I Love Penske Trucks
May 21, 2007
We drove from Atlanta to Hagerstown, Maryland today. I’ll admit it - I was just a little terrified getting on I-85 today in Atlanta with the 22 ft. Penske truck. We ended up filling the whole truck; so there I was, a newbie “trucker” with all of our worldly possessions in the back. The first time two semis passed me on both sides, I about screamed. But…it got better. Soon I realized I could go faster than 55mph…faster than 65mph…but no faster than 70mph. It probably wouldn’t have been good to go faster than 70mph, but the truck really wouldn’t go any faster than that. I started to get into my groove with the truck, and after a few hours, felt pretty comfortable in it.
I should tell one story though. Around 1.30pm today I was starting to get hungry, and I was down to about half a tank. So I exited and looked for a gas station - I pulled into one but didn’t see a diesel pump, so I pulled out, and then I saw a diesel pump at another station, but it looked too crowded and I didn’t trust myself with the truck, and then I got nervous about pulling into the restaurant, so I turned around and got right back on the freeway. Still hungry and still half a tank of gas. I did try again and was successful a few exits later.
While I was enjoying my Penske truck, I did feel sorry for all those U-Haul renters on the road, with their old-looking, U-Haul trucks that would probably break down somewhere. As we started talking more about which company we decided to go with, it seemed like “everyone” had a story about a U-Haul truck breaking down. Our truck only had 36,000 miles on it and it was a really smooth ride. It’s also diesel, so instead of getting the 4-5mpg that a gas truck would get, I think I was getting closer to 8-9mpg. Anyway, just wanted to say that I officially love Penske trucks; not to mention it was HALF the price of what U-Haul quoted us. So, if you’re moving soon - go Penske all the way.
Tags: Moving-Truck, Penske, U-Haul-Sucks
Posted in 
Adam Walker Cleaveland: I am a 28 yr old 
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 am
keep on keeping on my brother.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:29 am
we had such a similar experience when we moved from pennsylvania to new brunswick (although we did have to drive 3 hours back to drop off our truck!) - why would anyone use u-haul?
glad you’re both safe!
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:06 am
Adam, Just rented a U-Haul to move some things from Wisconsin to Georgia. Wish I’d seen your post before we started. We didn’t break down (thank God!) but the 20+ year old clunker we got kept us guessing the whole way.
Next time I’ll check out the Penske option for sure. Thanks for the tip.
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:56 am
This seems like an advertisement to me! Did you get to use this truck for free? Because after all the kudos perhaps you should have.
Newer trucks are more reliable than older trucks from an equally big company; that’s not really a surprise.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:24 am
In my experience, Uhaul is generally cheaper, but seems like a company run by squirrels. Last time around, I went to Penske. But let’s be honest, moving is never fun or stress-free, but that could be another reason not to add Uhaul stress to the mix.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 am
The mere mention of “U-Haul” makes heads pop off in my family–we’ve all got a horror story to tell. Go Penske!
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:04 am
I used a Penske when I moved from Chicago to Princeton, and it was a great experience. With Penkse consistently much cheaper than U-Haul, and with Penske’s superior fleet, it is surprising that U-Haul (and even Budget) are still around.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I used Penske coming from Fort Worth to Albuquerque. I got about 12 mpg (Waaayyyy more than they ‘promise’). The truck was great, the company was helpful. I don’t want to move again for at least 325 years (*LOL*) but when I do it will be Penske!
Happy unpacking!
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Penske rocks! I spent last evening loading most of my stuff into a 14-foot truck that already had all of my boyfriend’s stuff and was still less than half full. (And we were worried about space!) He said he almost wishes the trip was longer (than the 671 miles from Santa Fe to Casper) so he could enjoy the cushy ride. Only 7,000 miles on this truck and it still smells new! Plus it’s cheaper than U-Haul and they gave us two extra days for free. Plus it’s bright yellow, which is way cooler than boring old white.
(Bridget, I hear you on the 325 years bit!)
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Gotta ask, have you had to use the horn? What happens when hit the horn, do folks yield?
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:05 pm
I’m also a Penske lover. It may sound strange to gush about a moving truck, but after more U-Haul horror stories than I care to count (should I mention the time the U-Haul trailer I was towing came off and passed me on the left?), there’s no other feeling but love for everything Penske. They actually HAVE the truck available to rent when you show up to redeem your reservation (contrary to U-Haul). And with Penske you don’t spend 10 hours trying to get the idiots behind the counter to finish the paperwork (a la U-Haul). Penske trucks come without the annoying wheel-well indentations in the bed of the truck, and they truly ride on air. We moved 3,000 miles in our Penske. It only had 14,000 miles on the vehicle when we got it and still smelled new. We towed our mini-van behind us on a flatbed trailer and I did 75mph the whole way from Idaho. Pure beauty. Oh, and I saved more than $1,000 compared to the cost of a U-Haul. I feel about Penske moving trucks the same way I feel about Macintosh computers.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:50 am
Welll, you guys are all lucky or something, because when I went to get a Penske quote the other day for my upcoming move to Chicago, the same 22′ truck was almost $1,200, whereas U-Haul is only costing us $700. (Or maybe I’m unlucky?)….
May 24th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
I laughed so hard imagining you screaming, driving, and two semis passing you at the same time. Great thought. ;-)
May 24th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Glad the truck worked out, but the real question is….what in the HECK do the two of you own that you needed a 22 foot long truck? really? you filled it?
We have had good U Haul experiences. Apparently we’re the only ones in America….but I admit your truck looked snazzy….maybe we’ll use Penske next. Unless we can have our next move paid for and done professionally. That’s the way to go!
Hope Princeton is treating you right. Happy almost Anniversary!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Kellen, call Penske back, they will usually match any competitor rate.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Would anyone know the Gas Mileage on the 16″ Vans ?? Apprecaite any comments
June 5th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I’ve made two large trips from Minnesota. One to California and one to Washington DC. I used Penske both times and it was a great experience. Nice new trucks and great mileage. I’m leaving Saturday on another trip from Florida to Minnesota. I found a Budget truck for $1400 when a Penske truck was over $3,000. I’ll comment when I get back about my experience with Budget.
August 14th, 2007 at 11:26 am
I’ve used Budget, Uhaul and Penske. Budget tends to be a bit cheaper, but their staff was pretty brainless, and the truck was ok at the least. Uhaul was a disaster..truck was 2 hours late, ran like crap, and smoked. Penske was phenomenal. We picked up a brand new truck(700 miles on it) from North Carolina and was to drive it to Massachussetts. Halfway through the trip in NJ, the truck started running rough, and we drove it to the closest place we could pull in, a gas station. It looked like something was flooding out of the engine.
I called the Penske road service phone #, they came out in 20 minutes. They said the truck had a freak manufacturers defect(GMC), and would tow it to the nearest Penske shop for a diagnosis. They towed us to the closest place(i forget where). The shop looked at it and said that it was some kind of hose that blew, and it was a freak accident, and a manufacturers defect. They said they do not have the part, but are going to make it work, and it would probably take 2 hours.
Disappointed, not at Penske, but at the situation, I went to the rental department. Rental apologized up and down for the issue, and gave me a rental van to go get something to eat, and they would pay for it. I was very surprised, and happy to see this kind of service. I went around the corner with my wife for about 30-40 minutes, came back, and my truck was waiting out front of the rental office, running with the a/c on, and freshly washed for us.
Rental told me that they took 3 mechanics off another job, pulled a hose off of another truck that was down for another reason that wasnt going to be fixed that day anyway, and stayed on the job until the truck was fixed.
I paid a little more with penske they i would have with Budget, but they had EXCEPTIONAL service in my time of need, and got me moving within 2 hours, and compensated me for my trouble.
Thank you Penske.
August 27th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Well, of course. Who else will gaurantee the newest truck on pick up day backed by emergency roadside assistance???? NOBODY!!! yeah…thats what i said
September 20th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
I said I would report back on my trip from Florida to Minnesota so here it goes. I found out when I got down to Florida that the home owner I was moving found the same size Uhaul for less locally than what I had found the Budget truck for about 50 miles away. I was a little scared but since he was the home owner I had to go with it. The Uhaul truck was a nice unit with about 35,000 miles on it. The nice thing about Uhaul is the flexibility it offers in pulling a trailer if you can’t fit all your stuff in the truck. Penske or Budget do not allow you to pull a trailer. Only their car hauler. I ended pulling a full size speedboat back to Minnesota from Florida. The Uhaul truck ran well and the AC was ice cold. I had more than enough power with the truck fully loaded and pulling the speedboat. I’m assuming I was given a newer truck being that I was traveling across country. I will always prefer Penske but when I’m not sure if all the “stuff” will fit in the truck it’s very nice to now you have options. Other than holding a quick moving sale.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I moved from Boise Idaho to Tampa Florida… The prices at Penske are much better than any of their competitors. I recieved a relatively new 22ft truck with unlimited miles and a car trailer for 850… uhaul quoted me in the 2000dollar range, budget closer to 1800. Perhaps it was a fluke thing, good deal from specific location to location, however, I would never rent through anyone else. The customer service is superior, the trucks superior, and the prices out of this world.