UPS/FedX drop for fenced and gated home.

I had a friend mount one of those black truck boxes on a frame of railroad ties - bolted down and pretty heavy to move. It is just outside the gate and all the delivery companies put packages in it happily. The big Pyr is just inside the gate, and not welcoming! So far, after 10 yrs, it works well.

a lot of people buy those rubbermaid cabinets or chests..they mount them with bolts from the inside to a post and put a lock on them..they leave the lock inside unlocked when a package is coming with a large note easily seen asking the delivery person to LOCK the unit when they leave a package..and they leave a note on the outside labeled "parcels"...and let their ups post ofc and fedx drivers know that it is there..

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

We have a long curving driveway with strategically placed landscaping to limit vision from the roadway (boonie country dirt road). The fence towards the gates from the road are angled outwards making it easier to pull a horse trailer or farm equipment through.

Where the fence angles towards the gate my hubby and sons mounted the largest truck boxes they could find against the inside fence uprights on both sides of the gate. We get a lot of deliveries One for FEDEX and one for UPS. Reason being that they come by at different times of the day. If UPS has already delivered and locked the box, FEDEX could not open the box and would be unable to deliver the package due to the ever-present pack of dogs howling at the gate. Said dogs take their guardian jobs very seriously!

Our mailbox is huge, the biggest one on the market many years ago. It is designed to look like a horse trailer. Gooseneck hugs the upright and mail is delivered through the ramp door. When the door is opened a mule braying is heard throughout the house, thanks to my very creative sons


The reason why the menfolk finally took action, a few Years ago a young man from the Big City was assigned our route for the holiday season. Bless his heart, he really was determined to deliver every.single.package! When he got to our locked gate he simply threw the package over the fence, CLIMBED OVER the fence, and started up the driveway towards the house. He got about halfway when the thundering hooves and howling hounds gave him pause.

Our alarm system went off when he went over the fence so everybody came running. He actually managed to shimmy up into the oak tree before we could get out there, but lost a shoe and was actually crying from fear. My mare could just barely reach the bottom of his sock and the dogs made off with his shoe Menfolk got things squared away, read him the rules of trespass, and escorted him back to his truck, and he was never ever seen in our neck of the woods again.

So, it's a good idea to have a separate box for deliveries. It's also a good idea to make the delivery process crystal clear to the delivery guys and the company itself to avoid accidents and liability issues.

In His Love
Mich

Australians, in the outback, have a metal 55 gallon barrel with the top removed, mounted sideways at the gates to their stations (ranches) for the delivery people to leave packages.

Bill

When you contract a common carrier to deliver a package to you they are not "trespassing". Similar to a utility company worker, by using the utility (or carrier) you are inviting them on your property


I agree with the second part though; ups has soething called "cpad alerts" which are notes that can be entered that will alert the driver attempting the delivery of any special instructions. Common ones are
"Do not enter driveway deliver at green box by gate"
"Aggresive dog on premises"
"Disabled customer, allow extra time to answer door"

If you are friendly with your driver you can ask them to put a notice like this for your address or you can call ups and ask for it. Just let them know the driveway is tight/steep and you dont want them to get stuck or damage property and please put a note to deliver by the gate.

Ive been a ups driver for 8 years and know my customers well, but i have those notes/alerts in my scanner for when someone covers days off for me. If you have an experienced driver you will seldom have a problem. In my rookie days i used to be chased by dogs, get stuck in snowy driveways, and yelled at by customers. Now i am much better at judging the situation and knowing what to do!! Even on a city route it is extremely rare to have packages stolen. On my rural route i deliver 80-120ish packages a day; and i can go months without a single lost package claim. The best setup i have seen is one of those covered benches for kids to wait for the bus, and the owner built it with a hidden compartment under the bench where i put his packages. Sweet setup!
Btw; i signed up here a while ago, and am back becuase i have finally saved up enough and am looking at properties! Lots of useful knowledge on here! I cant add much but know UPS and can answer anything related to them!

I have a steel lock box anchored into my gate and marked "parcels".

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

Our gate is always locked so we put a wood box with a shingled lid next to the gate. USPS, UPS and FEDEX all use the box. Only problem we've ever had is them coming up the drive to leave a package at the house if the gate is open. When that happens they get a stern warning that ALL packages should be left in the box at the gate and they have no reason whatsoever to come up our driveway.

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I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

Our UPS guy drops stuff off at my sisters... after 'visiting' once, (ugly mud road) he was happy happy to drop it off elsewhere. FedEx usually drops stuff off at our mailbox... a mile away.

Actually don't want them coming down.... too many tiny dogs that don't know what big ugly trucks can do to them...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Thought of something this week. How am I to deal with that "utility company worker" who checks the power meter on the side of the house?

I have a clue. If you do it wrong you will no longer get electricity!

LOL, I bet your right!

Might have to ask for one of those Smart Meters. You know the ones that phone in how much power your using, and cuts off the power to your heater in the winter and AC in the summer or all power if you vote for the wrong person in an election.