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Has anyone recently actually dealt with the aftermath of the theft of a rental truck who had the insurance sold by the company (like Safemove for UHaul)? The language on their website is fishy; it doesn't appear to me that Safemove's damage waiver provision protects the renter against theft of the truck itself (you would be better off having the truck destroyed in a crash than having it stolen, as if you can choose the demise of the truck). It also appears that Safemove may have at one time covered truck theft but the language has been changed in the policy to limit that coverage.
How about Budget, Ryder, or Penske? Does any truck company offer insurance coverage for theft of the truck, coverage that is straight forward? Or has anyone bought supplemental insurance, and if so from what company?
If you google "uhaul truck theft" it is a nationwide problem, with gangs of thieves targeting poor slobs like us; it is the only thing that freaks me out about moving myself - if it was a one day move, not a big deal, but my upcoming move is cross country and would necessitate hotel stops, and that is where the trucks get ripped off.
Last edited by Westbound and Down; 05-05-2014 at 07:05 AM..
They tend not to work thru vehicle windows either so be sure to test them in each location, getting a room where you can park see truck.
The Chamberlin costs more but has a narrower trigger field and much farther range so I prefer it of the two.
The cheapie one I place facing up near tow hitch so I know if dirtbags are around.
Keep a Maglite or strong spotlight in your room to periodically light up the area or if you hear alert to let them know you're watching.
I would much rather prevent a theft than deal with the aftermath.
Don't pull the coil wire or anything like that. Car and truck thieves could care less, they know the tricks. Use a good credit card that provides insurance for rental vehicles. Many better cards have that feature. If not, call you own vehicle insurance carrier, they usually provide that feature as well.
Almost all major insurance companies cover your rental of a truck for moving.
There is nothing you can do if someone really wants to steal the rental truck. You get insurance and then you stop worrying about it. If the truck gets stolen, the insurance company worries about it and handles everything.
The people who worry? Those without adequate insurance, yet they will do all kinds of things to disable the vehicle, get portable alarms and all that. Yeah, lets spend money on that stuff instead of insurance. Besides, if you have a truck rental, be more concerned with that you're hauling than the truck.
Don't pull the coil wire or anything like that. Car and truck thieves could care less, they know the tricks. Use a good credit card that provides insurance for rental vehicles. Many better cards have that feature. If not, call you own vehicle insurance carrier, they usually provide that feature as well.
Almost all major insurance companies cover your rental of a truck for moving.
There is nothing you can do if someone really wants to steal the rental truck. You get insurance and then you stop worrying about it. If the truck gets stolen, the insurance company worries about it and handles everything.
The people who worry? Those without adequate insurance, yet they will do all kinds of things to disable the vehicle, get portable alarms and all that. Yeah, lets spend money on that stuff instead of insurance. Besides, if you have a truck rental, be more concerned with that you're hauling than the truck.
Not even Platinum American Express covers a rental truck, so I doubt if any credit card companies do (VISA doesn't, so what does that leave? MasterCard, Discover? I doubt it). They all cover car rentals as far as I know (I know that VISA does), but none of them cover trucks.
When you say "almost all major insurance companies cover your rental of a truck for moving," what do you mean exactly? Your renters or homeowners insurance may cover the loss of your stuff (but you need to verify that, and you may need to buy a rider), but I am almost positive that neither your car insurance company or your homeowners policy will cover the theft or loss of the truck, and that is my only real concern - theft of the truck.
I care much less about my stuff being stolen than the truck itself. If my stuff gets stolen from inside the truck, or with the truck, my homeowners covers my loss. What I fear is the truck being stolen and me being underinsured for theft of the vehicle.
My guess is that most people have no idea the exposure they incur when they rent a truck, and they assume that the insurance they buy from UHaul protects them against theft of the vehicle, and it doesn't. And the fine print on UHaul Safemove is that if your truck is stolen with your stuff on it, Safemove doesn't cover the loss of your stuff, either, much less the loss of the truck (but your renters/homeowners may cover your stuff, but you need to verify).
Last edited by Westbound and Down; 05-05-2014 at 10:05 AM..
Their webpage at https://www.budgettruck.com/DamageWaivers.aspx states:
"Damage Waivers protect you from certain financial responsibilities for loss (including theft), and damage to the rental truck and towing equipment."
and
"PDW & LDW protect you, regardless of fault, from: All loss (including theft) of, and/or damage to the rental truck, towing equipment, and any other accessories (all of which together are referred to as the “Vehicle”."
Their webpage at https://www.budgettruck.com/DamageWaivers.aspx states:
"Damage Waivers protect you from certain financial responsibilities for loss (including theft), and damage to the rental truck and towing equipment."
and
"PDW & LDW protect you, regardless of fault, from: All loss (including theft) of, and/or damage to the rental truck, towing equipment, and any other accessories (all of which together are referred to as the “Vehicle”."
Thanks for this - it is the one I haven't checked.
Seems odd they offer this kind of damage waiver that covers theft of truck, but the others, notably UHaul, are very sketchy about it.
Edit: the language is exactly as you quoted. I reserved a truck, but I found it strange that during the res process it did not offer me the damage waiver. I reserved it anyway, and I am going to drop by the dealer and ask questions about it. I will let everyone know what I find out. (Price for rental for same dates as UHaul is actually lower). I will also do google searches on this topic.
Last edited by Westbound and Down; 05-05-2014 at 11:06 AM..
Have you checked the prices on any of the 'u pack, we move' providers such as PODS, UPack, etc? You might find that, especially when you include the price of gas and lodging, that it might be as good, if not better deal-- not to mention significantly less stressful, to use a service instead of totally DIY. Just a thought-- hope it helps!
Have you checked the prices on any of the 'u pack, we move' providers such as PODS, UPack, etc? You might find that, especially when you include the price of gas and lodging, that it might be as good, if not better deal-- not to mention significantly less stressful, to use a service instead of totally DIY. Just a thought-- hope it helps!
I estimated I would need at least 4 cubes from Pods, and it would cost twice as much as a truck rental with all other costs considered (fuel, lodging); 4 Pods approaches the cost of going with someone like Allied or Mayflower.
I tried one of the other "pay by the linear foot" trailer outfits (U Pack?), but they would not bring the trailer to my house - I would have to get a truck, load it, and carry it to their facility about 50 miles from here, unload and reload - no thanks to all of that. The load I am carrying fills up a 26 foot UHaul style truck anyway, so Pods and the other deal are not as price competitive as the truck rental. Pods are only sensible if you need 1, maybe 2 cubes maximum, and that is the equivalent of a studio apartment - my place is a 3 BR setup, about 5000 pounds or so (no appliances).
And the number 1 advantage of the truck rental vs UPack or Mayflower is that your stuff is the only stuff on the truck - you are not sharing a truck, or a trailer, with anyone else, and your stuff gets to your destination when you do.
I don't mind the driving of the truck at all; my only concern is the liability I assume if the truck is stolen. That is really my only problem with the truck rental, and if Budget has legit damage waivers that cover the stolen truck, I will pay for it for the peace of mind. I am skeptical about the Budget coverage, but I will look it over and if it passes my smell test, I will do it.
My only other good option is to go with a a long distance mover, and I may do it, even though it will cost at least twice as much as driving the truck myself.
Agreed that PODS can be a rip (they were twice as expensive as Upack for me)-- and unless you can get a trailer delivered to your home from Upack, it's not worth considering.
That said, are you sure you need as much space as you're estimating? 5,000 lbs should covert to roughly 714 cubic feet, which should fit easily in a single POD. To convert weight to cubic feet, divide by 7-- and PODS (if I recall correctly) are 8' x 8' x 20' which is 1280 cubic feet. I'm doing this from memory, so feel free to check both my math and the measurements of a POD. And, bear in mind that there are additional options besides just PODS and Upack.. including ODFL and a few others that are escaping me at the moment.
Agreed that PODS can be a rip (they were twice as expensive as Upack for me)-- and unless you can get a trailer delivered to your home from Upack, it's not worth considering.
That said, are you sure you need as much space as you're estimating? 5,000 lbs should covert to roughly 714 cubic feet, which should fit easily in a single POD. To convert weight to cubic feet, divide by 7-- and PODS (if I recall correctly) are 8' x 8' x 20' which is 1280 cubic feet. I'm doing this from memory, so feel free to check both my math and the measurements of a POD. And, bear in mind that there are additional options besides just PODS and Upack.. including ODFL and a few others that are escaping me at the moment.
You are correct that the weight capacity for some of the PODS is 5,000 pounds. However...
The PODS and UPack Relo cubes available for long distance moves in our market are much smaller, like 8x7x7. And I would need at least 3, maybe 4, to accommodate irregularly shaped and inefficiently packed stuff like sofas. Certain items I am moving (like a 7 foot sofa) would actually limit the use of a POD for much of anything else, too (whereas a larger POD would work better with it).
Interesting to note that the smallest PODS have the highest maximum weight allowance, greater than the larger PODS, I assume because the fork lift equipment that must be used to lift the POD is limited by the footprint of the larger units (an issue of leverage and weight per square foot of the footprint). In fact, as the POD size goes up in dimenions, the max weight goes down. And the larger size PODS appear to be available only for local moving and storage (hence why when I made a request through PODS website it only offered me the cube size), although the kinds of PODS offered may differ in other locations.
If I can obtain a damage waiver or other insurance covering me for the theft of the truck, I prefer the truck rental - it is the most cost effective for me and for my distance, and it is the most convenient in terms of elapsed time from loading to delivery and unloading.
One other issue: if you did move with more than 2 PODS, they will only pick up or deliver 2 at a time because that is all that the flatbeds allow. So especially on the delivery end, if you are hiring people to unload your cubes, you will have to do it on different days...too much of a nuisance for me to consider for my move. With a truck and a crew, it is "one and done" in a couple of hours.
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