How Courier Tracking Works : A Complete Guide

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How Does Courier Tracking Work?

Tracking your courier shipments, from the day they are shipped till the delivery to your doorstep, is always at your fingertips, all thanks to real-time tracking. With an AWB tracking number, you get to see every phase that your parcel undergoes. This ensures you can know what is happening to your parcel instantly.

How courier tracking works

What is an AWB Number in Courier?

An AWB number, or Air Waybill Number, is a document with numbers that is issued to each of your parcels that are sent out with a courier. The airway bill number is like a nickname of your parcel, so that both the courier and you can know how things are going with it. You can think of your AWB number as your parcel’s unique identification for international couriers. Typically, your airwaybill tracking number doubles up as your tracking number when you are tracking a courier in India online.

The AWB tracking number generally looks like this:

ATL123456789IN

The format can vary for different courier companies, but one thing that is for sure is that each AWB tracking number is unique. When you search using terms like tracking airway bill, air waybill number tracking, and also using a tracking number, all information gets updated.

Is the AWB number the same as the tracking number? Well, for international couriers, the answer is yes.

Where to find the AWB tracking number

  • At your courier receipt
  • In the shipping invoice
  • in any booking confirmation
  • WhatsApp notification or message.
  • On your customer dashboard

How does Courier Tracking actually work behind the scenes?

Basically, every package goes through the different levels of a courier, and the process works with the help of tracking each step when the package arrives from one level to another within the courier.

By using the AWB number of the package, this step gets updated on the main tracking software, and now the same can be seen on the tracking webpage.

For example, when your package travels from one state to another, the person on the next stage receives and scans that package, and with the help of the AWB tracking number process the stage gets updated.

What are the different Courier Tracking Status stages?

You will come across several tracking statuses that highlight the progress of your parcel.
Here are the most common ones:

01

Order Booked

The package you have ordered is confirmed by the courier company and assigned an air waybill tracking number.

Turnaround time - Instant.

03

In Transit

The package is moving between courier points.

Turnaround time -1-7 Days.

05

Customs clearance at origin.

A shipment is subject to inspection by customs before departing your country.

Turnaround time - 1-2 working days.

07

Import Customs Clearance

Package cleared by local customs for its distribution within the destination country.

Turnaround time - 1-5 Business Days.

09

Delivered

Your package has successfully reached its destination!

02

Picked Up

The sender has handed over your package to the courier agent for sending to the nearest processing centre.

Turnaround time - by the end of the day or the next business day.

04

Arrived at Origin Hub

The courier agent has received the package at their facility or sorting centre from the sender. Package ready for departure to its respective destination.

Turnaround time - Within 24 hrs of receiving the pickup.

06

Landed in the destination country.

It signals that your shipment has been picked by the destination country's customs agency and is all set for customs clearance.

Turnaround time - Depending upon the country and airline.

08

Out for Delivery

Shipment is ready for dispatch to the recipient’s delivery address.

How to track your shipment with Atlantics Website?

Track your shipment with Atlantic

It’s as simple as a breeze to track your courier shipment using Atlantic International Express’s Tracking page.

  • Visit our Tracking page and enter your AWB tracking number into the specified box.
  • Click the “Track” button to view your shipment’s live progress and updates.

Whether sending a courier to the USA, the UK, or Canada, your AWB number is the only detail required for tracking.

How to track your Courier Internationally from India?

Track your courier internationally from India

For international shipments that come from India, the steps for tracking them are somewhat similar to how it’s done for domestic shipments, with the difference being the extra layer for international travel.

Every time your package gets scanned from the time it’s picked up in India to the time it gets delivered, you can track its journey in real-time through your AWB tracking number.

Generally, courier tracking from India covers the following steps:

  • Collection from the sender in India
  • Processing at the Indian sorting center
  • Indian customs clearance for export
  • Loading into an air carrier for the flight
  • Customs clearance at the destination country for imports
  • Final delivery to the receiver

Why Is My Courier Tracking not updating?

Courier tracking not updating

One common problem that can happen when tracking is a delayed update of information, especially in situations that involve lengthy travel.

Tracking status updates occur only when a scanned label appears as the package travels to different points. It’s fairly common to experience times without any updates (as much as a day or more) when a package is en route. Updates are usually updated again within 24-48 hours.

Why Is My Parcel Stuck in Customs?

Parcel stuck in customs

According to the country’s import regulations, international parcels may be put on hold by customs in order to check the documents attached to them.

Several factors may result in customs holding up international parcels. For example, when a particular set of custom documents requires an assessment or inspection, or requires extra documents that are missing, either the courier service or both the courier service and customs will keep parcels on hold.

FAQs

Enter your AWB tracking number into the courier company's website and see its current location.

AWB number works for international couriers and is their specific tracking number.

Try to look in the confirmation, receipt, or shipping bill issued by the courier company when sending out your shipment. If you cannot find the document, then contact their customer care center with details of your shipment.

The courier company provides very reliable information. Updates on all courier tracking websites are derived from scanned events throughout the route.

It is most likely sitting at customs pending document verification, physical checking of the package, and payment of any duties required.

Ship Smart with Peace of Mind

With us here at Atlantic International Express, tracking is easy. Follow the link to our Tracking page, input your AWB tracking number, and we'll keep you updated in real-time.

Track your shipment now

Feel free to contact us if you have queries about your tracking or our other services.