U-Haul is about to start renting Peterbilt trucks to the American public, with no CDL required. The company shared a teaser about that yesterday; we now have more details on the vehicle and how exactly you can rent one. The 29-foot beast has over 2,000 cubic feet of cargo area, huge payload capacity and towing power, and a 6.7-liter gasoline engine. In-town rentals start at a surprisingly cheap $49.95, plus mileage.
U-Haul has dubbed its new flagship the EM (for “Easy Mover”), and you can already book one on the rental company’s website. The trucks will be distributed to U-Haul locations in the Greater Los Angeles and Philadelphia markets to start. The rollout is happening now for a logical reason—U-Haul says “almost half of all residential relocations occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.”
We now have a full list of truck specs that we can share. One interesting thing to note is that the truck runs a gasoline engine, not a diesel. Makes sense—this thing is for everyday people to drive, and quite a few Americans have never touched a diesel fuel pump. I once visited U-Haul’s headquarters outside Phoenix, Arizona (many years ago now), and one of the company men told me that gasoline power was a non-negotiable for its fleet—I think it comes down to the fact that the public can’t be trusted to deal with diesel, though U-Haul’s people would phrase that much more politely.
“We wanted to design a truck that fits everybody,” explained Jeremy Donohue, U-Haul Truck Product Director, in a press release about this new truck. “If you’ve never driven a truck, our goal was to remove the adversity, so nothing is difficult. Everything is intuitive. Everything is accessible. Controls are easily laid out. The EM’s features are like every other vehicle our customers drive.”
U-Haul Peterbilt 29-Foot EM Truck Specs
Size
- Inside Dimensions: 29’2″ x 8’1″ x 8’9″ (LxWxH)
- Floor Length: 26′
- Mom’s Attic: 2’7″ x 8’1″ x 3’2″ (LxWxH)
- Cargo Volume: 2,057 cubic ft
- Deck Height from Ground: 30-34″
- Door Opening: 7’9″ x 7’4″ (WxH)
- Loading Ramp Width: 2′ 7″
- Max Load: 11,939 lbs
- Gross Vehicle Weight: 25,999 lbs. max
- Empty Weight: 14,060 lbs.
- Towing Capacity: Up to 10,000 lbs
- Clearance Height: 12 ft
- Passenger Capacity: 3 (including driver)
- Convenience Features: Power windows, power locks, cruise control, air conditioning, disc brakes
Powertrain
- Engine: 6.7L turbocharged direct injection
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Power: 300 hp
- Torque: 660 lb-ft
- Fuel: Regular unleaded gasoline
- Fuel tank: 60 gallons
- Fuel economy: 8 mpg estimated (will vary wildly depending on cargo burden)
How To Get One
- Availability: Los Angeles, CA, and Philadelphia, PA markets initially
- Reservations: through the U-Haul site, app, or select stores
- Starting Cost: $49.95 plus mileage for in-town rentals (pick up and return to the same location)
The main takeaway here is that if you’ve got a regular US driver’s license, you can wheel this bad boy legally. That doesn’t mean you can do so easily. By all means, go ahead and rent one if you’ve never driven a truck before—but for the sake of yourself and everyone you’re sharing the road with, please respect the vehicle’s size and drive carefully. You need to wait a little longer to start your turns than you do in an F-150!
As for the specifics on weight ratings, a little more explanation: GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is the absolute max a vehicle is allowed to weigh, including cargo and passengers, not what the truck weighs empty. American licensing rules say anything with a GVWR over 26,000 pounds requires a CDL. This truck itself weighs just over 14,000 pounds empty. The company building the truck is the body that decides what its GVWR is; that’s why Peterbilt and U-Haul certified this thing to exactly 25,999 pounds. Hence, it’s legal.
Got any good or terrible U-Haul stories to share? Drop me a line at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.