DHL provides courier, parcel delivery and express delivery services and is a division of German logistics company Deutsche Post. The group of companies delivers more than 1.6 billion parcels each year. DHL Express is the market leader in parcel services in Europe and Germany’s most important courier and parcel service.
DHL itself was founded in San Francisco, USA in 1969 and expanded its services worldwide in the late 1970s. In 1979, under the name DHL Air Cargo, the company entered the Hawaiian Islands and began interisland cargo services using two DC-3 and four DC-6 aircraft. Adrian Dalsey and Larry Hillblom personally oversaw day-to-day operations until eventual bankruptcy closed the door in 1983. At its peak, DHL Air Cargo employed over 100 of his employees, managers and pilots.
The company was primarily interested in offshore and intercontinental deliveries, but the success of FedEx prompted DHL to expand its domestic (within the United States) beginning in 1983. In 1998 Deutsche Post began acquiring shares in DHL. It acquired control in 2001 and acquired all outstanding shares by December 2002. The company then incorporated his DHL into its express division and expanded the use of the DHL brand to other Deutsche Post divisions, business units and subsidiaries. Today DHL Express shares his DHL brand with companies such as DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain. The company solidified its foothold in the US with the acquisition of Airborne Express.
Frequently Asked Questions for Track & Trace
What Is a Tracking Number & Where Can I Find It?
A tracking number or ID is a combination of numbers and possibly letters that uniquely identifies your shipment for national or international tracking.
Usually, the shipper or online shop is able to provide the tracking number or ID. If you have ordered a product in an online shop, the confirmation email or shipment tracking notification often contains the tracking number or ID.
If not, please contact your shipper or online shop.
For examples of the tracking numbers used on DHL shipments, please click here.
When will my tracking information appear?
Tracking events usually appear 24-48 hours after receiving the Track and Trace ID. In general, once the shipment has reached our facility, a tracking event will appear.
Why is my tracking number/ID not working?
Please make sure you entered the correct tracking number in the correct format (explanations and examples of national and international tracking numbers are further up this site). If your tracking ID is not working, please contact your shipper or online.
If I do not have my tracking number, is it still possible to track my shipment?
If you do not have a tracking number, we advise you to contact your shipper. However, if you have other shipping reference numbers, they may work using shipment tracking systems of the specific business unit in charge of the shipment (for example: DHL Express or DHL Freight).