What Is Delivery Notification Service?
Learn how delivery notification works, how it differs from appointment service, and what consignee contact and receiving details to provide before booking.
Delivery notification service is a freight accessorial in which the carrier provides notice to the consignee before delivery under the carrier’s applicable rules.
It may be called notification prior to delivery, notify before delivery, prior notification, or a similar term. The notice can help a receiver prepare, but it does not automatically establish a delivery appointment, guarantee an arrival window, or provide a precise truck location.
The carrier’s current tariff or service guide determines what triggers the notification, how it is delivered, whether a charge applies, and whether the service is already included for certain destination types.
What delivery notification is designed to do
The service gives the receiver advance contact connected to an inbound freight shipment. That contact can help the consignee confirm that the shipment is approaching or available for delivery and prepare a receiving contact, dock, forklift, or other resources.
The notice itself is the service. It does not automatically include:
- A receiver-selected delivery time
- A guaranteed delivery date or time
- A liftgate
- Inside delivery
- Residential or limited-access service
- Storage or redelivery protection
- Live vehicle tracking
- A driver call at a specific distance from the stop
Old Dominion’s freight glossary identifies notification prior to delivery as an example of an accessorial charge. FedEx Freight publishes notification prior to delivery under a separate tariff item. Estes combines prior notification and scheduled appointment provisions within one rule, but its language distinguishes notice of arrival from instructions to establish a specific appointment time.
That difference is why the exact carrier terminology matters.
Notification versus appointment delivery
Notification and appointment delivery both involve contact before delivery, but they answer different questions.
| Question | Delivery notification | Appointment delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Alert the consignee before delivery | Establish an agreed delivery date, time, or receiving window |
| Does the receiver choose a time? | Not necessarily | The carrier and receiver coordinate an acceptable time under the service rules |
| Does it guarantee arrival at a precise time? | No | Not automatically; an appointment is not always a guaranteed service |
| Can the services share a tariff item? | Yes, with some carriers | Yes, with some carriers |
| Can a shipment need both concepts? | Yes, depending on carrier terminology and receiver requirements | Yes |
If the receiver merely needs a heads-up, notification may fit. If the receiver cannot accept freight without a confirmed slot, appointment delivery is the more relevant requirement.
Do not select notification and then write “deliver after 2 p.m.” as though a time restriction has been accepted. Tell the carrier that a scheduled appointment is required and confirm the service that supports it.
How prior notification can work
There is no single industry-wide notification sequence. Depending on the carrier and shipment, the contact may occur after arrival at a destination terminal, during delivery planning, or at another point defined by the service.
A practical workflow is:
- The need is identified. The shipper requests notification when quoting or tendering the shipment.
- Usable contact information is supplied. The shipment record includes the consignee’s correct phone number or other accepted contact channel.
- The carrier processes the shipment under its rule. The destination operation initiates the required notice or arrangement.
- The receiver prepares. The consignee confirms availability and organizes the people, space, and equipment needed to accept freight.
- Delivery proceeds under the carrier’s operating plan. A separate appointment is established only when required and supported.
Do not promise that the driver will call from the cab, that the notice will come from a terminal clerk, or that it will arrive a fixed number of hours before the truck. Those details are carrier- and shipment-specific.
A phone number on the bill of lading can have tariff consequences
Contact information is essential, but it should be supplied deliberately.
FedEx Freight’s current rules state that a notification-prior-to-delivery charge can apply when the service is requested by any means, including placing the consignee’s telephone number on the bill of lading. That is a carrier-specific rule, but it demonstrates that a phone number can be interpreted as a service request rather than mere background information.
Other carriers can treat the request differently. Always confirm:
- Where the notification request should be recorded
- Which phone number or channel the carrier will use
- Whether the contact must be a named individual or receiving department
- Whether the number itself triggers an accessorial under the tariff
- Whether the destination-type service already includes initial contact
Avoid using a general switchboard, unmonitored voicemail box, or personal number that will not be answered during receiving hours.
Residential and limited-access shipments may be treated differently
Some carrier rules include an initial notification or delivery-arrangement contact within another destination service.
FedEx Freight’s current tariff, for example, says the residential and limited-access delivery charges include an initial notification to make delivery arrangements when the carrier has the correct consignee telephone number. Its notification-prior-to-delivery item therefore does not apply to that initial notification for those shipments.
That is not a universal industry rule. It does show why a shipper should not blindly stack accessorials. Check whether residential, limited-access, final-mile, or another destination service already includes the contact the receiver needs.
At the same time, included initial contact does not necessarily mean the receiver can choose any date or narrow time window. Confirm whether an appointment is needed.
Tracking alerts are not always the same service
Modern carriers can offer automated email, text, portal, or account notifications for shipment events. Those visibility tools may report status changes, estimated delivery, delays, or completed delivery.
A tracking alert is not automatically the tariff-defined notification-prior-to-delivery accessorial. The two may differ in:
- Who receives the message
- Which shipment event triggers it
- Whether a response is required
- Whether the consignee is contacted to arrange delivery
- Whether the service changes the delivery process
- Whether an accessorial charge applies
Use automated tracking for visibility, but request the delivery service the consignee actually requires. Do not assume that subscribing to status emails satisfies a receiving facility’s prior-notification or appointment rule.
When delivery notification may be useful
Prior notification may fit when the consignee can accept freight during normal receiving hours but benefits from advance contact. Decision patterns include:
- A small business without a continuously staffed receiving desk
- A receiver that needs time to assign an employee to the dock
- A location that must prepare a forklift or clear receiving space
- A secondary facility that receives freight infrequently
- A shipment for which the receiving contact wants advance awareness but does not control a narrow delivery slot
Notification alone may not be sufficient when:
- The facility requires a confirmed appointment
- Access is controlled by a gate, security desk, or reservation system
- Receiving is limited to a specific date or short window
- The consignee requires purchase-order validation before assigning a dock
- The requested service has a contractual delivery-time commitment
Ask the receiver what it will do with the notice. If the answer is “choose whether the truck may come,” an appointment or another coordinated service may be needed.
Does delivery notification cost extra?
Often, but not always. Current FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, and Estes materials publish notification or appointment-related charges under carrier tariff items. The exact amount and applicability vary by carrier, geography, destination type, service, and customer pricing agreement.
The safe questions are:
- Which tariff or service guide governs the shipment?
- Is prior notification a separately charged accessorial?
- Is the initial contact included in residential, limited-access, or another service?
- Does the carrier combine notification and appointment service?
- Who is responsible for the charge?
- Does the returned quote explicitly include the requested service?
Avoid quoting an undated “typical notification fee.” Compare carrier options using the complete shipment-specific quote.
What happens when the consignee cannot be reached
The outcome depends on the carrier’s rules, the destination, and the shipment’s status. The carrier might try another contact method, hold the freight, continue delivery under standard service, request updated instructions, or defer delivery.
Additional charges can arise if the shipment becomes undeliverable, remains in storage, or requires redelivery. A notification request does not suspend every storage or delivery rule.
Reduce the risk by providing:
- A direct consignee contact
- A backup contact when permitted
- Accurate receiving hours
- A phone number that accepts calls from unfamiliar numbers
- Any gate, department, extension, or language instructions
- The correct purchase-order or delivery reference
The receiver should also know the carrier name and shipment reference so a legitimate call is recognized.
Common notification mistakes
Treating notification as a time window
A heads-up is not the same as a confirmed appointment. Use the service that matches the receiver’s actual constraint.
Inventing a universal lead time
There is no reliable promise that every carrier calls two hours, one day, or any other fixed period before arrival. Confirm the applicable service.
Assuming the driver makes the call
The carrier can use a terminal, service center, automated system, or another process. Do not build the receiving plan around an unsupported caller assumption.
Providing an unusable contact
An unanswered number defeats the purpose and can disrupt delivery. Verify the contact before tendering freight.
Adding notification when another accessorial already includes initial contact
Check the tariff and destination service to prevent a redundant or incorrectly configured request.
Assuming notification supplies equipment or labor
The receiver still needs to identify liftgate, inside delivery, limited-access, and other operational needs separately.
Quote-preparation checklist
Before requesting a quote, gather:
- Origin and destination addresses and ZIP codes
- Facility type at pickup and delivery
- Consignee contact name, direct phone number, and accepted contact method
- Receiving hours and closure dates
- Handling-unit count, packaged dimensions, and weight
- Commodity description and freight class, when known
- Dock and forklift availability
- Liftgate, inside delivery, residential, limited-access, appointment, or other service needs
- Purchase-order, BOL, or delivery reference requirements
- Gate, security, department, extension, or check-in instructions
Ask whether the receiver needs a simple notice or a confirmed appointment, then make sure the returned quote reflects that requirement.
Choose the contact service the receiver actually needs
Delivery notification gives the consignee advance notice under the carrier’s rules. It can improve preparation, but it should not be presented as a guaranteed arrival time or a substitute for appointment delivery.
Shipocity is backed by a team with more than 40 years of combined logistics experience. Through established industry relationships, the platform helps businesses compare competitive freight rates for their specific shipment.
Once you have accurate contacts, receiving hours, shipment details, and accessorial requirements, get a freight quote from Shipocity with delivery notification included when appropriate.
