missed at a site
It is waiting at a site for a route
It went to the wrong site and is being sent on
Bad weather is holding up routes in that area
It cannot be found in the building

What usually happens next

Usually a facility scan or 'Out for Delivery'. After a long stall, tracking may change to 'Unable to Locate package' or 'Lost in transit'. In shared reports the seller then sends a replacement or a refund.

Other OnTrac statuses

Label createdKeep an eye on it
Arrived at FacilityNormal
Out for DeliveryKeep an eye on it
Delayed. Delivery date updatedKeep an eye on it
ExceptionKeep an eye on it
Delivery attemptedKeep an eye on it
Incomplete address. Please contact usTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action
Returning package to the shipperTake action

All OnTrac statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing package from OnTrac?

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose OnTrac and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. OnTrac's own terms point the same way: claims have to come from the shipper, and a recipient should turn to the company that shipped the package for a replacement or refund.

If you sent the package yourself on an OnTrac account, your contract is with OnTrac under its Service Terms and Conditions, unless you have a separate written agreement. Those terms limit its liability for loss, damage or misdelivery to the lesser of the replacement cost or $100 per parcel, and promise no delivery on a specific day. OnTrac also accepts no liability when the shipper authorized leaving a package without a delivery signature.

Questions about “Tracking not updating”

Why is my OnTrac tracking not updating?

Tracking only changes when the package is scanned, and long trips can show nothing between sites. People report a package jumping from an early scan to delivery. After 3 business days without a change, OnTrac's own guide says it is time to act.

How long before an OnTrac package counts as lost?

OnTrac publishes no number of days. Its general guide is 3 business days without a status change. People report 'Unable to Locate package' or 'Lost in transit' after a long stall, and in shared reports the seller then replaces or refunds.

OnTrac says my package is lost. Can it still arrive?

It can. One person says an order arrived after tracking said 'Lost in transit', when the seller had already refunded it. If you have been refunded and it turns up, the seller's rules decide what happens next.

Is it normal to have no updates between the first scan and out for delivery?

It happens. One person's package went from a scan in Los Angeles to delivery in Connecticut on the expected date, with no update until the night before. Once the expected date has passed, OnTrac's guide of 3 business days without a change applies.

Based on

OnTrac: Frequently Asked Questions
OnTrac: Customer care and support (tracking updates, up to 48 hours to investigate)
OnTrac: Service Alerts
Reddit r/ontrac: no scans between the origin and delivery, package came on the expected date
Reddit r/ontrac: weeks with few scans
Reddit r/ontrac: report of no scans until out for delivery
Reddit r/ontrac: agent could not confirm control of the package
Reddit r/ontrac: 'Unable to Locate package'
Reddit r/ontrac: delivered after 'Lost in transit'
OnTrac: Service Terms and Conditions (liability limit, no guaranteed delivery day)
OnTrac: Additional Terms and Conditions (three attempts, undeliverable shipments, claims by the shipper, signatures)