How Safe Are Rental Trucks and Trailers on the Road?

Rental truck and trailer companies give consumers easy and convenient access to box trucks and vans for the purpose of moving things from one place to another. Companies like U-Haul, Enterprise, Budget, Penske, and even Home Depot offer rentals by the hour or by the day to transport materials and personal property across town or across the country. All you need is a driver’s license and a credit card and you’re on your way – whether or not you’ve ever driven a large truck before.

Is it hard to drive a rental truck?

Operating a rental truck is wildly different than driving a passenger car, or even a large SUV or pickup. Browsing U-Haul’s rental options, for example, shows that their smallest moving truck is 10 feet long. Their other vehicles available for customer rental include:

• Pickup trucks
• Cargo vans
• 15’ trucks
• 17’ trucks
• 20’ trucks
• 26’ trucks
• Trailers up to 12’

These cargo vans and trucks are generally regular vans and trucks with big, empty cargo areas. This means that if renters fill up a vehicle with cargo and it becomes unbalanced, the vehicle can tip or roll over if it’s too top-heavy or otherwise improperly loaded.

How can moving and rental trucks cause accidents?

Although going the DIY route has its advantages – saving money and having control over your personal possessions – it has some real disadvantages as well. Generally, if someone has a driver’s license, they can hop behind the wheel of a 26-foot truck without any training and get on the highway. If they don’t know how to operate a vehicle of this size, they can put everyone on the road at risk for car accidents and serious injuries.

Common reasons moving truck crashes and accidents occur include:

• Cargo falling off trailers
• Distracted drivers
• Drowsy drivers
• Improperly attached trailers
• Improperly loaded cargo
• Inexperienced drivers
• Shifting and moving cargo
• Swaying trailers

Rental moving truck drivers should always take the vehicle out for a test drive – after it is loaded up – before hitting the highway so they can become familiar with how the truck works and how to safely operate the vehicle.

Who is liable if I am injured in a rental truck accident?

Federal law exempts rental truck and van companies from liability for crashes that occur in their vehicles. The only exception to this rule is when the company is engaging in criminal activity. So, if you are injured in a collision with a rental vehicle that wasn’t your fault, generally you must take legal action against the at-fault driver – not the rental company.

There are cases where another party may be held liable for your injuries, however. When a car wreck is caused by a defect in either vehicle involved in the accident, an injury victim may be eligible for a defective auto parts claim. Another example would be if the rental car company provided you with a vehicle that was unsafe, either due to negligent maintenance or other reasons. In a case like this, you may be able to take action against the rental company directly.

Experienced personal injury attorneys can help determine the strength of your case, as well as the potential liable parties involved.

The car and truck accident attorneys at Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. work to secure compensation for victims of collisions with rental vehicles. If you or a loved one were injured in a crash that wasn’t your fault, let us help. To schedule a free consultation about your case, give our Maryland offices a call at 410-730-7737 or use our contact form.