Penske® Reviews
The day of pickup I received a call that the rental truck had crapped out and they might not be able to provide a truck for my move. I expressed the need for a truck in less than an hour as the moving crew was scheduled to be there then. Fortunately, a truck was returned during my call and I was able to use that one, with a discount if I could get the truck back at a certain time. While the fact that my truck was down was not my fault and I should not have had to rush my use of the replacement, I was able to get it back to them in time and received the discount. Not a complete loss in the end but I admit I did get the sense that the company didn't really care that they were not originally going to be able to fulfill my rental request less than an hour before the scheduled timeframe and that's why I can't give them a 5 star review. Do yourself a favor, don't be like me, schedule for a backup truck just in case or pick one up the day before.
I was nervous renting a truck because of an awful prior experience with Budget that left us stuck and without a moving truck at all. Thankfully, Penske was AMAZING - from reservation to dropoff, I could not be more happy with my interactions with them. The truck was available on time as promised and was in great condition. When our plans changed they were flexible with our pickup time. The employees were very helpful in showing us how to use the truck + trailer. Also, we had a 20+ hour drive (1100 miles from WI to MA) and I can honestly say it was one of the most comfortable road trips I've had! Our 16' truck was very easy to load and unload. I would use Penske again in a heartbeat - even if it ends up being a little more expensive than a competitor, the customer service, dependability, and flexibility are very worth it.
Of course I needed to move in the busiest week of the yr, so prices higher than even 3 weeks ago! But the 12 ft Penske was brand new, comfy seats, ac, cruise control, all sorts of plug I s and a backup camera in rear view mirror. And plenty of room between the seats for food, suitcases or a pet. Used twice now in a month and easy checkout system whether online or call up very nice people. This time pick up and drop off at Home Depots. Should’ve gotten a 20ft the first time! Oh well live and learn.
Penske's trucks are larger than Uhaul's--I rented a 22 foot truck that had space comparable to Uhaul's 26 foot vehicle. The turning radius is larger and it's wider, so is a bit more difficult to maneuver. The ramp is also higher. However, the truck was in excellent condition, drove well, and pulled an auto transport without issues. The mirror adjustments are perfect making backing up with and without the transport relatively easy...and the blue fenders make the trailer highly visible.
Penske's trucks are larger than Uhaul's--I rented a 22 foot truck that had space comparable to Uhaul's 26 foot vehicle. The turning radius is larger and it's wider, so is a bit more difficult to maneuver. The ramp is also higher. However, the truck was in excellent condition, drove well, and pulled an auto transport without issues. The mirror adjustments are perfect making backing up with and without the transport relatively easy...and the blue fenders make the trailer highly visible.
I always prefer renting from Penske rather than the well-known truck rental place because the trucks are taken care of better. We rented a 26-foot truck, our loading team did an amazing job to fit all of our 3 bedroom home plus several boxes of stored items in it. There was a bit of a delay getting the truck initially, we were told it was because it had just completed service and a few computer holds had to be released. This was actually comforting as we had a 300 mile drive ahead. I appreciate that for longer drives the mileage is unlimited and it is a fixed number of days to get from point A to B, generally plenty of time to complete the drive in. This is probably the fifth or sixth time I have used Penske and will continue to do so!
The rental agent in Saint Petersburg was very nice. He brought to my attention that the truck I rented was a 2020. He also stated that he had the air conditioner running before I took off. Unfortunately it turned out that the A/C didn't work well at all. I ended up driving from Florida to Cleveland in a hot cab. If I had realized there was a problem before I left town, i would have asked for another truck.
Showed up to get our pre-reserved, pre-paid truck from Budget to find out that they had gone out of business 2 weeks earlier and we were not notified. Being the last weekend of the month, every truck in and around the city (Charlottesville, VA) was rented. Penske stepped in and found us a rental 1 1/2 hours away, gave us discount coupons, and saved the day! 0 stars for Budget! 5 stars for Penske!
Penske does a great job in maintaining their trucks. However, the diesel fueled truck is underpowered. Top speed on a grade is about 45. The other truck we had was a U-Haul. Gas motor with a lot more power and gas costs less. Also like the low deck height. However, Penske is negotiable and was $500 dollars cheaper.
I'd defiantly want to rent a diesel truck again. I didn't have to fuel until almost my destination (600 miles) which saved a lot of time! I was a little nervous at first driving the truck since I've never drove a truck with air brakes before but once you get used to it, it wasn't that bad. I felt like a trucker! The truck was very nice and comfortable.
