We all wonder what’s going on with the items we ship. Do they wing their way across the country in a pillowy cloud of comfort? Do they fall from great heights onto hard concrete? To test this, Popular Mechanics sent a box containing a device that tests for gravity and acceleration to multiple places in the US. The results were quite interesting.
They tested flips, drops, and temperature changes, discovering that the USPS was the gentlest carrier while packages flying FedEx fell the most. Obviously we’re only talking a few trips here so this isn’t very statistically accurate but it’s still a fascinating look at the insides of the major freight carriers. It also means you probably don’t want to fly a precious Ming vase from Seattle to Florida without some insurance.