What to Expect When You’re Moving with Penske Truck Rental—Brian’s Move

Penske Truck Rental is a giant in the moving industry, though it often gets upstaged by U-Haul. Even so, the company is one of our favorite moving truck rental companies. We wanted to learn more about how it feels to actually move in a Penske truck, so we helped a Penske customer with his move.

We’re happy to report that Penske did not disappoint in any way. In fact, Penske undercut prices from its competitors U-Haul and Budget. Keep reading to learn more.

Want to learn how much a Penske moving truck will cost for your move?

Before Brian hired Penske, he shopped around to see what prices other companies could offer. This was a smart move. We always recommend getting quotes from multiple companies before signing a contract. It’s the only way to know you’re getting a good price.

In fact, Budget offered Brian a lower initial estimate than Penske, so he planned to work with Budget at first. After some back and forth with Budget, however, Brian realized that additional fees and insurance prices made Budget more expensive than its initial quote.

After that, Brian pivoted to Penske, which was actually able to knock a significant chunk off its first quote (more on that in a minute).

When Brian was first shopping around, Penske quoted him $978 to rent a moving van and trailer.

When Brian returned, however, he was able to get his price lowered to $677.46. This quote included unlimited mileage, Penske’s standard $9 environmental fee, all applicable taxes, and four days of rental time.

This final price was lower than U-Haul’s initial estimate of $739, and while Budget’s quote was only $664, that price went up like we said.

We want to point out that these price differences are likely due to regional variations in supply and demand for each company. In some cases, we have seen both U-Haul and Budget offer cheaper rates than Penske.

We cannot stress this enough: always get quotes from multiple companies!

Brian didn’t qualify for a promotional discount that Penske was running when he got his first quote. Luckily, Brian had the brilliant idea of asking if there were any other discounts that could be applied to his bill.

Brian was put on hold for a few minutes after asking this, but when the customer service agent returned, he offered Brian an unadvertised discount that knocked about $110 off his price, which was already lower than the initial estimate.

On top of showing great customer service, this illustrates another tip we always give. Instead of just accepting a company’s price, ask about unadvertised discounts or promotions. Sometimes there aren’t any, but you never know until you ask.

When Brian went to pick up his rental equipment on moving day, the attendant was very helpful and attentive. He showed Brian how to properly operate his trailer’s jack and tie-down straps, how to fuel up the truck, and how to operate every button in the truck’s cab.

Moving trucks and trailers may seem as simple as everyday vehicles, but they’re much bigger and more unwieldy, and a lot can go wrong on a long drive. We appreciate a company that takes the time to ensure its customers know what they’re doing before sending them on their way.

Brian found returning his equipment was a breeze. All he needed to do was refill the gas tank, park the truck at the dropoff location, and leave the keys in a designated drop box. He didn’t need to coordinate with anyone at the Penske location at all.

After a days-long drive, the last thing you want is a lengthy return process, so we love that Penske makes it so simple to drop off equipment.

Of course, if you don’t refill the gas tank or there’s something wrong with the truck, you should plan on getting an extra bill or a phone call from the company.

Aside from the tips and tricks we’ve already given about Brian’s move with Penske (asking for multiple quotes and discounts), there’s one other important thing to learn from Brian’s move.

The max speed you can tow a car on a Penske trailer is 55 miles per hour, which can really lengthen an already lengthy drive. As Brian said on his post-move survey, this “made the trip from Nashville to Kansas City a long trip.”

If you plan on towing a car with a Penske trailer, make sure you put a good road trip playlist together and download a few audiobooks. You’re going to be on the road a while. Here are some more tips if you’re planning to make a road trip out of your move.

Penske is a first-rate truck rental company, and Brian’s experience really illustrates how good the company’s customer service and pricing can be. That said, it offers fewer services than some of its competitors, and its prices are higher than Budget and U-Haul’s in some areas. Because of this, we recommend at least getting quotes from several other truck rental companies before settling with Penske.

Interested in Penske for your upcoming move?
If Brian’s experience has you sold on Penske, we recommend getting your quote today.