Summer is peak moving season, so be sure to reserve your moving truck early.
“Starting in spring and through Labor Day we see our greatest demand for household moving truck rentals,” said Jeff Werner, director of Penske’s rental contact centers. “The law of supply and demand is at play – and that can affect both availability of trucks and prices. We encourage renters to start looking early so they have the best options.”
Gregg Mangione, senior vice president of maintenance, stated that company truck technicians can learn many new things in "our system."
As one of the largest transportation companies in North America, has the responsibility of servicing a 231,600-piece equipment fleet on behalf of its customers.
While an 8,000-person maintenance workforce (representing nearly a third of its global headcount) seems like enough associates to keep trucks of all shapes and sizes running well and on-time, Penske -- much like the rest of the industry – needs more commercial truck mechanics to provide the solutions its customers rely on to keep their businesses moving forward.
The new chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, Douglas White Sr., was recently quoted by as stating: “We’re suffering a severe shortage of technicians today.“
According to an news release, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the industry will need to hire 67,000 maintenance professionals by 2022.
Ron Schwartz, director of staffing services who works in Penske’s Reading, Pennsylvania, headquarters, stated that adding technicians is one of the top hiring needs in 2016 and beyond.
By a conservative count, Penske will onboard 2,000 new technicians by 2018.
Searching Far and Wide to Uncover Talent
To hear Schwartz explain it one of the solutions involves casting a wide net. Talent is available at technical schools, community colleges and in the military.
Just how has the company taken a broad approach? Here are a few ways:
“We have a major need for entry-level technicians,” Schwartz stated. “In some cases, they have come to work for us part-time while attending school and we hired them full-time after graduation.”
There are Careers at Penske
Millennials value being developed and seeing a career path laid out before them. Penske offers the opportunity for techs to increase their skillsets and feature multiple levels based on ability and experience. About 42 percent of the company’s starting level technicians are 30 and younger.
“I don’t think that students and parents understand how big the market is and how many opportunities there are in this field,” said Todd Stokes, Lincoln Tech director of career services & partnerships. “Shop technicians can also go into recruiting and management.”
Just because a technician graduates from a school in Ohio doesn’t mean he or she needs to remain there. Industry opportunities abound in the Southeast and Southwest parts of the United States, which correlates with the .
“We get students from every corner of the U.S.,” explained John Hurd, a WyoTech industry relations specialist. “They attend our diesel technology programs in Wyoming and Pennsylvania and return back home.”
Travis Leybeck is a national strategic account manager for UTI. “It has become clear over the last few years that technicians are becoming more and more important to fleet companies and the industry as a whole,” he said. “Having quality technicians has become significantly more important to keeping fleets running.”
Gregg Mangione was named the company’s senior vice president of maintenance in January. He started 25 years ago as a rental representative and worked his way through a diverse set of management and operations positions with increasing responsibility.
His personal passion for quality maintenance and technology led to the position he holds today, where he is now focused on how to best maintain one of the most modern and technologically advanced fleets in the industry.
Mangione laid out the advantages of becoming a maintenance employee.
“They’re joining a company with the depth and resources to help them build a successful career,” Mangione explained on a recent Friday afternoon from his office. “We’re the kind of company that trains you for success in your job and will train you to take on a leadership role if that is what you’re interested in. Many of our maintenance leaders began as technicians in our company.”
As part of Penske’s multi-million dollar training program, each technician is given about 40 hours annually of training. “If people have the capacity and desire to learn, there are opportunities,” he said.
Learning Today to Keep Moving Forward
Mangione is referring to the Penske Technician Certification Program. TCP is recognized by the Automotive Training Managers Council as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) training program.
This is an opportunity for an associate to ascend up the ladder: they can work toward becoming a lead technician, a branch service manager or a field vice president.
Lincoln Tech’s Stokes goes on to explain that the industry is still battling through the perception that the work of a technician in 2016 is dominated by wrench-turning.
The opposite is actually true and today’s trucks are quite complex electronically. That works out well for the next generation of technicians who grew up with smartphones and social networks.
“The systems on today’s trucks are entirely different than even 10 years ago,” Mangione pointed out. “There were 350 diagnostic fault codes on a truck manufactured in 2004. Now, there can be up to 2,000 fault codes coming off of a vehicle.
“Our business model as a company is that we provide newer vehicles to the customer and that means modern trucks for our technicians to triage and diagnose,” he continued. “Our technicians engage with the newest and leading-edge types of issues from a variety of truck manufacturers.”
In an interview with , Mangione highlighted Penske’s smarter uses of technology.
“We looked at time and motion studies concerning trips to the toolbox and also trips to the PC and to a central printer,” he stated. “We found that 40 percent to 50 percent of their time was spent moving back and forth from PCs or to go to a printer. Why not use a tablet so all the fault codes and supporting information is right there?”
Trucks on the Road Equals Business Success
Technicians do truly play an important role in the success of a multi-billion dollar company like Penske Truck Leasing.
“It is all about the customer,” Mangione summarized. “As their key partner, our customers’ businesses are best supported when Penske rented and leased trucks are operating at maximum capacity. We need good men and women who want the satisfaction of fixing a truck and enjoy the challenges of being in this industry.”
To learn more about opportunities across North America with Penske Truck Leasing
By Alen Beljin
The team at Penske's new El Paso location includes Branch Rental Manager Santiago Vasquez, left, and Branch Service Manager Monty Apodaca.
has opened an additional facility in El Paso, Texas, to provide greater convenience for truck rental, leasing and maintenance customers on the west side of El Paso and in southern New Mexico.
The facility at 4051 Doniphan Park Circle will offer , and truck rental and services.
Penske recently acquired and remodeled the 3,200-square-foot building, which features two service bays and a wash bay. The site is conveniently located just off Interstate 10.
“This additional site will provide greater convenience for customers in the west side of El Paso,” said Penske District Manager Fred Haddad. The company’s existing center is about 20 miles away on the eastern side of the city."
“In addition, this location will enable us to offer late-model trucks and state-of-the-art maintenance services to businesses and consumers in Las Cruces and the surrounding area in southern New Mexico,” Haddad said. “We look forward to supporting the area’s growing transportation needs, which are fueled by cross-border traffic and facilities such as a railroad and intermodal hub in nearby Santa Teresa, New Mexico.”
Consumer and commercial truck rentals are available from the facility at 4051 Doniphan Park Circle Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
Maintenance services for vehicles under contract with Penske are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The phone number is 915-261-1113.
During the six years that we’ve published the Penske Truck Rental Top Moving Destinations list, there have been two constants: our customers continue relocating en masse to the of the United States and Atlanta winds up as the premier destination.
“Our own data, compiled from do-it-yourself moves across the country, mirror the country’s migration and areas of growth,” explained Don Mikes, Penske’s senior vice president of rental.
Penske Truck Rental 2015 Top Moving Destinations
Previous year’s ranking in parentheses
The award-winning list contains no new entries from the . The Phoenix metro area continues moving up the list. They’re now at No. 2 after finishing fourth in 2014 and fifth in 2013.
“We take pride in having been ranked number one every single year the Top Moving Destinations list has been published,” said Kerry Gilbert, Penske’s area vice president for the mid-south, who is based in suburban Atlanta.
“It’s a great place to live and work: there are a lot of attractions here and it’s a major metropolitan area that is in close proximity to the state’s natural areas of beauty,” he continued. “There are a large number of major employers here and it is a centralized area for transportation operations on the East Coast.”
Penske’s list is crafted by analyzing: one-way consumer truck rental reservations made via the company website and the 1-800-GO-PENSKE phone number, and through reservations made at company locations.
Penske Truck Rental is a business unit of . The below infographics contain facts and figures for each of the metropolitan areas.
Be sure to visit to schedule your next move. The site contains a wealth of information, checklists, discounts and moving-related services.
By Alen Beljin
Penske's fleet in Australia includes Western Star, MAN and Freightliner trucks.
Penske Truck Rental is building greater visibility in Australia – both on the roads and on the racetrack.
With demand for its rental and leasing services accelerating, Penske Truck Rental plans to open its fourth Australian location in Adelaide in the second quarter of 2016.
Plus, the Penske Truck Rental brand will take prime position on the DJR Team Penske Falcon at this weekend’s The Falcon will race at Sydney’s Olympic Park from December 4 to 6.
Increased brand exposure at the race is just one way to celebrate Penske’s Australia growth in advance of the opening of the new Adelaide facility. The rental and full-service lease center will be located at 103-107 West Ave. in the suburb of Edinburgh.
“Opening in Adelaide helps us expand our coverage of south-eastern Australia and allows us to service more of the industry that runs through this major transportation corridor,” said Brendan Porter, rental manager – Penske Truck Rental Australia. “Large, nationwide companies that rent with us in one of our current markets will now be able to utilize the same services for their Adelaide depots. In addition, local transport operators based in Adelaide will be able to rent or lease late model year, well-maintained prime movers to support their business.”
Since entering the Australian market in August 2014, Penske Truck Rental has supported over 200 transport companies from its Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane locations. The company offers Western Star, MAN and Freightliner trucks, with models ranging from day cab to B-double, right up to road train rated.
The Penske Truck Rental brand will be featured on the DJR Team Penske Falcon in the Sydney 500.
With on-board telematics available in all trucks, Penske Truck Rental’s fleet in Australia has the ability to deliver comprehensive reports tracking truck and driver while evaluating how well they performed during their rental period.
“We’re excited to take the Penske Truck Rental brand to Adelaide in 2016 and co-locate with Penske Power Systems,” said Adrian Beach, general manager – Penske Truck Rental Australia. “It’s part of our commitment to grow our business footprint through key locations in Australia while helping our customers to build their businesses as well.”
By "Move Ahead" Staff
Penske and Western Star Trucks donated use of a truck to transport Sundancer -- a solar car run by a team of U.S. high school students -- for a race in Australia.
Some businesses will go the extra mile to provide good service. Penske Truck Rental Australia recently went an extra 4,300 miles for a team of U.S. high school students participating in a solar-powered vehicle trek across the Outback. But since this is Australia, perhaps it would be better to say Penske went an extra 6,900 kilometres.
Penske and Western Star Trucks donated the use of a Western Star 2800 to a team from Houston School of Science and Technology in Houston, Mississippi, that was participating in the .
Last May, the was trying to figure out how to transport their Sundancer solar car and gear while in Australia for the October 2015 race. Hassell Franklin, a longtime supporter of the team, suggested reaching out to Penske, since it has operations in Australia. Franklin is CEO of Houston-based furniture manufacturer Franklin Corp., which leases trucks from
Charles Morgan, Franklin’s logistics director, contacted Mike Collier, executive account manager at Collier connected the group with Adrian Beach, general manager of Penske Truck Rental Australia. Collaborating from opposite sides of the globe, they worked with Western Star Trucks to secure a truck and create customized side curtains featuring the Sundancer team logo. That was a big hit when the students arrived in Sydney.
“They were really excited about it,” said Morgan. “They knew they were being welcomed to Australia by good people who work for a good company.”
The truck transported Sundancer and the team’s gear from Sydney to the race’s starting point in Darwin in the Northern Territory. The truck then followed the Sundancer as a support vehicle during its 3,000 km trek to Adelaide in South Australia.
“That Penske truck was kind of the hub for the team and the race program at that point,” said Keith Reese, who teaches technology at the Houston school and serves as an advisor to the team. The truck had compartments that helped to carry the team’s tools, food and camping gear. Reese said, “We were able to organize within the truck, especially from a logistics and competitiveness standpoint.”
The Houston high school team scored a huge success, driving more miles on solar power than any other vehicle in their class!
“It was magical! It was the adventure of a lifetime! If you considered all of the odds and the challenge of it, it’s a place we weren’t supposed to be,” Reese said. “Penske taking pride in making our truck a showpiece – that was part of the magic. It meant so much to us for a company to care about a little high school team.”
Helping to escort the Sundancer team across the continent was familiar ground for the team at Penske Truck Rental Australia – both literally and figuratively. Each day, they provide the resources to help customers get where they need to go.
Penske Truck Rental Australia opened its first location in Brisbane in August 2014. Since then, it has added locations in Melbourne and Sydney. The Australia operation has a fleet of more than 50 trucks, including MAN TGS 540, MAN TGS 480, Western Star 4800 FXC, Western Star 4800 FS2, Western Star 5800 SS and Freightliner Coronado 114. It also provides full-service truck leasing.
To fuel its own expansion in Australia, Penske has been focused on supporting the growth of its customers. One of those customers is Americold, a leading cold storage and distribution company. It started renting two MAN prime movers (known as heavy-duty trucks stateside) in December 2014. The company has since increased to almost 20 trucks, with plans for additional trucks under full-service lease.
Penske has rented a growing number of trucks to Americold to support its growth in Australia.
The prime movers transport freight from warehouses, processing plants and production centers into a large cold storage facility, and then move materials to grocery stores and other end users.
“We offered the ability to grow their fleet quickly and flexibly, with a willingness to think outside the box and deliver a great customer experience,” said Brendan Porter, Penske area rental manager – Australia.
That customer experience includes providing real-time visibility into the trucks’ operations through on-board telematics, said Adrian Beach, general manager – Penske Truck Rental Australia.
“Tracking driver performance and fuel economy was important to Americold, and all our rental and lease vehicles are equipped with systems,” Beach said. “As their volume grew we gave them on-demand access to the GPS functionality and all the performance data. It became an important part of their daily operations and a real value-add.”
“Penske Truck Rental’s support during a period of significant growth and change within the Americold Logistics Transport business was critical to the successful implementation of a number of major projects,” said Debbie Reich, general manager transport ANZ for Americold. “The MAN product is highly regarded by our drivers through its in-cab features, improved visibility and overall driving experience. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with Penske in Australia.”
Penske appreciates the opportunity to support the success of Sundancer and Americold. The company looks to build on its own success in Australia, with new truck options and locations planned for 2016.
By Steve Trapnell
What is the job of a Penske truck hiker? Does that person climb a mountain trail with a knapsack on his or her back? Do they hitchhike across North America? It is actually none of the above. Penske hikers are the drivers who move vehicles from where they are to where they’re needed.
These dedicated men and women can be found in nearly every North America Penske district and at most branch locations.
I love doing this job and I have a lot of fun with my fellow hikers. Most Penske hikers are like me: retired from full-time employment and we do this job part-time. We generally have commercial driver’s licenses, which are known as CDLs.
Penske hikers comply with U.S. DOT and state motor vehicle regulations. We drive everything from light trucks to tractor–trailers.
Here is an example of what I do: when a customer is in need of a 26-foot truck with a lift gate and it isn’t at their local Penske location, I am one of those folks who will visit another Penske facility within the region, pick up the truck, and drive it to where the customer needs it.
I have a standard checklist when picking up a vehicle:
Ralph Stockmayer is a truck hiker for , working in the greater Jacksonville, Florida, area. He is responsible for vehicle delivery and returning vehicles to Penske locations and its customers.
The reasons for hiking vary and can include moving equipment: between Penske districts and areas; from Penske locations to our rental agents; from rental agents to Penske locations for maintenance work; and deliveries to rental customers in a pinch.
So the next time you see a Penske vehicle on the road chances are good that a truck hiker transported it at some point.
By Ralph Stockmayer
Stockmayer is a part-time truck hiker for the company, residing in St. Augustine, Florida. He retired as a full-time sales manager in 2011 after 14 years with Please VisitGocom/careers to learn about becoming a truck hiker.
has completed the first of several grant-related facility modifications to provide maintenance to natural gas vehicles as part of its award from the (MSRC) in California.
In 2014, to retrofit several Southern California locations. Penske buildings in Santa Ana and Vernon are now servicing trucks powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel.
As can be seen in photos of the company’s Vernon location, the maintenance facility received modifications to electrical circuits within 18 inches of the ceiling (top photo), a methane detection system was installed (right) and a new ventilation system (left) was created.
By Alen Beljin
As Halloween approaches, many people enjoy having a good scare. But when you are planning a move, the last thing you want is to hear something going bump in the night – or in your rental truck. Here are a few things you don’t want to say while making a move on Halloween, and some suggestions to avoid a frightening trip.
Why is my engine having issues? Oops –I put gas in my diesel truck.
I’ll definitely be fine to drive under that bridge…
I can easily lift those boxes by myself…
I have to reverse down my driveway with my car carrier attached. That should be pretty easy.
I have pretty good car insurance; they’ll certainly cover my rental truck.
I can rent a truck anytime. I’ll do everything else and then book my vehicle last.
I was going to tow my sedan, but I just decided I’ll tow my SUV instead.
I just want to get there! Pedal to the metal!
I need help but can’t speak on the phone -- guess I’m out of luck.
I am dreading packing my heaviest belongings, so I’ll save those for last.
By Tony Kozuch
President and CEO Brian Hard (l.) with Al Kovach Jr., National President of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Earlier this week, Penske was recognized at the 2015 hosted by the .
The annual event, which raised raised $614,000 from corporate supporters, welcomed more than 400 esteemed guests, including Washington dignitaries, distinguished service members, veterans, friends, and supporters of Paralyzed Veterans.
The honored Mission: ABLE Award recipients were: Booz Allen Hamilton, , ManTech International, combat-injured USMC veteran Captain Derek Herrera, The Jeffrey Carlton Charitable Foundation, and Eleanor Smith and Concrete Change.
The Mission: ABLE Awards honor those individuals and organizations who have dedicated themselves to creating an America where our nation’s disabled heroes are able to fully live the lives they deserve and access what they need most: health care, benefits and jobs.
“We celebrate this year’s honorees and thank them and all of our supporters for their investment in and commitment to our mission,” said Al Kovach Jr., national president of Paralyzed Veterans. “Their active and continued partnership is critical to the continued success we have advocating on behalf of our nation’s veterans.”
served as the evening’s emcee. , gave the evening’s keynote address.
“PVA (Paralyzed Veterans) is a great advocate of veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases—and, by extension, all Americans facing those challenges,” said McDonald in his remarks. He added, “When PVA helps advance research, education, and the civil rights of people with disabilities—we are all their beneficiaries.”
Penske Truck Rental was recognized with The program and its financial support of Paralyzed Veterans’ mission to ensure that disabled veterans have access to health care, benefits and jobs.
President and CEO Brian Hard accepted the award on the company’s behalf.
Penske Truck Leasing President and CEO Brian Hard.
In his acceptance speech, Hard recounted feeling compelled to “do something more” to help veterans after meeting with PVA representatives several years ago.
He also expressed sincere appreciation for the service and unstoppable courage and determination shown by the veterans and active military service personnel in attendance.
Hard further noted that the combined efforts of campaign and a similar initiative from were on-track to contribute nearly $2 million to benefit Paralyzed Veterans of America.
In 2013, The program invites one-way rental customers to donate $1.00 when renting a one-way moving truck. Penske then matches each $1.00 donation. Since 2013, the effort has raised $871,222 to benefit Paralyzed Veterans. Penske Truck Rental has also supported the Paralyzed Veterans Golf Open, Mission: ABLE Awards, National Veterans Wheelchair Games, and Paralyzed Veterans Racing through in-kind truck rentals.
To learn more about Paralyzed Veterans of America and its free programs and services for veterans please visit Watch the video below to be inspired by !
By Randy Ryerson
Penske Truck Rental will be an exhibitor at the that is being hosted by Worldwide ERC, the Workforce Mobility Association. It will take place October 7 to October 9, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. It is billed as the largest meeting of mobility professionals in the United States.
Penske will be at booth 407, where attendees can be advised on do-it-yourself and menu-based moving solutions for relocations. This includes user-friendly options like direct billing and lump sum payments for transferees to make local or long-distance moves.
Penske employees during the grand opening, from left: Jason Schappert, district manager; Eric Clark, area vice president; and Tim Fogarty, area sales manager.
has debuted a full-service facility in Surrey, British Columbia, a Vancouver suburb. Located in the Port Kells Industrial Park, it has , local and truck rental and services. The address is 9558 189th St., V4N 4W7.
The company has hired seven new associates to staff the location, which includes truck maintenance technicians, rental sales and office positions.
“We’re very pleased to expand our service network with this new location in the metro Vancouver area,” explained Eric Clark, area vice president for the northwest. “With the recent improvements to Vancouver’s highway infrastructure this facility is conveniently located for all of our customers.”
Facility highlights:
Katrina Albert of the Surrey Food Bank, right, accepts a donation from Clark, left and Schappert, center.
To contact the truck rental department, please call 604-882-8370. Rental department hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The service department phone number is 604-882-8305 and hours are 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; and from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The local Penske district also made a $1,500 donation to the Surrey Food Bank, to help replace perishable foods lost to a recent power outage. According to district manager Jason Schappert, certain areas lost power for up to three days due to a severe wind storm.
By "Move Ahead" Staff
Determining the quantity and sizes of boxes you need for your move can be challenging, but works with companies like Supply Side USA to help take much of the guesswork out of the packing process.
To make packing easier, Supply Side USA offers customers various . For example, customers can purchase a kitchen moving kit that will include boxes to move glassware and appliances, as well as individual boxes and packing paper to keep fragile pieces safe.
Other moving kits include those designed for apartment/college moves and moves in a 12 ft., 16 ft., 22 ft. or 26 ft. Penske rental truck. Each kit includes a variety of boxes, clear packing tape with dispenser, bubble wrap or packing paper, and a marker. Larger kits contain additional supplies.
When packing, Tim Spicer of Supply Side USA recommends customers choose the size of their boxes appropriately. Many customers tend to use only large boxes and put as many of their belongings inside as possible. According to Spicer, this can be a mistake.
“Do not underestimate the importance of small moving boxes,” Spicer explained. “Consumers often make the mistake of packing large quantities of heavy items, such as books, paperwork and tools, in large boxes. When they finish filling the box, they soon realize it is almost impossible to lift.”
Spicer does recommend larger boxes but for packing specific items. While larger boxes might not be ideal for heavy items, they are perfect for lighter items that take up more space.
“Smart movers will utilize many small boxes for heavier items and reserve the large boxes for lightweight items such as pillows, towels and linens,” Spicer said.
By Tony Kozuch
