One of my friends, Gabby, contributed to this story -- about the horrors utilizing U-Haul equipment that is improperly maintained. It's a fairly long article but I found it interesting. Something to consider when looking at moving options.

http://www.latimes.com/uhaul

i was helping a friend of mine's mom move a few summers ago and we went to go pick up one of these things and when she finally got behind the wheel she freaked out and realized that there was no way she could drive something so big, so she had me do it.

i had hardly driven SUVs before so it was pretty intense driving that massive thing around. my peak moment behind the wheel came when we were picking up a couch at some fancy furniture place and i had to bring it around the back to the truck pick-up docks. there are all these tractor trailors backed in there and i had to back the uhaul in between two semis. i couldn't see anything behind me and might as well have been doing it with my eyes closed and somehow got it in there. one of the best moments of my life.

and then there were all sorts of issues with the lock on the back door. thing got stuck several times and we got stranded for hours with no way to open it. things are definitely sketchy.

You betta' not be talkin' trash about "Mama's Attic"!

Wha?

mama's attic is the portion above the cab...its painted on the side of the truck.

W5, a Canadian news program, has done a few shows on how messed up the U-Haul rigs tend to be.

You can stream it here:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051021/wfive_uhaul_051021/20051022?hub=WFive

I got DAT HERTZ/PENSKE Truck for this weekend. hope no horror storgies

Ohhh, I feel so much wiser now. Thank you!

i drove cross country in July in a uhaul towing my car behind me...with really no AC and nothing but an am/fm radio

Kinda makes you think about the people driving these things on the freeways. I try to stay as farrrrr away from them as I can. I know they may mean well, but for experience they have got shit.

I drive a pretty big truck for work, and I know it took me a good week to get comfortable with it.

I wouldn't have asked for that if I tried, but Tania just totally won an argument for me.

whether or not that puts us better off better remains to be seen.

I worked for U-Haul for about a year during college. F-ed up. Not only is none of the equipment maintained properly (the maintenance guy hardly came to work), but working behind the counter was a horror story. The corporate headquarters would make monitor calls about once a week, and if you didn't answer the phone exactly by the book, you got a black mark. So many and you were gone. For minimum wage even. Not that answering the phone by the book was something that I didn't want to do, but it was far too time consuming. You may be waiting on two people at the counter on a Saturday morning, each anxious to get his shit, and "disguised" HQ would call and expect you to go though a five-minute rigamarole about renting U-Haul equipment. Just leave the customers standing there.

wisconsin to colorado is a short hike. try raleigh to portland.

We prefer you safe than sorry on that long haul you're about to embsrk on.

My family rented Uhaul trucks as part of their business back in the day and I currently employ two former Uhaul employees in my operation so I can confidently say that Uhaul are AWFUL people; honestly, I hate them and discourage anyone from using them.

Just in case you are wondering, Penske is probly the best rental truck company in terms of maintaining their equipment and not pulling the wool over your eyes in their pricing; I'm certainly nor endorsing them, but if you must rent a truck, I'd strongly consider them.

Edit: Also, I've seen some really funny shit over the years with people driving those huge trucks...

My story is not as bad, but I rode across the state of Nebraska with my Dad in one while assisting my sister in relocating for her first teaching job. It was late July or early August, which means 90+ degree temperatures and high humidity. If it does rain it is instantly sucked back into the hot air. There are literally no radio stations that come in once you get past Valentine, NE, unless you are lucky enough to tune in the Tribal radio station from SD or the country AM station.

i drove a big penske truck from near philadelphia to chicago one day a couple years ago and one of the strangest feelings ever was getting into my passat after that drive. just the way the seats were so low, it took a second for me to adjust to the new vantage point. really weird.

now there's a sig.

two places wife & i are considering moving to.

Are you being a trickster?
Wisconsin or Colorado or Raleigh or Portland

all I know is U-Haul once fucked up my credit history royally due to their mistake. It took me forever to get that cleaned up.

its not a close call unless you REALLY like the NHL

Bloor is right. In my many transitions these last 5 years, EVERY U-Haul experience has been miserable, and the 2 Penske rentals have been fabulous, inlcuding this move out here. I have examples, but will spare you.