UPS & drones: Delivery company launches UAV from truck

Re: Not even that...

maybe some sort of roof mounted delivery "Cannon" might be in order

They don't need to wait for someone to answer the door

They will use this for packages that don't require a signature. The drivers will typically put down the package, knock / ring the bell, and leave without waiting for anyone to answer. It is just a "courtesy knock" in case you are home so the package doesn't sit out there. The drone can quickly land, release the bottom of the cage, and fly off leaving the package behind, it won't need help. It won't knock, but they aren't exactly quiet so I think you'd hear it if you are home, and if not I suppose it could text you.

With the drone you'd have some potential options to reduce the chances of a stolen package, i.e. just like you can specify preferred delivery locations now (i.e. side door) you could specify having it leave the package on your deck in back where thieves driving around looking for packages to steal won't see them (unless they see the drone leave it there, but still would be more likely to steal an easier target)

The other objections to drone deliveries still apply, but needing someone to be home isn't one of those.

Re: Coming to a neighbourhood near you soon...

They'd have to have some sort of radar or night vision, because in parts of the northern US it gets dark by 5pm, and UPS delivers well past that time during the holidays.

Re: How's this stuff signed for then?

"Dunno about this one, but for the Amazon tests, you designate a Landing Zone when you order."

Which doesn't really answer the problem. Telling a drone exactly where in your garden you want a package dumped is not very helpful when the correct answer would be "through the letter box" or "handed to me in person and signed for". It may be a running joke how terrible most delivery companies are at actually knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer, but at least they're generally capable of doing so at least in theory. With drones, it's simply physically impossible for them to deliver anything in a secure manner.

Re: How's this stuff signed for then?

"Your receipt includes a QR code you have to print out and place in your desired LZ" --- Necronomnomnomicon

I hope that's quite finely geofenced ... otherwise someone flies their drone over, spots your big LZ QR, photographs it, drops black ink / soot etc on it and then prints out the original somewhere else, like the flatbed of a pickup parked outside your house and then waits for your stuff.

Stealing the drone?

What stops them is that the drone "phones home" as it goes about its business, and probably has some sort of camera for liability reasons, so it'll be easy to prove you stole it. One capable of lifting 10 lbs and flying 30 minutes costs well over $1000, so stealing it would be a felony.

To answer your question in another way: the same thing that stops you from stealing the UPS van left running with the keys in it while the driver is at someone's door.

Re: Sorry You Were Out

I can't imagine the failed delivery is all that bad since I've had a pair of orders arrive on the same day by different trucks. I had gotten two messages indicating that the packages were on the way about ten minutes apart and since they were from the same UPS center I figured that meant it was the time it was put on the truck but no, they actually came on two different trucks. Oddly the second truck arrived over an hour before the first. In the end, if they can send two trucks to one address in a day it can't be much hassle to send a package out again the next day.

Frequently if it's something expensive I have it delivered to the nearest UPS store which fortunately for me is about a mile away and I can pick it up on the way home.

Re: Sorry You Were Out

Delivery companies would be far better off either committing to specific delivery in a one hour time slot (or less) one or several days ahead with, much as supermarkets book their deliveries.

DPD seems to manage that fine. Usually get first an SMS confirming delivery day, and in the morning of delivery day another SMS confirming one hour timeslot.

Agreed, you don't know the timeslot until on the day, unlike supermarkets where you book a specific slot. It's still excellent and means you can nip out knowing the driver is not hiding around the corner to rush to slip "Sorry we missed you" card (if they bother even that) when you step out for a minute.