# FedEx question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 29, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fedex-question/221641 "2003-12-29T23:25:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fedex-question/221641/1 "2003-12-29T23:25:50Z")
Someone last week mentioned this, but I didn’t quite catch what his explanation. He said there is some sort of organizational difference between the FedEx trucks with the orange ‘Ex’ and those with the green ‘Ex’ and it is somehow related to some past acquisition. Anybody got the dope on that? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fedex-question/221641/2 "2003-12-29T23:46:44Z")
The orange trucks are for [FedEx Express](http://www.fedex.com/us/express/main/?link=4) and the green ones are for [FedEx Ground](http://www.fedex.com/us/ground/main/?link=4). The Express service routes most stuff via air to their central sorting facility, and the Ground service moves most stuff via truck only (what UPS used to be famous for doing.) I think the two companies are still technically seperate subsidiaries of FDX, but obviously they share a lot of equipment and services now. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fedex-question/221641/3 "2003-12-30T00:07:08Z")
Much (if not all) of the FedEx Ground service came from their acquisition of RDS several years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fedex-question/221641/4 "2003-12-30T00:47:06Z")
Yes FedEx Ground and Express are two different companies. I remember reading an article about it and there’s a specific reason _why_ they’re separate - although the reason escapes me. I want to say it’s because of labor and union laws, but I could be wrong…