Penske Truck Rental is ready and willing to help businesses with their truck rental needs – except when it comes to transporting fireworks.
Truck Rental
The arrival of summer is a sure sign that the busy moving season has begun.
The experts at Penske Truck Rental are ready to help make your do-it-yourself summer move easy every step of the way. Here are some common truck rental questions you may have when planning your big move:
Q: What size truck do I need?
A: The Penske fleet consists of four different truck sizes to accommodate your various moving needs. The 12-foot truck holds approximately 1-2 rooms of furniture; the 16-foot truck, 2-3 rooms; the 22-foot truck, 3-4 rooms; and the 26-foot truck, 5-7 rooms. Visit Penske’s online interactive tool “Truck Wizard” or stop by your local Penske location to determine the truck that would best meet your needs.
Q: What if my one-way move takes longer than I had anticipated?
A: Additional days are available for purchase at a rate of $50 per day. However, the days allotted for one-way rentals typically gives you plenty of time to make your move.
Q: What does it cost to make a reservation?
A: There is no deposit fee for making a reservation. We only require that you put a credit card number on file, but nothing is ever charged to your card. It simply confirms and guarantees your reservation.
Q: What if I need to change or cancel my reservation?
A: Penske understands that plans change. That’s why we offer the flexibility to change the date and even cancel a reservation at no cost to you. Please give at least 48 hours’ notice for any changes.
Q: What type of fuel does the truck take and how many mpg does it get?
A: Our 12-foot and 16-foot trucks both use regular fuel and get up to 10 mpg, while the 22-foot and 26-foot trucks use diesel fuel and get up to 12 mpg.
Q: Can I tow my car?
A: Most cars and small SUVs can be towed behind our 16-foot, 22-foot and 26-foot trucks on either our car carrier or tow dolly.
Q: Am I eligible for any discounts?
A: Penske Truck Rental offers discounts for AAA/CAA members, active military members and veterans, and college students. View our full list of discounts.
Q: What if I need to return my truck after my rental agent has closed for the day?
A: Many of our agents offer an after-hours drop box for customer convenience. If you are unable to return your truck during normal business hours, you can contact our 24-hour central reservation department at 1-800-GO-PENSKE (467-3675) to find out if your location offers this service.
Q: Does my personal insurance cover the rental?
A: Due to the size of a rental truck, many times personal insurance does not protect you in an accident. For peace of mind and safety, Penske offers four separate insurance options to protect the truck, cargo, towing equipment and passengers. Consult with your insurance agent for your specific coverage.
Q: Does Penske offer roadside assistance?
A: You can feel confident knowing Penske’s road side assistance service is available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just call 1-800-526-0798.
Be sure to visit PenskeTruckRental.com for all your moving needs.
By Amie Schlitzer
Schlitzer is an intern in Penske’s Rental department at the company’s Reading, Pa., headquarters.
Penske associates Susan Cosman, Jillian Cosman and Mike Ward, from the Burnaby, British Columbia, location, participated last month in the 25th Anniversary of the Rick Hansen Man In Motion Relay.
Penske Truck Rental was one of the sponsors of the Anniversary Relay, which retraced the Canadian segment of Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour of 1985 that raised awareness and money for spinal cord research. During the original 26-month tour, Hansen – who was paralyzed from the waist down from a spinal cord injury that he sustained in a car accident at age 15 – trekked more than 40,000 km in his wheelchair through 34 countries on four continents before crossing Canada.
Twenty-five years later, Hansen relied on 7,000 participants who were difference makers in their communities, called “medal-bearers,” to travel 12,000 km across Canada and pass a singular Rick Hansen Medal to the next participant. Throughout the nine-month journey, Penske trucks followed the medal-bearers through more than 600 communities, visiting every capital city and touching all provinces and territories – reaching more than 70 percent of the Canadian population.
“We were pleased to support such a great cause,” said Jason Schappert, Penske’s district manager in Burnaby. “The entire event was more moving and empowering than I had imagined, especially as the Penske trucks and the medal-bearers came closer to Vancouver.”
In a basic “pull-a-name-from-a hat” technique, Schappert selected mother-daughter duo Susan and Jillian Cosman and Ward to represent Penske as medal-bearers in the ¼ km relay in Agassiz, British Columbia.
Susan Cosman, a Penske clerk, had the privilege of seeing the original Man in Motion tour in person more than two decades ago when Hansen came through Saint John, New Brunswick, but she experienced a whole new level of emotion this time around. “It was when I witnessed his 25th anniversary climb of the infamous Thermal Drive Hill in Coquitlam, British Columbia, that I realized the true meaning of commitment and dedication to something you believe in,” she said. “He is a man that I wish everyone could meet at least once in their lives. He is truly an inspiration.”
The Many In Motion Relay was equally as significant for the other medal-bearers. “It was an honor to be selected to share the experience with my mom,” said Jillian Cosman, a Penske management trainee. “Rick has done so many amazing things here in British Columbia and all over the world for the disabled, and to be a part of that will be a lifelong memory that I will never forget.”
Mike Ward, Penske’s district rental manager in Burnaby, added, “It was great to be a part of something so meaningful in our country. The Many In Motion Relay wasn’t just about what Rick Hansen did in the past, but about what he’s accomplishing in the future. He is a difference-maker and is bringing disabilities awareness to the forefront. I was honored to represent Penske.”
Schappert met Hansen during a fundraising gala and concert following the tour. Featuring several big-name Canadian artists, the concert will air on Canadian broadcast, CTV, on June 24.
“Rich Hansen is a national hero and an inspiration to Canadians and people overcoming challenges everywhere,” Schappert said. “I was honored to meet him. He is a very humble man and was so thankful for Penske’s support.”
Schappert encourages fellow associates outside of Canada to read more about Hansen’s incredible life story.
By Kandace Wertz
Congratulations on your marriage. Now that you and your new spouse are starting to act on the plans you’ve made for your life together, it just might be time to take that big step in moving into your first real home.
It’s a big task, joining together two households and finding the perfect location with great schools, affordable taxes and good neighbors. But once you’ve signed on the dotted line for the home where you will begin your life as a couple – and maybe also raise your family when the time arrives – you’re ready to plan your big move, and Penske Truck Rental is here to help.
Many newlyweds face the chore of merging furniture, kitchen equipment and closet space from two households. To start your moving process off on the right foot, consider eliminating duplicate items and having a garage sale, or donating items, before beginning the packing process. It’s a great chance to upgrade household furnishings – especially if you received something new as a wedding gift.
Then determine what size of moving truck you’ll need. A good rule is to plan for 150 cubic feet of space for every fully furnished room. Many young couples moving from a small apartment or condo into a larger first home will find a 12- or 16-foot Penske rental truck more than adequate.
Plan to reserve your truck at least two weeks in advance. Penske Truck Rental offers rental discounts for AAA and CAA members to help young couples with savings. There are also discounts for military personnel.
For help in making moving day go smoothly, use these tips from Penske. They’ve been in the do-it-yourself moving business for more than 40 years:
- Start early and group items together – Get good, sturdy boxes of various sizes, and then fill them with items of a similar content. Some traditional ways to group items are by item type (i.e. photo frames) or by contents of a room. Label each box with the room name, and the contents. Make sure you have plenty of packing bubbles or towels and cloths on hand to keep breakable items from being damaged in the move.
- Still unpacking your wedding gifts? – If space isn’t a concern, keep those wedding gifts in their original boxes, because the store packaging will help protect the items. But if space is tight in the rental truck, throw away the store packaging and carefully repack in your moving boxes – with plenty of padding to protect your new gifts.
- Save your muscles – Ask friends to help you with carrying boxes. If something is heavy, enlist some help to prevent injury or strain on your muscles.
- Loading the truck – Load the largest items (i.e. bed, couch, dresser) into the truck first to ensure they will fit, and then start loading the heaviest boxes on the bottom and lighter boxes on top. Having each box labeled with contents will help prevent you and your friends from packing heavy books on top of your new fine china wedding gifts. Penske features an online Truck Wizard application to assist.
When you cross the threshold of your new home the first time as a married couple you’ll be surrounded by the excitement and energy of so many adventures to come in your future. Carefully unpack your moving truck, cherishing the memories of your personal belongings as you meld them to fit into your new home and life with your new spouse.
By “Move Ahead” Staff
For motor carriers, fuel is the second highest budget item and for some companies it is threatening to surpass personnel costs. What’s more, diesel prices continue to inch higher and industry analysts expect fuel costs to remain volatile throughout 2012 and into 2013. Managing fuel spend is an important aspect of a fleet’s operation. Pennies on the gallon matter and with the right technology, equipment and driver behavior, carriers can better manage fuel costs and improve efficiency.
Spec the Right Truck: the environment a fleet runs in, the weight of the payload they carry, and the type of trailers they haul all affect fuel economy, and selecting the right truck for the job can significantly improve miles per gallon. There are many features that impact fuel economy, such as the type of tires used, the rear-axle rations, aerodynamic features and auxiliary power units. For example, every two percent reduction in aerodynamic drag can improve fuel efficiency by one percent. To best match a carriers’ need with the right vehicles, they should carefully detail their applications, such as local, regional or long haul; and their environment, whether it is urban, rural or highway. By digging down into the details of their operations, carriers can ensure they best match their applications with the right truck capabilities.
Maximize Driver Performance: shifting, braking and accelerating all effect fuel economy. By properly training drivers, carriers can ramp up their miles per gallon while also increasing safety. When drivers decrease their speed and use cruise control, they improve fuel economy. Cruise control creates a smoother, more fuel-efficient throttle than a driver could achieve on his own. Proper acceleration in which a driver achieves cruising speed promptly while avoiding full throttle also saves fuel. By minimizing the amount of hard braking a driver does, carriers can further improve fuel efficiency. Drivers who anticipate stops and brake slowly can save as much as 10 percent of fuel over those who routinely drive with hard acceleration and braking.
Cut Idle Time: idling can burn 1.2 gallons of fuel per hour and decreases engine life. Through the use of idle reduction technology, such as auxiliary power units, and by only warming engines up for the minimum time needed, carriers can help minimize unnecessary idling. In addition, educating drivers about the costs associated with idling and offering driver incentives can further reduce idling.
Control Speed: in addition to training drivers to maintain safe speeds, carriers can also set maximum speed limits for their vehicles. They should also encourage drivers to rely on their cruise control options. Fuel economy can be improved by as much as 10 percent when cruise control is fully utilized.
Maintain Vehicles: by regularly maintaining vehicles and analyzing vehicle performance at scheduled preventative maintenance intervals, carriers can further improve fuel economy. In addition, carriers may find that investing in new technology may be justified by the fuel economy on the new trucks.
Need Help with Your Fleet? Penske Truck Leasing offers full-service leasing and a wide array of comprehensive services that can help improve the performance of your fleet. Visit www.pensketruckleasing.com to learn more or call 1-888-234-4201 for more information.
By “Move Ahead” Staff
The safety protocol Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) has been undergoing several changes since it was launched in 2010, and now carriers are getting a sneak peek of substantial changes to the Carrier Safety Measurement System (SMS) of CSA that are slated to be publicly available in July.
The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said changes include strengthening the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC by moving cargo/load securement violations from the Cargo-Related BASIC to the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, and renaming the Cargo-Related BASIC the Hazardous Materials BASIC.
Cargo securement can be of particular concern for carriers, who may or may not be the one to actually load a trailer. Many drivers simply pick up a load from a warehouse, so carriers have to rely on the skills of the warehouse employees to load and secure the trailer contents properly.
The most common Cargo BASIC violation today is 393.104(b) - damaged or insecure tie-downs. Seven of the top ten cargo violations are directly associated with insecure loads or vehicle equipment, according to industry research.
To improve safety, carriers should know and understand their violation status and the relationship between their maintenance and cargo violations.
FMCSA will also be renaming the Cargo-Related BASIC to the Hazardous Materials (HM) BASIC, which will better identify HM-related safety problems and change how HAZMAT carriers are classified to allow for increased intervention scrutiny. Now HAZMAT violations will be placed in the HAZMAT BASIC, which will better identify HAZMAT-related safety problems and change how HAZMAT carriers are classified to allow for increased intervention scrutiny. The HAZMAT BASIC will include items such as placarding and paperwork violations.
FMCSA has said it is also working to better align violations that are included in SMS with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) inspection levels by eliminating the vehicle violations derived from driver-only inspections and driver violations from vehicle-only inspections. It is also working to better align SMS with Intermodal Equipment Provider regulations and improving the identification of passenger carriers.
As part of the changes, the SMS website will change current terminology, including the terms “Insufficient Data" and “Inconclusive," to fact-based definitions that clarify the carrier's status in each BASIC. It will also distinguish between crashes with injuries and crashes with fatalities.
FMCSA said the preview gives carriers an opportunity to see how the changes will affect their company and submit comments to FMCSA.
For more information on these changes, contact your local Penske Truck Leasing representative or visit csa.fmcsa.dot.gov.
By “Move Ahead" Staff
Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and kicks off the 2012 moving season as one of the busiest moving weekends of the year for the moving truck rental and self-storage industries. Penske Truck Rental and self-storage tech start-up SpareFoot are teaming up to offer increased convenience and services for savvy do-it-yourself movers.
The relationship launches ahead of Crazy Tuesday, the self-storage industry’s unofficial biggest day of the year, which falls right after Memorial Day. Now, customers of either company can now easily find and reserve a storage unit and moving truck together, in just a few clicks or via one phone call. For more information, you can view the full news release here. Below is an infographic that best tells the story of all the big moves made on Memorial Day weekend.
