Amtrak launch evening deliveries
Amtrak has launched an extended evening delivery service in response to the increasing demand for home deliveries.
The company trialled deliveries in specific time windows between 5.30pm and 8.30pm in London, and is now offering the service as standard in other cities including Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow.
Willingness by its franchised depots to work out of hours has helped Amtrak secure a number of prestigious home delivery contracts including Laura Ashley, Virgin Wines and Simply Computers.
“Parcel carriers have been reluctant to embrace evening deliveries due to the high cost of extending the working day,” said Amtrak MD Jonathan Smith. “It has been a particular problem with wholly-owned networks employing salaried staff. Some carriers have offered evening deliveries on a per-contract basis but this has been a costly option for the shipper.”
Although the new evening service is available for deliveries to businesses, Amtrak is focusing most attention on home deliveries. It makes a small additional charge per consignment which would normally be presented as an extra-cost option for the recipient.
