Quando si parla di corriere DPD, molti agenti e operatori del settore pensano subito alle spedizioni verso l’estero, al tracking dettagliato e al fatto che, in Italia, le consegne passano spesso da partner locali. In questo articolo vediamo che cos’è DPD, come si inserisce nella rete italiana, quali sono i canali di contatto più utili per chi lavora nel B2B e nell’e-commerce, cosa considerare prima di una DPD spedizione internazionale e come usare i servizi Hubrise per governare il tutto in logica multi-corriere.
What is DPD
The acronym stands for Dynamic Parcel Distribution, an international network specializing in parcel distribution, particularly single-parcel shipments typically weighing up to around 30–31.5 kg, designed to serve the European market extensively.
Più che un singolo corriere nazionale, DPD è una rete che collega hub e depositi in oltre 20-30 Paesi europei, mettendo in relazione le principali destinazioni con tempi di consegna competitivi e un buon equilibrio tra costo e velocità.
From a practical standpoint, how does DPD work for the shipper? The parcel is picked up by the carrier or by the local partner in the country of origin, enters the international DPD network and is routed to the destination country, where a local operator connected to the network often handles the last mile. Throughout the entire journey, the sender and recipient can use tracking services to check the updated status of the shipment and receive notifications.
For those working with e-commerce, marketplaces or international B2B flows, this means having a carrier focused on medium-light volumes, a strong network along the European corridor and tracking that is structured enough to be integrated via API into third-party systems.
DPD Italia: contatti e il ruolo di BRT
The key point for those working in Italy is understanding how the DPD – BRT link works. In our country, road operations are in fact strongly tied to BRT, which is effectively an Italian subsidiary and a member of the DPDgroup network.
For an agent or a logistics manager, when a delivery issue arises, it is necessary to distinguish whether it concerns a problem during international transit, a customs matter or an issue strictly related to distribution within Italy. In many cases, the final recipient will see the courier’s brand on the document, even though the tracking or order number was originally associated with DPD.
In assenza di un sistema centrale, questo costringe il customer care a muoversi tra il portale DPD e altri strumenti terzi di tracking, con il rischio di frammentare informazioni e storico. Un approccio più maturo prevede di far confluire tutti i dati di tracking dentro una piattaforma unica, come il tracking di Hubrise, che raccoglie gli eventi DPD/BRT e li mostra in un’unica timeline. Così anche la gestione dei corriere DPD contatti diventa più semplice: l’operatore di backoffice vede subito a che punto è la spedizione e può decidere quale canale attivare partendo da una vista unificata.
In this way, managing the DPD Italy contacts also becomes easier: the back-office operator can immediately see where the shipment stands, which statuses it has gone through, whether there has been an anomaly or a delivery attempt, and can decide which channel to activate (DPD, BRT, logistics intermediary or marketplace) starting from a unified view.
Shipping with DPD: services, delivery times and best practices
For an Italian company that wants to ship with DPD, the main advantage is the combination of a very dense European network and strong local presence through BRT. BRT has a widespread network of branches, hubs and pickup points that allows it to manage both domestic deliveries and the flow of international parcels inbound and outbound with continuity.
Per un’azienda italiana che vuole spedire con DPD, il vantaggio principale è la combinazione tra un network europeo molto denso e una forte presenza locale tramite BRT, con una rete capillare di filiali, hub e punti di ritiro. Sul piano operativo, chi gestisce molte spedizioni dovrebbe concentrarsi su alcuni elementi. I dati di spedizione devono essere completi e coerenti tra tutti i sistemi: indirizzo, CAP, contatti del destinatario e numero di ordine devono viaggiare insieme al DPD tracciamento pacco, in modo che l’informazione arrivi identica sia al portale del corriere sia all’e-commerce o al gestionale che parla con il cliente. L’etichettatura e un altro punto critico: pacchi con vecchie etichette non rimosse o imballi non conformi alle linee guida del corriere DPD possono generare ritardi e ticket. Prima di scalare i volumi conviene allineare magazzino e spedizioni su uno standard condiviso: con le spedizioni di Hubrise è possibile generare etichette coerenti per tutti i corrieri e instradare automaticamente l’ordine sul profilo tariffario corretto.
Labeling is another critical point. Parcels with old labels not removed, overlapping barcodes or packaging that is not compliant with the DPD courier guidelines can cause delays, incorrect scans and, as a result, customer-care tickets. Before scaling volumes, it is useful to align warehouse, production and shipping teams on a shared packaging standard. By using Shipping with Hubrise, you can generate consistent labels for all carriers and automatically route the order to the correct rate profile.
When these elements are under control, shipping with DPD becomes a more predictable process. The internal team no longer wastes time trying to understand where the tracking was “lost,” the end customer receives clear updates, and the industry agent can focus on rates, SLAs and carrier-assignment rules instead of manually managing exceptions.
DPD international shipment: what to consider before sending
The DPD international shipment is the true core of the value offered by the network. DPD and its partners provide a high-density European road network, supported by hubs and overnight connections that handle millions of parcels per day to more than 20 countries, as well as solutions for more distant destinations through the global Geopost network.
Before sending an international parcel, however, it is necessary to look beyond the label alone. The first variable is the destination country: not all origin–destination combinations offer the same range of services, the same delivery times or the same delivery options. Some routes are served mainly by road, while others may also rely on faster connections; some markets have a dense network of pickup points, while others rely almost exclusively on home delivery.
C’è poi il tema doganale per le spedizioni extra UE. In questo caso, il mittente deve fornire documenti completi (fattura commerciale, codice HS, valore dichiarato e tutti gli elementi richiesti dalla normativa) e chiarire sin dall’inizio quale Incoterm intende utilizzare, stabilendo chi si farà carico di dazi e oneri: il cliente finale o l’azienda che spedisce. Una scelta poco chiara può trasformarsi in un’ondata di richieste al customer care quando il pacco arriva in dogana o quando il destinatario riceve una notifica di spese da pagare.
International tracking also tends to be more complex. A parcel may pass through multiple hubs, sometimes change its internal reference while still remaining within the DPD network, and move between different operators. Without a central system, the company risks having events scattered between the DPD portal, third-party solutions and internal systems. A Tracking service like the one offered by Hubrise makes it possible to consolidate all events of the DPD international shipment into a single timeline, making it easier to answer customer questions, open documented claims and analyse performance afterwards by route, country or service.
SEND2U for shipping rules and end-to-end visibility
All of this becomes truly sustainable only if, above the individual carriers, an orchestration layer is added. This is where SEND2U comes into play, the Hubrise engine designed to manage shipping rules and end-to-end visibility in a multi-carrier environment.
With the SEND2U multi-courier shipping service, the company can define rules that determine when to use the DPD carrier, when to prefer other couriers and under which conditions. The rules can take into account destination country, weight, volume, goods value, required SLAs, actual costs and historical performance. In practice, instead of manually deciding each time whether to ship with DPD or with another partner, the order is automatically assigned to the most suitable carrier based on the policies defined upstream.