10/15/2026
I’ve had this happen several times with U Haul rentals, so I thought I’d explain how the drop off process works and maybe save somebody a little aggravation along the way.
Let’s say you rent a U Haul truck in another city or state and plan to bring it back home to Pikeville, or wherever you happen to live. Most of the time, the dealer will receive a list of four locations you can choose from for your drop off.
Now, if the dealer right down the street from your house isn’t on that list, we can select what’s called “Customer Not Sure.” That simply means you’ll decide where to drop it off once you get to your destination.
Here’s where things can get a little interesting.
Most of the time, U Haul’s traffic department will look at the rental and assign a drop off location if one hasn’t been selected. Our traffic department is in Louisville, while the other part of the state is handled out of Nashville. I know, go figure. Places like Somerset and Bowling Green fall under the Nashville district.
Now, these folks are doing their jobs, but they’re looking at a map from somewhere else. They don’t necessarily know where your house is, which road you live on, or whether you’re closer to one dealer than another. They pick a location, and off you go.
Well, maybe not so fast.
Sometimes you’ll get a text telling you to drop the truck off at a location 15 or 20 miles away, even though there’s a dealer practically in your backyard. And that can mean an extra 30 or 40 miles round trip, more gas, and more time spent driving when you’ve already got enough to do.
I’m going to go ahead and tell you something. You don’t necessarily have to drive all that way just because you received that text.
All U Haul dealers accept trucks, but trailers are a different story. Some dealers accept them and some don’t. There can also be situations where U Haul directs a rental to a particular location because of another reservation or equipment needs.
So what should you do if you get one of those messages and the assigned drop off location doesn’t make sense for you?
You can call U Haul, or better yet, call the dealer closest to where you want to drop it off. That dealer can contact the traffic department and ask them to move the rental to the more convenient location.
That’s exactly what I did yesterday. I made a call to see if we could get a rental moved so the customer wouldn’t have to drive all that extra distance unnecessarily.
Sometimes all it takes is a phone call from somebody who knows the area.
Folks, somebody sitting at a desk with a map might know where Pikeville is, but they may not know Upper Chloe from Lower Chloe or Ivy Creek from Toms Creek. Around here, those little details can make a mighty big difference in how far you have to drive.
And just so you know, every U Haul dealer has an entity number. Mine is 22441.
So if you’re traveling, renting a truck somewhere else, and find yourself in a bind over where you’re supposed to drop it off, give me a call. I may be able to help get things straightened out with the traffic department.
My goal is to help take some of the frustration out of moving. You’ve already got enough to worry about without being sent on a little sightseeing tour of Eastern Kentucky just to return a rental truck.
Thank you for supporting my U Haul business here in Coal Run. I’ve been doing this since September 24, 1998, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that sometimes a little local knowledge and a phone call can save you a whole lot of trouble.
Y’all have a good one, and remember, there’s usually a better way than driving an extra 30 miles just because somebody looking at a map told you to!
