Shipping is an important aspect of online shopping.
Shipping delays can occur when there are problems with your order.
This can lead to frustration and you will need to manage between the sellers or the carriers.
You may not know what steps to take if DHL is used by the seller to ship your order.
You may not understand what it means if you get a message stating that your DHL shipment has been placed on hold.
This is what you need to know about DHL shipping delays and what you can do.
DHL Shipment on Hold (4 Things to Do, What It Means).
If you get a message from DHL stating that your shipment is being held, it means that your package has stopped moving.
Shipping delays can be caused by many factors.
DHL will notify you when there is a delay by putting the shipment on hold.
This does not necessarily mean they lost the package, or that the seller cancelled the order.
This is a sign that the driver has been delayed in transit and cannot get to your destination.
There is not much you can do about the problem. However, there are steps you can take in order to get more information.
These are the steps you should take if your DHL shipment is held.
- Contact DHL Customer Service
Information about your package, such as its tracking number or destination, will be required.
A representative may be able to give you information or an update about the delay.
They may be able to identify the reason for the delay and provide an estimate of when the package will move towards you.
Sometimes, due to a natural disaster, or social unrest it may be difficult to know when the package will resume its journey.
The representative will only be able to tell you why the delay occurred.
If your shipment is still in hold, you can contact their customer service to get an update every few days.
- Research Route
Although you may not be able to determine the exact route taken by the driver, you can get an idea of the general direction.
Find out more about your seller.
It is important to find out if the company keeps their products at their place or in a warehouse.
If they are using a warehouse, you will need to identify the warehouse locations.
Most likely, your order comes from the closest one to you.
Consider where DHL’s transit hubs are located.
DHL would be unlikely to be used by the seller if they were far from their home, as it would make shipping more expensive.
These two locations will help you to create a route that leads you to your destination.
This will allow you to research any issues in the area.
You might consider border closings and overwhelmed customs offices if your package comes from another country.
Also, it’s worth looking into how busy ports can be as this can cause shipments to be held up.
Even something so simple like road construction can create problems.
Once you have identified the factors that may be at play, you might be able to pinpoint the reason for the delay.
- Wait
When your shipment is stuck on hold, the best thing to do is to wait.
The package will be delivered to your address.
You might find it takes a little longer than you anticipated.
If you are still waiting more than two weeks after your initial arrival date, it is worth calling DHL again.
- Cancel the Order
If the delay causes a problem, or you don’t need the product when it arrives, you can cancel your order.
DHL will notify you if the order is cancelled.
They will return it to the seller.
Why does your DHL package say Shipment on Hold?
There may be many reasons why your DHL package is placed on hold.
These are just a few of the reasons.
- Natural Disaster
Shipping companies cannot control the weather.
They do their best to deliver on sunny days as well as rainy days, but some elements of the weather can be too dangerous to travel through.
Nature can strike at any moment.
People tend to think about hurricanes and tornadoes. However, other natural disasters can also hinder delivery.
Delivery drivers may not be able to drive due to snowstorms, earthquakes or even windy days.
Sometimes, a natural disaster may prevent the shipment from moving forward.
Roads are littered or damaged.
Flooding problems may be a problem on some highways.
These cases mean that the driver cannot make it to your destination until debris is removed or until an alternative route can be found.
They will need shelter if they are caught in the middle of a natural catastrophe.
Natural disasters can happen quickly or take many years to pass.
They are unable to return to the road until it is safe.
They may even find their van damaged or impassible.
DHL can put your shipment on hold due to natural disasters.
- Social Unrest
DHL delivers primarily in Europe.
So, it is not uncommon for social unrest to occur.
Protests and marches, regardless of whether they are to protest a leadership decision or a law can have an impact on a delivery.
Sometimes, social unrest can cause borders to close until it is gone.
Sometimes, however, you might not notice any delay in your package because of social unrest.
Only the driver needs to find another road around the march or protest.
It can be difficult to organize large protests or marches.
You might not feel safe driving on the roads.
Before they can continue their route, the driver must do what is safe.
You may lose your order if you do not follow these steps.
DHL shipment on hold may be held due to social unrest
- Closed Borders
Closed borders are one of the main reasons your shipment may be on hold.
There are many reasons why a country might close its borders.
In an effort to limit the spread of the disease, countries shut down their borders during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This caused many deliveries to be delayed.
DHL and other carriers could not enter another country until the country lifted its lockdown and opened the borders.
A security threat could also be one reason why a country might close its borders.
They will close borders if they suspect that terrorists or similar are trying to enter or leave the country.
They will usually close the border only in the area the suspect was last seen.
If that is the same border DHL is trying to cross, the driver will be delayed.
Finally, some countries may close their borders due to political conflict.
For example, if two countries are at war with each other, they may close their borders to prevent them from being invaded.
Closed borders are problematic because it is impossible to predict how long they will stay closed.
DHL may not be able to deliver the package because they are unable to reach the country.
If the delivery is in a closed country, they will need to find another route or wait until the border opens.
Your delivery could be held up for a while.
DHL may place your shipment on hold when they come across a closed border.
- Port Congestion
Port Congestion is one of the most common reasons your DHL shipment is currently on hold.
DHL must import any order from another country if it is to be delivered through customs.
Many countries’ first line of defense is customs.
To ensure that nothing is illegally brought into the country, employees review all packages and shipping manifests.
They are also looking for weapons and bombs, as well as biological weapons.
Customs can be jammed with traffic at certain times of year.
Holiday season is an example.
Customs is suddenly faced with thousands of packages to process because so many people are buying products from countries other than the United States.
DHL must wait for its turn, just like everyone else.
Port congestion is not usually a cause for too much delay.
Your package will be held for up to a few days before moving on.
However, some circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic may make things worse.
It creates a bottleneck because of the reliance placed on online shopping and the fewer workers who are able to work.
Only a limited number of packages are allowed to pass the verification process in a single day.
This can lead to a significant delay, which only increases as more packages arrive.
You can expect that your package will remain on hold until it is processed by the system.
DHL shipping delays can result from congestion at ports or customs.
- Route changes
DHL can place your shipment on hold if there are sudden changes to the route.
Delivery drivers may fall ill on the road or have a family emergency.
Delivery vans may break down, and they will need service.
To complete the delivery, you will need a driver or van with different capabilities.
They will need to make it work for them.
This could mean that your package is delayed for a few days.
If your tracking shows that your package is moving away or in a strange place, it is usually due to a route change.
They can happen at any moment, but they won’t delay your package for very long.
DHL could place a temporary hold on your shipment if your package needs to change route.
- Lack Of Transport
DHL isn’t as big as other carriers.
They have a small fleet of planes, boats, and vans.
They must wait until one of these transport vehicles becomes available if they are stretched to the limit.
The shipping industry’s most important aspect is the weight.
Many of their routes are determined by their weight.
This is because heavier items are more costly to transport.
Carriers must strike a good balance between efficiency and cost effectiveness.
They may need to transport your heavy package in a completely new vehicle.
It may be too heavy to haul in the last van.
You will need to wait another day for your new van to arrive.
DHL will notify you that your shipment has been placed on hold.
They are holding onto it until a new mode of transport is available.
DHL is a smaller carrier so your shipment may be held up due to their limited supply of transport vehicles.
- Incomplete documentation
Paperwork and documentation are the backbone of shipping.
The majority of documentation is done using labels, bar codes and scanners.
It is possible that labels may be damaged or bar codes scratched due to the nature of shipping.
This makes it impossible to scan or read them.
There is therefore no documentation.
The driver doesn’t know where it is to be delivered.
The customs office might not be able to process the package because they aren’t sure what the contents are.
Sometimes, the seller made a mistake.
They might forget to include certain information in their rush.
DHL might need to hold your shipment until they have the information.
Other times, the buyer may not include the correct information or leave out something.
DHL must wait for DHL to resolve the issue.
They will only then be able to receive the documentation necessary for the shipment.
DHL may not have the necessary documentation to hold your shipment.
If the request requires documentation, you will receive another message asking you for it.
- Holidays
The last reason your DHL shipment may be on hold is because it is a holiday.
DHL does not operate during holidays.
Although you might not expect delivery on a holiday, it is possible to forget about one that occurs during the week or one that you don’t celebrate as much.
DHL has certain holidays that drivers can’t drive on, so they don’t have to deliver packages.
This means your package will be delivered within a few days.
If you do notice a message stating that your DHL package has been placed on hold, it is worth checking to make sure it isn’t a holiday.
You can expect it to continue its journey the next day if that happens.
Holidays can cause delays in DHL shipment.
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