Package Delivery Companies Using Rental Trucks To Beat Holiday Rush
VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — Some package delivery companies are turning to rental trucks to help with the holiday rush.
At the UPS customer center in Van Nuys, drivers filled up their company's own brown trucks as well as Budget or U-Haul rental trucks with packages for delivery.
"They're shipping so much that they don't have enough vehicles. So they came to us," U-Haul dealer Edgar Pleitez said he has rented out 13 of his fleet of 15 trucks.
He said that is largely because delivery companies had reserved them for the entire month of December, and he is pleased.
"It's been magnificent because it gives us more business. Keeps us busy," Pleitez said.
UPS estimates mail traffic is up by double digits from last year.
Spokeswoman Kara Ross said: "Ever since the rise in e-commerce, we have deployed rental vehicles as a cost effective method to flex our delivery fleet."
Workers are also using bicycles to deliver packages like the way Santa Claus tows his sleigh.
While UPS will not disclose how many bicycles or rental trucks the company uses, Pleitez said the company did not ask for specials discounts.
"They pay us the same as everyone else. It's fantastic," Pleitez said. "I wish the whole year was like this for us."
