How Safe Are U-Haul Trucks and Trailers?
U-Haul International, Inc., which is based in Phoenix, Arizona, has long contended that its fleet of over 200,000 vehicles is safe and well maintained, claiming that it invests heavily to modernize its fleet, and spends about 20 percent of its rental revenue on repairs and maintenance.
Some of the company's representatives have also reported that U-Haul's truck accident rate is about the same as that of a federal estimate for all passenger vehicles, and that the rate for its trailers is even lower.
These claims cannot be independently verified, and there are no government agencies that collect rental equipment accident data. An LA Times yearlong investigation, however, found that many of U-Haul's trucks had high mileage and that safety checks were often overdue. Following are some key findings of the investigation, which were reported last year in June.
- A survey of over 200 U-Haul trucks and trailers found that more than half were overdue for their “safety certification,” a check of tires, breaks and other parts that is generally required every 30 days. Some of these checks were over a year overdue.
- Many of U-Haul's 100,000 trucks have logged more than 100,000 miles. Nearly 4,600 had mileage of over 200,000. The company admits that it does not retire vehicles at a fixed age or mileage.
- U-Haul's practice of booking reservations without knowing if equipment will be available when and where renters want it adds pressure to get vehicles back on the road quickly. Thin staffing also results in basic safety checks often being skipped and repair records being falsified in a practice known as “hanging paper.”
- Although a leading trailer expert and U-Haul consultant points out that it is substantially more hazardous for a vehicle to tow a trailer that weighs more than the vehicle, U-Haul routinely allows this.
- Large U-Haul trailers often have bad brakes or brakes that do not work altogether. Small and midsize ones have no brakes at all. It is illegal to tow these in at least 14 states.
- As it pushed to increase rentals of a type of trailer used to haul vehicles, U-Haul relaxed a key safety rule. Then it failed to enforce the weakened standard.
- While U-Haul relies on customers, many of whom are inexperienced or as young as 18, to carry out detailed loading and towing instructions, distribution of its user guide is spotty.
One potential reason for these findings is that in addition to U-Haul's 1,450 corporate rental centers, the company relies on a large network of independent dealers. Many of U-Haul's 14,500 dealers include mini-marts, storage sites, postal supply sores, laundromats, and even liquor stores, most of which lack an auto service background.
