For Ron Hirth, renting trucks by the day allows him to take on more business during busy seasons —without the investment of purchasing more fleet vehicles. He describes his busiest season as summer, especially the month leading up to the start of school.

“Renting gives me the flexibility to take on the extra work,” says Hirth, owner of Hercules Moving & Storage.

Based in Cincinnati, Hercules Moving & Storage travels to any location in Ohio. His seven drivers put about 10,000 to 15,000 miles on each truck per year. His 8-truck fleet consists of Freightliner and International 24-foot, straight box trucks.

“We currently have seven drivers,” says Hirth. “I will hire more drivers as I get busier. I keep my seven drivers through the slower season of winter and will pick up extra workers in the summer if needed.”

With help from Enterprise Commercial Trucks, Hirth can rents trucks on an as-needed basis to add to its permanent fleet. Enterprise Commercial Trucks has more than 220 North American locations.

“A rental program can help companies optimize their fleet by offering flexibility,” according to a spokesperson at Enterprise Commercial Trucks. “They can run the right size truck and increase or decrease the number of trucks on short notice depending on the business — if it’s seasonal, project-based, or if there are changes in the overall utilization model.”

Enterprise Partnership

Unhappy with his former rental company’s older truck fleet, Hirth first contacted Enterprise Commercial Trucks after seeing one of its trucks on the road.

Providing short-term transportation solutions for businesses like Hercules, Enterprise offers various sizes of trucks including straight trucks, cabover trucks, pickup trucks, cargo vans, parcel vans and stake bed trucks.

“If I have smaller moves that are a longer distance, Enterprise offers multiple vehicles that I can choose from,” says Hirth. “If I don’t need a larger truck, I can get a smaller truck.”

When it comes to rates, Enterprise offers standard daily, weekly and month rates. “We work with our customers to build rental plans specifically based on their business needs,” according to an Enterprise spokesperson.

In Hirth’s case, he has found it best for his business to rent the trucks on a daily rate — where he can pay by the day with no mile caps. During peak moving times, Hirth says he has rented Enterprise trucks for as long as a few months.

“I use them as I need them,” says Hirth. “The nice thing about a daily rental is if I don’t need the truck, I just give it back.”

Additionally, Enterprise takes care of regularly maintaining its trucks during rental periods. For example, when Hirth has rented a truck for a longer period, Enterprise will swap out the truck to service it.

For the most part, Hirth can contact Enterprise and get a truck the same day. “If Enterprise has a truck in the area, they will go get it for me,” he says. Once the truck is available, Hirth’s driver picks up the truck, loads moving equipment (dollies, pads, straps) on board and heads out for a job.

Rent to Buy

Thirty years ago, Hirth started his moving company with one pickup truck. In addition to renting, Hirth has slowly added more straight trucks to his fleet as his company has grown. He has purchased his last five straight trucks from Enterprise Commercial Trucks.

In fact, nearly 70% of Enterprise Commercial Trucks’ light- and medium-duty vehicles are sold back to business owners, according to the company.

Once he purchases a new truck, Hirth adds the Hercules Moving & Storage logo, website and phone number onto the truck’s exterior. Featuring a muscle man, Hercules’ logo has helped Hirth’s marketing efforts.

“If my need is great enough, I just buy the trucks out of Enterprise’s fleet,” says Hirth. “They have trucks for sale all the time. Enterprise trucks are low mileage, well-maintained and in good shape.”