Essential Features To Look for in a Commercial Rental Truck
A commercial rental truck is more than a vehicle that keeps your business moving. It’s also your driver’s home away from home while on the road. Whether you’re making local deliveries to pharmacies or transporting retail goods across the country, you’ll want your ride to be as comfortable as possible. That’s why selecting the right features is just as important as choosing the right size truck.
But which features are essential in a commercial rental vs. those that are just nice to have? Read on to explore the non-negotiables and discover how certain enhancements can keep you safe, save you money, and make loading and unloading a breeze.
Start With the Basics
Let’s get the basics out of the way first. When you choose a commercial rental from Penske, these features are standard:
- Air conditioning so you can ride in comfort
- Power steering for smooth and safe handling
- AM/FM stereo and AUX or USB input so you can listen to music or podcasts while you drive
- An automatic transmission so you don’t need to know how to drive a stick shift
- Anti-lock brakes for safer stops
- Dual-faced mirrors so you can see more of the road ahead and behind
Choose the Best Truck Features To Meet Your Business’s Needs
Now that you know the baseline features in a commercial rental truck, it’s time to customize your vehicle to meet your specific requirements. Here’s a comprehensive list of amenities available on different types of rental vehicles.
Lift gates
A lift gate is essential if you’re hauling heavy pallets, crates or furniture. It’s a powered platform at the rear of the truck that raises and lowers freight from the cargo bed to the ground. Hydraulic liftgates help reduce heavy lifting, easing the physical demands of moving large and awkward-size cargo. They’re also helpful if your job involves frequent stops, curbside deliveries and a tight schedule. Liftgates are standard on Penske refrigerated trucks, 16 and 18 foot cabover trucks, 22 to 26 foot box trucks and 24 to 26 foot flatbed trucks.
Shelves, high roofs & side cargo doors
These cargo van features help you customize your commercial rental vehicle to meet your needs. Delivery vans with built-in shelves offer 400 cu. ft. of loading area, perfect for last-mile deliveries. High-roof cargo vans provide extra headroom and storage space. And cargo vans with both rear and side doors make it easy for drivers to deliver packages rapidly, saving steps and easing wear-and-tear on joints.
Refrigerated compartments
Maintaining the cold chain is critical for industries like pharmaceutical and grocery, which routinely transport temperature-sensitive goods. Refrigerated trucks and trailers come equipped with built-in cooling along with the latest safety and compliance features. Penske rigorously maintains all its refrigerated trucks. Each unit is built to meet Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) guidelines, so your cargo stays fresh across every mile.
Telematics systems
Telematics systems use GPS and sensor technology to gather data, helping fleets operate more efficiently and effectively. Commercial rental vehicles from Penske include telematics devices that automatically capture data from the vehicle and provide insights. Fleet managers can access their Commercial Rental fleet information via Fleet Insight™.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Driver assistance technologies help lower the risk of accidents while keeping the driver in full control of their commercial rental vehicle. Here are some of the top ADAS features to look for.
Active driving assistance
Assists with vehicle acceleration, braking and steering. Some systems are limited to specific driving conditions. The driver is responsible for the primary task of driving.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
Assists with acceleration and/or braking to maintain a prescribed distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front. Some systems can come to a stop and then resume speed.
Automatic emergency braking (AEB)
Detects potential collisions while traveling forward, provides forward collision warning, and automatically applies the brakes to avoid or lessen the severity of impact. Some systems include pedestrian or other object detection.
Blind spot warning
Detects vehicles to the rear in adjacent lanes while driving, and alerts the driver to their presence.
Forward collision warning
Detects an impending collision while traveling forward and alerts the driver. Some systems include pedestrian or other object detection.
Lane departure warning (LDW) / lane keeping assist (LKA)
Work by either monitoring a vehicle’s position within the driving lane and alerting the driver as the vehicle approaches or crosses lane markers (LDW) or by assisting with steering to maintain the vehicle within the driving lane (LKA).
Many of our medium-duty trucks and tractors benefit from the newest technology, including standard collision mitigation systems, active brake assist, side object detection, adaptive cruise control, stability control, lane departure warnings and more.*
Eco-friendly features
Businesses seeking sustainable commercial rental solutions can choose an electric cargo van. Quiet and agile in heavy traffic, electric vans emit zero tailpipe emissions and reduce fuel costs. High-roof electric cargo vans from Penske have an estimated range of more than 100 miles.
Free apps
In most cases, commercial rental drivers must abide by Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. That’s where free apps come in handy. Penske Driver™ is an ELD-compliant app that meets the electronic logging device mandate for rental trucks operating in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to tracking HOS, drivers can use the app to submit 24/7 roadside assistance requests, send digital fuel receipts, and find nearby rental, service, parking, and fueling and charging stations.
How To Choose the Commercial Rental Truck Features You Really Need
When selecting commercial truck rental features, begin with the fundamentals: the cargo you’ll be hauling and the route you’ll be traveling. Once you know the must-haves, start layering in the nice-to-haves. Consider:
- How long you will use the truck (short-term or long-term)
- The type of deliveries you will make (local, regional, cross-country)
- How often you’ll need to access your load
- Who will be driving the truck (experienced driver, new driver)
- Types of potential risks on the road (city vs. highway driving)
- Cost and sustainability
A smart way to know which rental features matter most is to try one commercial rental vehicle first and then analyze what worked well and what didn’t. You can then use this information to refine your feature list for the next rental and zero in on the perfect truck.
The Bottom Line for New Renters
Renting a vehicle with more features will pay off in the long run if it helps you make faster deliveries, reduce downtime, lower the risk for accidents and make your drivers happier.
If you have any questions about commercial truck rental features, your Penske advisor will be happy to answer them and point you in the right direction. Want to learn more about the features on specific Penske vehicles? See our full lineup.
*While many vehicles will have some form of collision mitigation systems, the presence of such systems cannot be guaranteed. Please check with Penske at the time of rental.
Safety technology descriptions sourced from: AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, National Safety Council, 2019.
While many vehicles will have some form of collision mitigation systems, the presence of such systems cannot be guaranteed. Please check with Penske at the time of rental.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need a truck with a power lift gate?
A lift gate is essential if you’re hauling heavy or bulky cargo, such as pallets, crates, furniture or precious artwork. Lift gates are especially useful if the delivery location does not have a loading dock. Power gates make loading and unloading faster and safer, reducing injuries and downtime.
Are electric vans available for commercial rental?
Yes. Penske offers high-roof electric cargo vans with zero tailpipe emissions. Our electric vehicles are quiet and can travel more than 100 miles per charge. They’re ideal for city deliveries and for companies that want to make sustainability a priority.
