There's been some discussion in this forum of the trials and travails of wine shipping. Here's a report on FedEx Ground.
This was originally and independent parcel delivery company called RPS, founded in 1985. FedEx bought the company in 1998 and renamed the service FedEx Ground in 2000. It is operated as a separate subsidiary from FedEx Express, as Chateau Montelena and I found out when they sent me a shipment via FedEx Ground (which was cheaper and offering next-day delivery from Montelena's New York warehouse) instead of the usual FedEx Express 2nd day. I have them ship to the FedEx Express office near Manchester, NH airport, to be held for pickup. An adult has to sign for the package and I don't want to be tied down at home all day waiting for the delivery. But, being in effect a separate company, FedEx Express cannot accept or process FedEx Ground packages. The FedEx Ground delivery drivers know this and so they didn't even attempt delivery--the package returned to the FedEx Ground facility late in the afternoon when the delivery truck completed its run. I had gone to FedEx Express earlier in the day to retrieve the package, they had explained the situation to me and that the package would go back to the FedEx Ground facility, which fortunately is just down the street from FedEx Express. I went there and they said not to worry--this has happened before, and they would call me when the package returned to the facility. Which they did, I took delivery, and all was well. I told Chateau Montelena to send only by FedEx Express from now on.
I'm buying a WineKeeper nitrogen wine dispensing system for a friend, and it is currently being shipped from California to my home in New Hampshire via FedEx Ground. Apparently FedEx Ground has real-time GPS tracking on their freight trucks and it's tied into their package tracking system. The package is currently in Franklin Township, PA. Yesterday it was in Salt Lake City. Kudos to FedEx Ground for good use of modern technology.
-Paul W.