12-07-2011, 08:39 AM
Mac-A-Matic wrote:
About ten to twelve years ago, a guy I knew from FedEx explained it to me. Essentially, FedEx is not a local delivery service and its mandate (or federal law, etc, etc) requires that all packages be taken out of the locality to their main hub in Memphis for sorting and distribution - even if the package is being delivered locally. It's been quite some time since it was explained to me so the details are hazy.
Other than the usual common carrier restrictions, the major limitation on FedEx and other private delivery services is that they are not allowed to deliver to mailboxes marked "U.S. Mail."
There are freight-logistics reasons for a package taking seemingly odd detours en route to you, not legal restrictions.
Memphis is one of the three major FedEx hubs, but not every package in the continental U.S. has to go through a major hub. They also have 50+ sorting centers that packages can go through. If your closest sorting center is the Memphis hub then yes, nearly every package sent to you via Fedex is liable to go through Memphis.