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It always amazes me that truck rentals like we see in a few videos on that site are legal, like with a normal license. Every time I’ve rented one all I can thin
by joshstrange 3y ago
It always amazes me that truck rentals like we see in a few videos on that site are legal, like with a normal license. Every time I’ve rented one all I can think of “I can’t believe they trusted me with this thing that I drive once every few years at best”. I guess they don’t care, they have insurance but still.
Whenever I see someone else diving one of these I give them a very wide berth and assume they have no idea what they are doing since they normally don’t.
- stronglikedan 3y agoI once reserved a 20 footer, and at the last minute they called me and asked me if I would take a 26 footer instead. Man, I didn't know what I was getting into. That is a whole different beast than the standard 20 footer. Never again - what a pain in the ass that was - every aspect of it was a hassle. The whole time I was wondering how the hell it was legal for me to be driving that thing around.
- wil421 3y ago26 footers are terrible. I’ll gladly tow a massive trailer and it’s much easier to position a trailer. In fact it’s easier with longer trailers over something like a jet ski trailer. A roommate in college worked for Lowe’s installing appliances off a 26 footer. He crashed into things and cars once a month. After 9 times they said don’t get a 10th, luckily he changed jobs.
- blacksmith_tb 3y agoSame, I got the Big One when I was moving out of SF. Driving that monster around town (and parking right on lower Haight where my apartment was) is not something I would ever willingly do again.
- dekhn 3y agois that the one with "grandma's attic"? I have never driven a truck with a (manual) transmission that was older than me until I drove one. I manage to parallel park it near the panhandle in a two-car space. I was proud (still am!)
- Arrath 3y agoSee also: Hilariously outsized RV's that any person can hop behind the wheel of with no extra training or license requirements. I swear some are the size of Greyhound busses now.
- FireBeyond 3y agoParamedic here, being a bit agist: and often it's a senior citizen that I'd be nervous seeing drive a Corolla, let alone this.
- Arrath 3y agoI was afraid to venture there, but yeah..
- jtriangle 3y agoYou can also just rent heavy construction equipment as well in alot of places, and they'll deliver it to your door. They have insurance, and they're not liable for something you do with it, you are.
- brightlancer 3y ago> I guess they don’t care, they have insurance but still. Of course they care; even big companies have to fight with their insurance companies and often don't get fully compensated. As a general statement, the overwhelming majority of renters pay their money and return the truck without any issue. The rare accident is costly, but it's paid for mostly through rental fees rather than insurance. I was once offered a job and asked, "Can you drive a truck?" Sure, no problem. I show up for the _cross-country_ drive and it's a 28' box truck with a manual transmission. Thankfully, I had driven a manual car before and there was a primary (I was the 2nd) driver to help me through the particulars of the box truck. Thousands of miles back and forth across the country over 3 months, never a driving incident. > Whenever I see someone else diving one of these I give them a very wide berth and assume they have no idea what they are doing since they normally don’t. I think you over-estimate the skill of the drivers of sedans and SUVs and everything else. Most drivers are pretty awful, even in cars they drive every day.
- alexpotato 3y ago> Of course they care; even big companies have to fight with their insurance companies and often don't get fully compensated. A friend of mine is a small business attorney and representing trucking companies in insurance disputes is a big part of his business. Basically: - truck is involved in some kind of accident - insurance is dragging their feet or trying to say it shouldn't be covered - small trucking business doesn't have the manpower nor expertise to hire a dedicated "deal with insurance department" - they outsource it to a local lawyer who specializes in this kind of thing and is probably doing it for multiple small businesses in the area
- hoosieree 3y agoOnce I got stranded and the only rental vehicle option for me was a U-Haul because I was too young to rent a car. Let that sink in.
- bombcar 3y agoWhenever there's a potential rental crunch (cancelled flights, etc) skip the fight at the car rental desk and head to a truck rental place ASAP.