San Angelo U-Haul Says “Don’t Do That” as Snafu Goes Viral

We've all rented a U-Haul truck or two.  Those of us in jobs with a  lot of moving or military families know U-Haul well.  Being a reputable and profitable business, U-Haul makes especially sure the people who rent their vehicle know the rules.  In fact, the rental agreements often have many pages of legal wording.

U-Haul employees like Bobby Hinojosa and Derk Duclos here in San Angelo are careful to go over all the details with each and every person who rents a vehicle.  That's why what happened this week in Washington State is very perplexing.

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Okanogan Trooper Cunningham on State Road 97 at milepost 290 reported a very interesting traffic stop. The driver had loaded his Isuzu Rodeo into the back of a rather small Chevy expressed-based U-Haul van.

When showed the photos, U-Haul employee Bobby Hinojosa was asked for comment. He laughed and then said, "I think its nuts. I don't think it would have ever been dispatched if we had known.  What would they do if they found out someone they rented a truck to did that?  Bobby was speechless. "One thing's for sure, they would definitely NOT get their deposit back", he said.

Experts say, there would be a strong chance of damaging the vehicle that's being moved.  The van would also suffer damage, possibly breaking the van's suspension or powertrain.  Even if the truck were strong enough and that's a very big if, having that much danging from the back of the truck was definitely unsafe.

Bobby Hinojosa agrees. "It's got to be over its workload.  I don't know how he would have held it down".  In the driver's defense, he did have straps, but I wouldn't have wanted to be behind the guy on the highway, and that's for sure.

In the end, the driver was cited with a $139 ticket. He was also driving on a suspended license.

According to Bobby Hinojosa and Derek Duclos here in San Angelo, there's no reason to load a vehicle like that. "Just rent the auto transport and we'll attach it to the back of it. Literally, we have trailers for that". And the best part they don't cost that much. "Not at all Hinojosa and Duclos agree.

So, the next time you find yourself in need of a moving truck, make sure you read the fine print very carefully and if you have any questions, ask Bobby or Derek over at U-Haul San Angelo.  They will get you safely on the road.