Originally Posted By: rk1407
Get the insurance! For sure.
+10000
The truck rental place can blame you for the slightest, most miniscule scratch or scuff on the cab of the truck or the side of the box and say it was your fault and charge you big-time bucks. Get the insurance, have the truck rental guy go all around the truck with you and notate on paper any pre-existing damage, scratches, dents, etc and make him sign off on it. Use a video camera and record the inspection if possible. Be very careful with the truck as you have already planned and do the same thing when you arrive at your new destination. Make them sign off on that too, don't just park the empty truck after hours and drop the key in the night deposit box. You absolutely have to CYA on this or you will pay up big bucks. Also keep your own heavy duty padlock on the latch for the cargo door. Keep it locked at all times, until you turn that truck back in at the rental place.
Not trying to sound paranoid here or anything but the last time I rented a truck I also rented one of their hand trucks for moving heavy items. When I was done unloading, I took the truck to the rental place after they closed up for the night, locked the cab doors and went back with the key the next morning. Unfortunately, I had left their hand truck in the cargo box and did not put a padlock on the door. When I went back the next day to return the keys and get my paperwork signed off, guess what? The hand truck was missing and no one at the rental place knew where it was. They automatically assumed it had been stolen, and they automatically blamed me for it. They also were trying to automatically charge some insane price, like $750.00 on my credit card for their missing hand truck. I made them call the Police to come do an investigation, and I also got on their phone with their corporate office telling them the hand truck was in their truck, on their property and I had paid for their insurance that is supposed to take care of every problem that might arise. So sorry, the fine print says the insurance does not cover theft.
I was still on the phone with their corporate office when one of their employees came in from some where and said, "Oh yeah, we took that hand truck out earlier this morning for some other job"...Turned out their own employee had taken the hand truck and not told anyone about it. The rental place was all set to make me pay for that stupid hand truck, and I was mad to say the least. But I should have padlocked the box while the truck was in their parking lot overnight until I turned the keys back in.
CYA and drive very carefully is my best advice. Good luck on your move.
