Help!!! Penske vs Uhaul (route, costs, lift gate, ramps)

[glastron_79]

Penske gave us the best deal for our PA to FL move 8 yrs ago. That also included towing the flatbed with my car on it.

I don't recall stopping at weigh stations.

[Crotsers]

I have used Penske, Uhaul, and Ryder (do they even rent trucks anymore?) Go with PEnske. The last time I rented you UHaul it broke down ten miles from my home. The last thing you want after moving is to sit by the highway for a couple of hours waiting for them to fix the truck. Albeit this is not my reason for recommending Penske as I did have on of those break down too though they responded a lot quicker. The real kicker for me is the "unlimited mileage". Uhaul doesn't give you much leverage So if you get lost or need to haul somethins off before you load or after you get there, you will incur a per mileage fee that will pile up faster than going over your cell phone minutes If it is for local use go with Uhaul but across states use Penske. I have lived in 11 states and moved many many times unfortubnately. Hope this helps!

[Crotsers]

Originally Posted by squeezeboxgal

Well, all I'll say is that on my recent 3,000 mile cross-country trip, I had no mechanical issues with my Penske. But the day I drove through the desert, I did pass a broken-down U-Haul on the side of the road. Its driver and passenger were sitting, in the hot sun, waiting for assistance. I have no way of knowing how long they'd been there, but they certainly didn't look happy.

Thats is so what happened to us!

[jaynetarzana]

We have had nothing but terrible experiences with Uhaul. Their staff is rude and incompetent. Penske, no question in my mind.

[mysticfire0213]

i have to just say that while it sucks to break down in ANY situation, ALL truck companies have trucks that break down. I work for Roadside Assistance for a Rental Truck company and every night I hear "I should have rented from "x" instead of "y" . Well that wouldn't guarantee that NOTHING would happen...and HALF the time it's something that was preventable or driver error.

Stepping off my soapbox now, LOL
Happy moving, no matter whom you use to move yourself!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by mysticfire0213

i have to just say that while it sucks to break down in ANY situation, ALL truck companies have trucks that break down. I work for Roadside Assistance for a Rental Truck company and every night I hear "I should have rented from "x" instead of "y" . Well that wouldn't guarantee that NOTHING would happen...and HALF the time it's something that was preventable or driver error.

Stepping off my soapbox now, LOL
Happy moving, no matter whom you use to move yourself!

I agree 100%. Where the difference comes into play, is whether the different companies actually inspect and then fix those that fall into the "Preventable" break-downs. In my personal experience, Penske does that part MUCH better than their competition. Driver error is unavoidable by the different rental companies, but to be sitting on the side of the road because of shoddy inspection and maintenance upkeep is inexcusable.

[mysticfire0213]

very true. However to the average person, a breakdown that happens because "stuff hapeens" and poor maintenance aren't necessarily something they can tell the difference between. So that makes my job just a little more challenging at times

I am by no means saying that any company is better than another; wouldn't really be fair. But I also have had some whacked out drivers in my day too, LOL--I have been at this job for about 2 years and I could write a boook (and often think I should, lol) about some of the goings-on

[Skatergirl]

Originally Posted by BxRosie

Has anyone made the move using either U-Haul or Penske Trucks? How was it? We have very little furniture making the move with us, it's mostly boxes & a motorcycle. We're thinking of using either a 24' or 26' truck.

U-Haul offers moving help to unload the truck. Has anyone ever used this referral service? Has anyone ever hired help to unload the truck?

Last question...Do you have to stop at all the weigh stations along the highway between NY & NC?

THANKS!!

BxRosie

I think my hubby used U-haul. One of the big names. He had a flat on the Jersey Tpk. and he waited a few hours for someone to come. The tire was a bad one and shoudn't have been on the truck. About 25 miles later, another flat. Seriously, two flats.

Two months pass and he's gone doing military duty and I get a $1,000 bill for the tire repairs. They claimed becasue we didn't purchase the protection plan they offer (pricey) that we were liable for the tire repairs. Thankfully, my husband took pix of the tires and you could see they were dried out worn tires. I balked and fought it pretty hard with calls and letters. I found out that the large truck rental places have a name for it--lot rot. If some trucks sit for too long, the tires can harden and dry out. I referred to that term quite a bit. Took them about 3 more months before they cleared his name of all fee's.

So, read the fine print twice regardless of which company you choose.

[Élan vital]

too little, too late.
Their reputation is shot.
U-haul allows too many shady places to rent theri trucks out for them. They need to investigate some of those places. Maybe they aren't even authorized to lease the trucks. Some of them are pretty sleazy.
Penske all the way for me.

Originally Posted by konzem

I am an assistant manager at a storage facility in upstate new york, and a local college student. We offer Uhaul rentals, and while many here are quick to dog Uhaul in general, and I agree many smaller back country Uhaul dealerships are not run correctly. However there are a great many that do, and if you go to a reputable Uhaul dealer you will see the difference. Upon every return I do a full inspection, fluids, brakes, plugs, lights, oil, tire tread, dash indicator lights, check for leaks, and thats EVERY return. In addition our marketing company comes about every 5000 miles to pick up the truck and inspect it further. While in the past Uhaul has not had a great reputation I can honestly say that they have phased out all of their old vehicles. The majority of our 10ft trucks are model 2007 GMC's the one I have on site has 12,800 miles on it, the majority of the 14ft trucks are 2007 Ford's, and 2008 GMC's the one i have right now has 11,600 miles on it, and the majority of 17 foot trucks are 2007 Ford's I just sent my last one out and it had about 21,000 miles on it. In addition the large 26 foot trucks are new GMC's and the one I have has almost 24,000 miles on it, but the one i sent out one way yesterday had just over 400 miles on it. In addition Uhaul WILL match any price, and the only truck without a ramp is the 10 foot, and that deack is lower than any penske you will EVER find. I recently had a customer come in saying that they had to call penske roadside assistance who told them they would have to wait until someone could get there. Did I mention this is where Penske's "unlimited mileage" comes in handy the nearest shop was over 4 hours away, but Penske said it wouldn't be until the next day. Lucky for the customer a nice state trooper got on the phone and made it clear that he would not allow them to strand these people. Its like Mac and Windows, you hear more Uhaul problems than penske, just as you hear more windows viruses than mac, because more people use windows than mac. Don't listen to me, but remember next time your on the side of the road in your "Brand new Penske," calling roadside assistance, and think "I should have listened to that guy, afterall he is the one who maintains these vehicles." Uhaul has managed to really turn it around, during the last few years the Uhaul were just at the end of their run, and Uhaul was preparing to phase in a whole new fleet of vehicles.

[linicx]

Until 2007 I would not rent from anyone except U-Haul was a nightmare. The tonge jumped off the ball and I drove 300 miles with the chains only and no lights. The dealer laughed. I would trust U-Haul with another tow, and I would never use U-Haul without their insiurance. I have never had any throuble with the trucks, but I inspect the box for grease and spills, etc., and I inspect the tires. Old tired are pretty easy to spot.