Trucking Poll Reveals Top Rental Factors

When relying on rentals for your business, you have plenty of options. But how do you choose the right partner? To focus on the right criteria, let's take a look at the top rental factors other renters have prized the most.

Research firm Pollfish recently surveyed more than 500 adults who had recently rented a commercial truck for business purposes. Here's a look at three of the most important factors reported by truck rental customers according to the 2016 Truck Rental Customer Report:

1. Customer Service.

40% of respondents said that when it came to the service-related aspects of renting, strong customer service was by far the most prized.

"Things like the quality of a conversation over the phone, the in-person experience renters have when visiting a rental company and how issues get resolved play huge roles in customer perception. So much so that it's the #1 thing customer's point to when deciding which rental truck company to use," the report said, noting that customer service is "the top service-related factor that impacts their purchase decision, far exceeding access to roadside assistance and online reservations. In fact, it was selected four times more than favorable rental terms."

The Takeaway: Some important parts of the rental transaction have nothing to do with trucks. Companies that frequently rent trucks for business say that knowledgeable, helpful, friendly personnel are highly valued and sought after by renters

2. Variety and Condition of Rental Inventory.

You might think that price was the top vehicle concern of rental customers-and you'd be wrong-at least according to the 2016 Truck Rental Customer Report.

The Takeaway: In the competitive world of commercial truck rentals today, customers expect late-model vehicles spec'd for a variety of industries and tasks, with records of consistent preventive maintenance, and reliable assistance with breakdowns.

"When we asked customers to rank the #1 truck-related feature they use to make a purchase decision, they did not pick price," the report said. "Nearly one in three respondents pointed to a company's truck selection and variety as the top truck-related feature. Another 18% pointed to truck durability as their top pick, nearly on par with those who chose price as the top feature."

3. Trip Record Options.

An eye-opening finding in 2016 Truck Rental Customer Report is how seriously rental customers take record keeping.

The Takeaway: Fuel economy, improved mileage, better routing and such are essential to fleet managers as they seek to maximize profits. Companies that rely on rentals expect their fleet suppliers to offer not just trucks, but trip-record options as well.

Record360 said, "Also appearing on customer wish lists were ways to accurately record mileage and gas levels."

While this included commonplace issues like gas tanks not being refilled when trucks are returned or disagreements over damage, the survey found a clear desire among rental customers to be provided with better forms of trips records-including the use of Electronic Driver Logs (ELDs)-by rental providers as part of a comprehensive truck rental service.