First year renting a truck

LittleJack · Post by **LittleJack** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 1:23 pm

Given the vehicle pass situation, and given what a royal PITA it's become to tetris my dusty tiny car (Honda Fit) on Sunday, I've decided to rent a box truck this year and haul at least two people in one vehicle, and depending on how well we can pack, maybe three. I'll be renting and returning it in or near Oakland, CA. The thing is that I've never rented a truck for BM before, so I'm hoping for some advice, guidance, etc. From my reading, it seems that U-Haul absolutely sucks, and Budget has doubled their prices, leaving Penske and Hengehold as viable options. Hengehold won't release their Burning Man package prices until June, but the fact they have even *have* Burning Man packages speaks well of them - they know exactly what they're getting their trucks into.

So how much should I budget for the rental? I can calculate gas costs, and my credit card covers all the insurance, so I just need to figure out how much the rental and cleaning after will be.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:51 pm

I sent you a PM

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:14 pm

Do box trucks seat three?

LittleJack · Post by **LittleJack** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:38 pm

I've seen them with bench seats, so yes, at least some do.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:50 am

I've seen bench and bucket seats. More bucket than bench.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:09 am

Yeah, you might want to see if you can reserve a bench seat. And maybe even then have a plan for the third person to get a ride elsewhere.

LittleJack · Post by **LittleJack** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:31 am

This conversation has devolved a bit (on ePlaya? The deuce you say!). I'm looking for advice on guidance on companies worth renting from, costs, cleaning before return, other pitfalls I may not have thought about, etc. Whether I take 2 or 3 in the truck is much more of an afterthought. For example, I may be able to take 4 peoples' stuff but only 2 people, which would free up at least one car for carpooling. However, even if it was just for myself, I'd still value some information about renting a truck for BM.

BoyScoutGirl · Post by **BoyScoutGirl** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:07 pm

LittleJack, if you haven't seen it yet, there is much valuable information in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=35289

FossaFerox · Post by **FossaFerox** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:44 pm

We rented a 20' box truck from Avon last year. They're cool with renting to Burners but they do ask that you clean the truck before you return it (inside and out, including undercarriage). Easily done at a truck wash (regular car washes generally won't work). Keep in mind this most likely means your reservation willhave to be a day longer than it would otherwise since most truck washes are closed by the time you get home and unpack (YMMV).

One thing to consider is that the trucks are expensive, especially once you factor in gas. Splitting the cost among three people will help, but splitting it among 6-7 would be even better. Basically if you can bring a passenger car full of people with all their gear in the truck to help defray the gas/rental costs will help you take advantage of the whole economy of scale thing.

Post by **trilobyte** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:35 pm

We'd rather avoid getting into too many of the financial details and shopping comparisons on the board, but a couple tips to share...

Having rented a truck in the bay area for the event several times, I'd recommend estimating around 750 miles for your trip. We don't make any side trips, but do stop off in Reno for shopping (water, icing up the coolers, etc). Do not plan to actually camp in your truck, unless your truck's rental agreement actually has a provision that allows you to do that (most expressly forbid it). In fact, with it being your first time, take a little time to actually read the rental agreement. And yes absolutely, make sure that truck goes back clean - the rule of thumb with any rental gear is return it in at least as good a condition as it was in when you rented it. One of the reasons the rental prices keep going up is because people have a tendency to abuse the rental agreements, or return vehicles in less than great condition.

I'll also suggest that you should not load your truck up and then leave it parked on the street in Alameda (or anyplace in the city). You don't want to be that person who's truck got broken into or stolen, and in one fell swoop lost all your camp infrastructure and your favorite playa possessions. Load it, then launch. If possible, caravan with campmates in a second vehicle.

Be mindful of the hours of your rental company's office hours, and at least get an idea on how much money it will cost you if you end up returning it a day late. Knowledge is power, and depending on how much or how little that is, you guys can make an informed decision on whether to get 'er done and burn the midnight oil to get back in time, or to extend it by a day so you and your campmates aren't pushing yourselves to the point of exhaustion.

There's plenty of other good information tucked away in threads on this board, you may care to do some browsing and digging. Good luck!

FossaFerox · Post by **FossaFerox** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:33 pm

Watch your truck in Reno as well, if possible. We didn't have anything stolen, but we did have someone tag the side of our truck when it was street parked just outside the Sands hotel. It was reasonably well lit on a busy road so we thought it would be relatively safe. We were mistaken. We lost a ton of time cleaning that off the side of the truck (the prevailing theory being that it would be easiest to get it off while it was still somewhat fresh and that if we let it bake in on the playa we'd be fucked).

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:46 am

We had a bag of costumes and coats stolen in the Sands lot, we'd forgotten to lock our topper. Bastards got my silk cape and Larry's ballgown.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:57 am

A women was stabbed to death last year in the Sands parking lot.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:17 am

Was she wearing a silk cape and a ballgown?

junglesmacks · Post by **junglesmacks** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:34 pm

Stay farrrrrrrrr away from Penske. Far far. They know the game and they'll screw youuuuuuu...

CaffeineGirl · Post by **CaffeineGirl** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:17 am

LittleJack wrote:
So how much should I budget for the rental? I can calculate gas costs, and my credit card covers all the insurance, so I just need to figure out how much the rental and cleaning after will be.

Are you sure of that? Might read the fine print. The credit card car insurance policies I have seen all exclude anything but regular passenger vehicles - no pick-up trucks, no cargo vans, no box trucks. And nearly all of them are secondary insurance that will kick in only after your own insurance verifies they will not pay.

LowePro · Post by **LowePro** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:13 pm

Would suggest a couple tips for a box truck:

Pick up and drop off your truck in 'normal' attire and don't tell them where you're going. Uhaul is pretty bad, but we've used them before in a pinch. Check all your lights and blinkers though, including the license plate lightbulb! And give yourself at least an hour to pick up the vehicle, Uhaul is typically very slow. Reserve early and call the day before the confirm they have it.

When driving into BRC, keep the windows up as much as you can...Dust getting in the window frames is horrible to clean. After you get to the playa, unload your shit from the cab into the box, close and lock the cab and stay out of it as much as possible for the week. This will keep the dust in the cab minimal for cleanup. Don't open the cab during wind storms. You can tape up the window sills w/ blue masking tape and close the AC vents too.

When packing up, wipe or spray off the windows before you get in and roll them down, so you don't deliver a week of dust down into the window frame. Back in defaultia, take it thru a carwash. Pay special attention to the nooks and crannies. Hit the grill, tires and wheel wells too. Take a rag with you to scrub tight spaces and the door jambs. Spray out the cargo box and lightly under the hood too. Then run the heater and A/C on full blast with the windows down to blow dust out of the innards. Clean up the cab w/ a rag and soapy-vinegar-water. Repeat this step a few times. You're trying to make it look like the truck didn't go to the Playa. I'd count on at least 90 minutes for cleanup and $20+ in quarters, a few rags, a bucket, and jug of vinegar. Try to find an un-busy carwash or go at night or early morning. Worth it to get your deposit back!

Several campmates sleep in their box truck rentals with no problem other than mid-day heat. They rig up a curtain rod to hang their clothes and a tapestry to separate the "bedroom" from their storage totes. They rave about how much better it is than a tent.

LittleJack · Post by **LittleJack** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:50 pm

Thanks to everyone for the fantastic advice! I will not be camping in the truck, as I love my camp setup exactly the way I have it. I generally leave the Playa at first light on Monday, and plan to take Tuesday off for cleaning and gear storage anyway, and cleaning the truck will be done Tuesday morning.

As it gets closer, I may very well put out the call to offer gear hauling for a share of the truck rental, allowing others to carpool. Iwill also be particularly vigilant once the truck is loaded.

The Man burns in 220 days!

-LJ

Alixandra4 · Post by **Alixandra4** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:21 pm

Hi all!

I'm going to Burning Man for the first time this year and had a couple questions:

-Where should I get my uhaul cargo van cleaned upon returning to Oakland, CA? Any recommendations?
-Do many people rent from uhaul for the event?

Thank you!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:34 pm

Uhaul has a reputation for cancelling reservations just before you're going to leave.

Alixandra4 · Post by **Alixandra4** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:36 pm

Does this kind of cancelation still occur if you are renting from an obscure location like Concord, Dublin, Walnut Creek, etc?

pink · Post by **pink** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:45 am

Uhaul is allowing BM rentals this year. One of my friends works for Uhaul and she gave me this bit of inside info. And she's bringing one herself for her virgin burn this year!

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:36 pm

pink wrote:Uhaul is allowing BM rentals this year. One of my friends works for Uhaul and she gave me this bit of inside info. And she's bringing one herself for her virgin burn this year!

probably got tired of seeing all those budget trucks making $. Do you know if this regional policay? Just curious...

Drawingablank · Post by **Drawingablank** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:46 pm

When I booked my Budget truck this year the price was way lower than last year - similar to the 2012 rate. I asked why and they said mainly because U Haul will now rent trucks for the burn so they have more competition.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:56 pm

Hey you up there DAB,

I always get nervous right before picking up the truck. Like they may not have it or my reservation is lost (i keep a copy), that some way or another I'm going to be SOL.

Do you suffer from this rare anxiety disorder?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 7:12 pm

Alixandra4 wrote:Does this kind of cancelation still occur if you are renting from an obscure location like Concord, Dublin, Walnut Creek, etc?

I don't think I'd call any place in the Bay Area, or, indeed, in California "obscure" in relation to the burn. Frostbite Falls, maybe, Nebraska, maybe, Walnut Creek? hell no!

Although, that seems a little behind the conversation as it has gone since that post.

pink · Post by **pink** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 12:00 am

From what my friend told me, it's a company policy now. And they apparently aren't jacking up the price either. Just don't bring it back dirty!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 6:07 pm

I looked on the website, and there was nothing there about burning man. Is that a red flag? I dunno.

First year renting a truck

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