Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Green Monday. You name it. The holiday season is here and Penske Truck Rental is busy helping parcel companies and retailers meet their peak holiday shipping demands. Recently, theNational Retail Federation issued its 2011 forecast for the holiday season.
The association forecasts retailers will have an “average” type season in spite of the challenging economic conditions. The association expects holiday retail sales for 2011 to increase 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion.
Similarly, many of the larger package delivery companies have forecasted a meaningful uptick in holiday shipping volumes, in response to consumer demand and fulfilling online shopping orders.
At Penske Truck Rental, which operates one of the largest commercial truck rental fleets in North America, all this shopping frenzy and freight activity translates into increased business.
“From November through December we definitely see a spike in commercial truck rental activity,” said Penske’s Don Mikes, vice president of rental. “The major package delivery fleets typically rent our trucks to provide extra capacity for holiday shipping needs and many small and mid-sized retail establishments also start moving more inventory items and make deliveries.”
Penske offers a wide variety of rental trucks from large commercial semi-tractors and trailers to small box trucks. Penske encourages retailers and businesses to make reservations now ahead of the holiday rush by calling its hotline for business rentals, 1-800-PENSKE1.
New business truck rental customers are encouraged to try the Rental Express program and enjoy an additional 20 percent off, for a limited time.
By Randy Ryerson
Compliance Safety Accountability (
The BASICS are made up of seven areas, with fleets receiving a score for each. They include unsafe driving; fatigued driving; driver fitness; alcohol/drugs; vehicle maintenance; cargo securement; and crash history.
Violations found at roadside carry different weights. Knowing the values associated with specific components may help carriers identify areas they want to focus on during pre-trip inspections. For example, flat tires and/or audible air leaks are weighted as an eight, stop lamp violations a six and excessive oil leaks a three. 
What’s more, cargo theft rates increase an average of 28 percent over long weekends and holidays, which can cause long delays for drivers attempting to deliver loads. Carriers should be especially vigilant over the Thanksgiving holiday, which typically has a high theft rate, Burges said.
Determining Dedicated Fleet Costs
When is Dedicated Not Quite Dedicated?
Penske has been named to G.I. Jobs magazine’s 
Michael Williams (pictured right), a branch service manager at Penske’s Fort Myers’ location, came to Penske after serving in the Marine Corps for 27 years, retiring as a chief warrant officer. He says Penske’s commitment to teamwork and excellent customer satisfaction makes the organization a great employer for military veterans. In G.I. Jobs magazine, he said, “You can still practice the skills you developed in the Armed Forces. I especially encourage those with experience fixing mechanical equipment to look into a career with Penske.”
“The industry is changing so fast we have to keep pace with these changes,” said technical training board member Ed Glaessmann (pictured right), a high-level technician in Pennsylvania. Glaessmann, paired with Robert Anthony (now a Pa. maintenance supervisor), won back-to-back titles at Penske’s national technical challenge event, a competition designed to test preventive maintenance knowledge.
Burke has learned more about the training process during his time on the board, and is looking forward to helping ensure “that we’re lining up our training with the changing needs of our businesses.”