U-Haul
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- For the lesbian dating phenomenon, see U-Haul lesbian
U-Haul International, Inc. is a North American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen (1916-1999) in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage owned by his wife's family, and expanded through franchising with gas stations.
U-Haul is owned by Amerco (NASDAQ: UHAL), a holding company which also operates Amerco Real Estate, Republic Western Insurance, and Oxford Life Insurance. The Shoen family currently owns about 40% of the publicly-traded stock corporation. The company rents trucks, trailers, and other pieces of equipment, but many franchisees also provide storage, LPG (propane) refueling, hitch and trailer wiring installation, and carpet cleaners, among other services. The use of older equipment and the company's many outlets across the country makes its services easier to access and more affordable than most competitors.
Because of the company's ubiquity (there are 15,000 dealers across the country) the name is sometimes used as a genericized trademark to refer to the services of any rental company. The livery used on rented vehicles is widely recognized, primarily consisting of white and a thick horizontal orange stripe, in addition to a large state- or province-themed picture, known as SuperGraphics.
There are many other companies in the U.S. that run similar businesses, but the three most significant competitors are Ryder, Budget Rent A Car and Penske Truck Rental.
Recently, U-Haul stopped adding diesel trucks to their fleet, and started only purchasing gas trucks. They are currently in the phase of getting rid of all of their diesels they currently have.
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[edit] History
In 1945, at the age of 29, Leonard Shoen co-founded U-Haul with his wife, Anna Mary Carty, in the town of Ridgefield in the state of Washington. The company was started with an investment of $5,000. He began building rental trailers and splitting the fees for their use with gas station owners who he franchised as agents. He developed one-way rentals and enlisted investors as partners in each trailer as methods of growth.
By 1955, there were more than 10,000 U-Haul trailers on the road and the brand was nationally known. Distracted to some extent by growing his business, Shoen nevertheless took time for multiple marriages and eventually had a total of 14 children, each of whom he made stockholders. Some observers say that Shoen saw it as his duty to confer upon his children the fruits of his labors, others say it was to avoid taxes. In either case, he had transferred all but 2% of control to his children when 2 of them, Edward and Mark launched a successful takeover of the business in 1986. Family scrabbling over the U-Haul empire turned to physical confrontations between some of his children at company meetings, even before the 1986 takeover. The takeover sparked a major family dispute that led to a $461 million judgment in favor of Leonard Shoen and others. In 1999, 85- year old Leonard Shoen suffered fatal injuries when he crashed into a telephone pole near his Las Vegas, Nevada home in what many observers considered a suicide.
The Shoen family, currently led by chairman and president Edward "Joe" Shoen, owns about 40% of the company through their AMERCO holding company. AMERCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2003 and emerged in March 2004. The filing did not include or affect U-Haul operations.
 A small U-Haul truck can be rented for $19.95 per day. This truck is being used for a local move in Hampton, Virginia. |
 U-Haul truck Edmonton, Alberta. |
 This "van that rides on air" is advertising Ohio. |
[edit] Equipment
U-Haul's rental fleet is composed of trucks, trailers, and various other equipment. Heavy duty pickup truck and van cabs manufactured by GMC and Ford are mated with U-Haul manufactured truck boxes in fabrication plants located at various places in North America. Some based on Toyota compact pickups are also still in service. Five truck sizes are available (10', 14', 17', 24', and 26'), and multiple trailer sizes (4'x6', 4'x8', 5'x8', 5'x9' Ramp Trailer, 5'x10' and 6'x12', in addition to a two-wheeled "Tow Dolly" and a four-wheeled "Auto Transport"). U-Haul advertises that their trucks have lower floors which are built below the tops rather than above the rear tires like standard cargo box trucks. Some trucks also have an over-cab area which increases storage. These design optimizations somewhat compensate for criticisms of some of their equipment. The trucks are painted with graphics of different locations across the United States.
Pickup trucks and cargo vans are also available at most corporate owned centers. The vans feature significant modifications for moving household furniture. Besides warning stickers, and bumper guards, recent vans have power windows, power locks, running boards, a cargo / driver compartment divider, and wooden slats on the inside walls. Those who plan to move queen or king size box springs should observe that they do not fit horizontally between the door openings of E-series Ford vans. Although the smallest trucks rent for as much as the largest trailers, they are subject to mileage charges and are less likely to be available on weekends.
U-haul has two main classifications for equipment in its fleet. The first type of equipment is known as "In-Town" or "Rotation". These are owned by the franchise or designated to a specific store by the corporation. These are intended for "In-town", pickup and drop off at the same location, rentals only. Generally these are older vehicles with many miles and extensive service histories.
The other half of the fleet consists of "One-way" equipment. These are all owned by the corporation and are used for one-way trips only, meaning pickup and drop off at different locations. Generally this type of equipment is much newer and will have far lower mileage. One-way trucks display the well-known state images while the In-town trucks usually have large decals with the rates advertised. Once a one-way truck has seen so many miles or number of major service calls it will be sold to center for In-town usage. Along with open trailers, the pickup truck and cargo van are available in town only.
These classifications only pertain to the trucks in the fleet, as all the trailers are considered one-way equipment; except for the open trailers which belong to the individual centers. Ramp trailers are the only open trailers that may be rented one-way. Often one-way equipment will be used for in-town rentals, however, in-town equipment should never go on a one-way rental.
All U-haul trailers require a "flat four" wiring mount (or adaptor) and a 2" ball with adequate hitch and vehicle towing capacity.
All trucks owned by the U-Haul corporation display Arizona license plates that do not expire. Trailers and Auto Transports display license plates from a variety of states. Some license plates do expire, while others are permanent.
[edit] Ford Explorer
U-haul will not rent a trailer to be attached to any Ford Explorer. According to U-haul: "U-Haul has chosen not to rent behind this tow vehicle based on our history of excessive costs in defending lawsuits involving Ford Explorer towing combinations. This policy is not related to safety issues. This is an unusual circumstance for U-Haul." This extends to all production years and models (for example, the ban includes the Ford Explorer Sport-Trac) of Explorers, regardless of tire brand that is attached. Ford Explorers can, however, be towed by U-Haul equipment, and U-Haul also manufactures trailer hitches for Explorers.
The ban does not extend to sister vehicles such as the Mercury Mountaineer however, which is essentially the same vehicle with Mercury badging.
[edit] Rental rates
U-haul truck rental rates differ by usage. For "One-way Moves", pickup and drop off at different location, the rates are decided upon the need for that equipment at the destination; One-way rates include a predefined amount of mileage, usually judged by the driving distance from one location to the other with allowance for loading and unloading. If more mileage is used there is an extra-mileage rate that may differ from location to location.
For "In-town Moves", pickup and drop off at the same location, rate are fixed by the size of the truck with addition mileage charge. In town rates are for one "rental period", generally up to 24 hours on weekdays, 8 hours on weekends, based on availability of equipment. Mileage differs from location to location generally. As of 08/05 in Denver, CO mileage was 79 cents per mile weekdays and 99 cents per mile on weekends. Although most locations are significantly less expensive, usually 59 cents per mile on weekdays and 79 cents per mile on weekends. The 10' or 14' rent for $19.95, the 17' for $29.95 and the 24' or 26' for $39.95; trailer rates are $9.95 for 4'x6' or 4'x8', $18.95 for an 5'x8', $24.95 for 5'x9' Ramp Trailer, $29.95 for a 5'x10' or 6'x12', $39.95 for an auto "Tow Dolly", and $49.95 for an Auto Transport". The pickup truck and cargo van rent for $19.95.
It should be noted that any reservation made for "One-Way" use can not be confirmed until the day before the planned pick up, no matter how far in advance the reservation is made. This is largley due to the amount of "one-way" traffic going in and out of centers. It's generally uncertain what equipment will be available until 2-3 days before the pick up date.
[edit] Safety issues
In Canada, a question has been recently raised about the safety of U-haul equipment. Various news agencies have reported possible safety problems, including the Toronto Star in July 2005, which reported statistics suggesting that about half of U-haul vehicles in Ontario were not road-safe. [1] Shortly afterward, the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) reported that, of 296 U-Haul vehicles inspected in the summer of 2005 (43.5% of all inspections performed), 58 (19.6%) were found to have out-of-service defects, meaning that they are not road worthy. [2] CTV followed in October 2005, conducting their own inspections across the country, and finding that all 13 rented U-Haul trucks failed to meet basic provincial safety standards.[3]
Replying to the Toronto Star, the company's Canadian officials cited its inspection policies and procedures that employees and dealers are expected to follow, and spoke of an increased effort to enforce these policies. In response to the CTV results, Canadian U-Haul vice-president admitted to not heeding earlier warnings to improve their vehicles' safety conditions, and said older trucks would be replaced.
In October 2006 CTV W-Five reinvestigated U-Haul by renting trucks from 9 locations across Canada. The rentals were then taken to mechanics for an inspection. Of the 9 trucks rented, 7 failed basic safety standards and were not deemed roadworthy, the other 2, while roadworthy, had minor problems. [4]
In the October 2006 episode of W-Five, the Ministry of Transportation stated that if U-Haul vehicles are not road worthy by September 14, 2007, they would be banned from Ontario.
[edit] In popular culture
In one episode of The Jetsons, the family travels to thier new home on a rental space car known as "U-Fly". The name recognition of the company is also reflected in the slang term U-Haul lesbian, which refers to the tendency of Lesbians to quickly move in together.
[edit] External links
[edit] Safety Issues
- Unsafe Move Show transcript of the 2005 CTV W5 investigation into unsafe U-Haul trucks in Ontario (also links to video footage of the original show broadcasted).
- Danger on the Road Watch the full W-Five episode from October 2006 (including the transcript).
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1120429209880&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home
- ^ http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2005/08/10/c8916.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html]
- ^ http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051021/wfive_uhaul_051021/20051022?hub=WFive
- ^ http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061020/wfive_uhaul_061021/20061021?hub=WFive
- Jonathan Schneider (September 24, 2001). U-Haul. brandchannel.com
- "Loophole puts drivers at risk" by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star, July 4, 2005, retrieved April 24, 2006
