For many people, pulling a U-Haul trailer is their first time towing. Now, it looks like U-Haul customers will have the opportunity to gain another new experience: Driving a Peterbilt. The rental company teased an announcement on Tuesday that shows one of those hard-working trucks with a cover being pulled off, and the caption reveals that people won’t need a commercial driver’s license to take one out on the open road.
I first heard whispers about this back in April, when a conspicuous Facebook post came across my feed. Someone shared a photo of a Peterbilt wearing the recognizable white-and-orange livery to the Vintage U-Haul Trucks and Equipment group. Naturally, I reached out to the company’s PR people, who quickly responded, “We will have exciting details to offer you in the coming weeks.”
And here we are now. Judging by the photos, these are Peterbilt Model 535s or 536s—medium-duty trucks whose GVWRs go up to 19,500 pounds and 26,000 pounds, respectively. As soon as a vehicle’s GVWR (or gross vehicle weight rating) reaches 26,001 pounds or exceeds it, a CDL is an automatic requirement. That’s what makes these so versatile.
When a Facebook commenter asked about the legality of these Peterbilts, U-Haul responded, “U-Haul trucks are non-commercial rental vehicles, so they fall within the weight and usage limits that don’t require a CDL.”
Depending on which models U-Haul offers, they’ll likely be available with the 6.7-liter Paccar PX-7 or 8.9-liter Paccar PX-9, both of which are diesel co-developed with Cummins.
It’s almost funny to imagine that some people will be driving these when they’ve never piloted anything bigger than a Corolla before. At the same time, it’s almost scary, too. The largest model U-Haul currently rents to the public is a Ford F-650 box truck that measures 26 feet from nose to tail. We’ll see how it plays out when these Petes finally reach fleets, but as U-Haul said in its announcement, “It’s your favorite moving truck. Just bigger.”
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com