Purolator “Weather delay”: what it means

What does “Weather delay - service will resume weather permitting” mean?

Purolator's terms list weather conditions among the events beyond its control, and a December service alert reported severe weather disrupting the whole network. A longer form of the line says it itself: 'recent weather events are impacting our network', with adverse weather 'either locally or in other areas'. So a storm in another province can hold up a parcel in a city with clear skies, which is why people often see this line on a sunny day. A commenter who says he drives for Purolator explains that a storm elsewhere can bring days of trucks in at once, so the backlog reaches you later.

In tracking histories people share, the location often reads 'PUROLATOR' or 'Purolator Network' instead of a city, and the time is a round one such as 5:00 or 8:00 a.m., which looks more like a general update than a scan of your parcel. It can also follow 'On vehicle for delivery' on the same day, with 'Arrived at sort facility' after it when the vehicle comes back. The line alone does not mean your parcel is damaged or lost, but a few parcels that sat on it for weeks were never found.

Why does Purolator show it?

• A winter storm or blizzard on the delivery route
• Storms closing roads between sort facilities
• Snow blocking access at the delivery address
• A backlog left over after a storm elsewhere in the network

How long does it last?

The next line should be 'Arrived at sort facility' or a new 'On vehicle for delivery' once the route is open. Purolator gives no time. A commenter who says he drives for Purolator says a backlog takes 1 or 2 days to clear, sometimes 3 or 4. In tracking histories people share, the line often repeats across 2 or 3 delivery days in winter storms, but December and January posts also report a week or more, and a few report several weeks with no scan.