How many U-Haul accidents are there?
In 2014, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported there were 145 fatal crashes involving daily rental trucks and 963 trucks in serious crashes, with the following statistics:
- 44% of the fatal crashes were attributed to the person driving the rental truck or trailer.
- Another driver, weather conditions, or another vehicle caused 56% of the fatal crashes.
- 55% of serious crashes were caused by the truck driver.
- The rental truck or trailer was determined to be the cause of 6% of serious crashes.
- 45% of serious crashes were caused by another driver, weather conditions, or another vehicle.
What are the dangers of U-Haul vehicles and trailers?
There are four common dangers associated with U-Haul vehicle and trailer accidents. Being aware of these dangers and how they occur can help keep them from happening:
- Inexperienced Drivers
- Oversized Loads/Improper Packing
- Infrequent Maintenance
- Rigid Rental Periods
Inexperienced Drivers
Anyone with a driver’s license can rent a U-Haul truck. In most states, including Florida, drivers must be at least 16 years old to rent a trailer or 18 years old to rent a truck. Unlike commercial vehicles, where drivers need a commercial driver’s license, you need no formal training to rent from U-Haul, nor does U-Haul provide any training for inexperienced drivers.
The company may provide an overview of how to operate the truck or connect the trailer, but that is the extent of the offered instruction. It is up to the driver to try and figure out how to load the truck or cargo trailer or tow a vehicle.
Additionally, not all U-Haul trailers have brakes on them. Instead, they rely on the vehicle’s brakes to stop the trailer. This increases stopping distances which most inexperienced drivers do not account for, causing them to get into an accident or lose control of the trailer.
Oversized Loads/Improper Packing
Many people want to save as much as possible when in need of a moving truck. Therefore, they will try to pack all their belongings in an undersized truck.
Unfortunately, this causes the truck to be overloaded, weighing it down. This makes driving and controlling the truck harder, which can lead to accidents.
Improper packing is another major issue for U-Haul accidents. Items needed to be loaded correctly to ensure the weight is evenly balanced. Otherwise, there is a risk of things shifting and moving during transportation. When this happens, the center of gravity on the truck moves unexpectedly and could lead to the driver losing control of the vehicle or flipping it over.
Cargo trailers also can be loaded incorrectly or too full. Either situation makes it more difficult to control the vehicle and trailer. In addition, U-Haul does not verify personal vehicle towing limits and frequently rents out trailers that are too heavy, increasing the dangers to the driver.
Furthermore, many people do not check their vehicle’s owner’s manual on the trailer weight limits. Vehicle manufacturers establish these weight limits to ensure the vehicle is not overloaded and to reduce the risks of accidents.
Infrequent Maintenance
U-Haul is notorious for continuing to utilize a lot of older vehicles with hundreds of thousands of miles on them. While the company says they perform regular maintenance on all their trucks and trailers every 5,000 miles, most of their fleet tends to fall through the cracks.
Part of this problem is numerous franchise locations throughout the country. You can pick up a vehicle in one location and drop it off at another. This makes it difficult to determine which trucks and trailers actually need maintenance.
Rigid Rental Periods
Another issue that can increase U-Haul accidents is the company’s rental periods. U-Haul trucks and trailers are rented by the day. There are no partial hourly rates. As such, renters will often attempt to get their stuff moved within their rental period to avoid late fees and having to pay for additional days.
Speeding in a U-Haul truck or when towing a trailer increases the risks of losing control and causing an accident. In addition, when the truck or trailer is overloaded or not loaded correctly, speeding and maintaining control of the U-Haul becomes even more dangerous.