Inexperienced Drivers Cause Penske and U-Haul Truck Crashes

The one time I rented a large moving vehicle to take two kids into college I realized just how dangerous these large commercial moving vans and trucks can be. I really didn’t know what I was doing behind the wheel of that truck.

Although these vehicles have a lot of modern conveniences that make them feel like a sports utility vehicle they really are much different in their handling characteristics. The main difficulty of a larger, longer, wider truck like a U‑Haul or Penske is that they cannot stop in the same amount of space as a passenger vehicle and when they turn they require more space side-to-side. I didn’t realize this on the narrow streets of Charlottesville, Virginia and had a bit of a problem. This makes me concerned about how inexperienced drivers cause Penske and U-Haul truck crashes.

As a result of that experience, I now give wide berth to others operating these rental trucks on the road. You see a lot of them in the summer at the end of school and at the beginning of school as families and students move about with their belongings.

The problem is that just like I didn’t know really what I was doing behind the wheel of that Penske truck you can bet that the average person operating one of those things has rarely if ever driven one before. So even if they are a relatively safe driver paying attention to what they’re doing they can easily make a mistake which can cost someone else their life, limb or property. Inexperienced drivers are dangerous drivers.

The other interesting aspect about Penske and U‑Haul trucks from the standpoint of my work as a personal injury lawyer has to do with insurance. The Penske Company offered me additional insurance on the truck that I rented. I foolishly declined the coverage. It’s really not always necessary to get rental insurance when you’re going to Hertz or Avis to get a rental car.

Typically, your home car insurance will cover you even in a rental automobile. If you have good auto coverage on your home policy then you really don’t need to pay the extra $10.00 a day at the Budget or Dollar Rent A car counter. Rental moving trucks are different. The main difference is that they have much more propensity to harm other people and get into wrecks.

If you know that you’re more likely to have a wreck because you’re driving a big vehicle that you’re not used to it definitely makes sense to buy the insurance. Even though it’s in addition to whatever coverage you may have from your regular home policy it’s well worth it.

Otherwise, you are going to be stuck in the vice between somebody that you may have harmed with your car and Penske fighting with your own insurance about coverage. In fact on the larger Penske and U‑Haul rentals, they may not provide coverage under your home personal auto policy depending upon its terms.

As in most things having to do with automobile insurance coverage beware that it can change state-to-state and company-to-company. If you have any questions about it it’s best to check with your insurance company or your insurance agent before renting that large commercial rental moving vehicle.

I am conscious of the dangers of this vehicles. Penske and U-Haul truck crashes occur more often than we think. Just last week, a Penske box truck driver was killed in a wreck with a tractor-trailer on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The circumstances of the crash remain unclear.

If you have been hurt in a wreck with a badly driven rental truck or in any other wreck in Virginia please call me today for a consultation at (757) 333-3333.