Some consider shipment tracking an unexplored terrain that could deprive businesses of success if tampered. Many things could go wrong as soon as your package leaves the warehouse. Leaving you with no sense of its whereabouts. But thankfully, things are pretty good in case of FedEx tracking.

FedEx recently introduced necessary additions to its operations to overcome common delivery problems. Their tracking environment is way better now. FedEx is now going big with multiple e-commerce tracking solutions coming into the picture. As a result, FedEx tracking is no longer a headache for store owners; in fact, it’s now a much simpler job for you and me.

In this article, we will explore FedEx tracking and the services that support it. We will go through a few quintessential terminologies that surround FedEx tracking. We will also explore how WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin helps WooCommerce users track their FedEx packages.

What is FedEx tracking?

FedEx tracking allows your customers to track their order(s) on their website. With the current process in play, FedEx assigns a shipment tracking number for your package which can be accessed by your customers. This numeric/alphanumeric code is unique to your package and FedEx uses it for further process.

FedEx tracking provides detailed tracking information for your shipments. This includes the estimated delivery date, delivery time (for some services), live location, shipment status, and much more. This could very well help your customers. For instance, they can make themselves available to receive the order at the exact delivery date and time.

How can customers use FedEx tracking?

The FedEx tracking numbers usually have 12 numeric digits. For instance, the sample tracking number for a domestic order going from New York to Atlanta is 794667212741. There are essentially three ways in which your customers can track their package(s).

Using the unique Tracking Number (commonly used for all sorts of packages) By using the provided Track by Reference number Or using the Track by TCN (used for Government related orders)

Although most users would prefer using the Tracking Number, there are cases where they may require to explore other options. Track by Reference Number is the number related to your package (normal or freight), which can be found alongside purchase order number. Whereas the TCN stands for Transportation Control Number and people use it to track government orders only.

How can customers find the FedEx tracking number?

It’s your responsibility to hand over the FedEx tracking number to your customers. You can do it either by contacting them (via email, phone, or any other method) or using software that lets you do it automatically.

In WooCommerce, for example, you have WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin which assigns tracking numbers to their respective emails sent out by WooCommerce. Customers can click on the link (containing the tracking number) and track the package(s) on FedEx’s website. You will learn about it later in this article.

There are a few other ways to share FedEx tracking number with your customers. You can use FedEx Ship Manager to find out the order in your History. FedEx Desktop is another great solution. If regular shipment tracking and frequent status checking is your thing, then this software could be of great help. Otherwise, you can email FedEx on track@fedex.com if you don’t handle that many orders.

How to track the packages on FedEx website?

FedEx’s order/shipment tracking page contains ample information regarding the shipment. Once a customer has the tracking number, he or she can copy and paste it in the section shown below.

Upon doing that, FedEx displays the real-time status of the shipment right then and there. Here’s the sample tracking for the tracking number 123456789012.

What information do customers get with the FedEx tracking number?

There are two kinds of shipping based on destination—Domestic and international shipping. For the shipments going to states within the United States, FedEx tracking number will provide your customers with the following information.

It tells you when the package was first created in the FedEx system

Provides you with the details of when FedEx received the package

FedEx provides you with the delivery update

Date/time, Status, Destination, Order number, Order status, etc., and other related information.

And for shipments going out of the United States, FedEx tracking number will provide your customers with the following information.

It tells you when the package was first created in the FedEx system

Provides you with the details of when FedEx received the package

It tells you when the package was dispatched and when it was accepted/received at the Foreign Postal Administration

You are provided with the delivery update (when the package was delivered)

What is Proof of Delivery?

After your shipment is successfully delivered and if signature obtained, the signature will be displayed underneath the Shipment Status. This depends on the availability and will be matched to secured tracking. Keep in mind that Proof of delivery is only applicable for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipments.

What is the difference between tracking and signature proof of delivery?

You can use tracking to check the status of your shipment at any time during and within 90 days after delivery. You can use signature proof of delivery to get a picture of the recipient’s signature (if the signature is available) once the shipment has been delivered.

What is Signature proof of delivery data availability?

Signature proof of delivery is available for up to 18 months for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipments and 2 years for FedEx Freight shipments. This includes the signature image and associated shipment information.

The signature image and additional recipient information may not be available for display in all countries. This will be indicated on the signature proof of delivery where applicable. How to handle multiple signature proofs of delivery requests? You can request up to 30 signature proof of delivery letters at once.

Signature proof of delivery letters with multiple requests may take up to several minutes to process

The fax option is not available for multiple Signature proofs of delivery requests

Signature proof of delivery letters will be automatically provided for delivered shipments only. Shipments currently in-transit will not be displayed until they are delivered

What is Bill of Lading?

The Bill of Lading will provide you detailed shipping information about your FedEx Freight shipment as well as any other shipping related document that was included at the time of shipping. The Bill Presentment, on the other hand, will provide you charges information for your FedEx Freight shipment. It may be either a preliminary statement or the invoice of your shipment.

In the case where the shipment has not been invoiced, the Bill Presentment will offer a preliminary statement. In the case where the shipment has been invoiced, the Bill Presentment will offer an image of the invoice.

You can obtain a copy of your FedEx Freight Bill of Lading and Bill Presentment documents ̶ via email, fax or online letter. These documents are available when you track Freight shipments once logged in to fedex.com. Bill of Lading and Bill Presentment documents are available for FedEx Freight shipments only for up 2 years from the ship date.

Check out the “FedEx Freight shipping with WooCommerce” to know more about Bill of Lading and how it works.

FedEx tracking for international orders

Both the shipping service and the destination country, determine the delivery time. While shipping internationally, the items must clear the customs process and delays can occur at times when the volume of the package is high.

You must follow this process carefully. It cannot be stopped or sped up by either FedEx or the Postal Administration of the destination country. As it is handled by the respective Customs department. So the best option here is to utilize the FedEx tracking number and follow the updates provided by FedEx.

Check out the guide on “FedEx International Shipping Guide for WooCommerce Users” to know more about FedEx tracking for international orders.

FedEx Tracking with WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin

Tracking FedEx packages within WooCommerce is not entirely possible and would require integration with the FedEx API. That is where the WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin comes in handy. The plugin not only allows the user to receive Real-time rates and Print Shipping Labels but also gives the shipper and recipient the ability to Track their packages.

You need to first follow the setup guide for FedEx shipping plugin and install it properly. After that and to receive the tracking information for FedEx shipments, you will have to Enable the service within the plugin settings. Please refer to the screenshot below.

To do so you will have to navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping > FedEx. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and enable Shipment Tracking as shown above.

How to set up FedEx tracking?

Check the Enable Shipment Tracking option as it allows the plugin to add Tracking Details to the Order. Apart from this, the Order confirmation email will contain the Tracking Information embedded in it. The tracking numbers work in a Live environment and will not function within a Test environment.

Enable Shipment Tracking in the plugin to obtain the following in your orders.

First, place an order in the store and navigate to that particular order and Generate Packages.

Upon package generation, The FedEx API pre-defines the Shipment Number and Tracking Pin.

View the tracking number under ‘FedEx Shipment Tracking‘ in the order page as shown below.

How does the FedEx tracking feature work in WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin?

In the images below you can see the sample FedEx tracking number (123456789012). This number will change to the authentic FedEx number when working in a Live environment.

On the View Order page, you are able to see the FedEx Tracking Number as shown below. This section will specify if the package has one or more than one tracking number. This information will be sent accordingly to the Customers email once the order has been marked Completed.

You need to mark the order status as Completed. Thereafter, sending the order confirmation email is an automatic process. This email will consist of the Order details as well as the Shipping and Billing Addresses. Apart from this, the Order Confirmation/Completion email will contain the FedEx Tracking number(s) for the package(s) as shown in the example below.

The FedEx Tracking number can also be found in the shipping label. So once you generate and print a FedEx shipping label, you should be able to see the FedEx tracking number as shown in the image below.

As a customer, you can also locate the package using the FedEx tracking tool.

Final thoughts

This article covers FedEx Tracking and all its features. It also covers how you can make the best use of the FedEx Shipment in your WooCommerce store using the WooCommerce FedEx Shipping plugin.

The plugin is the best tool to accomplish all your shipping needs with ease within WooCommerce. It supports all the available services listed by FedEx. Live shipping rate calculation, label generation within the WooCommerce store, live shipment tracking, and much more!