Rental moving trucks are everywhere on Virginia highways, especially during the summer months and around the first of the month when leases turn over. U-Haul, Penske, Budget, Ryder. You see them merging onto I-64 and I-264 driven by people who rented the truck an hour ago and have never operated anything that size before. And that is exactly where the problem starts.
These are not professional truck drivers. They did not go through training. Nobody tested their ability to handle a 26-foot box truck in traffic or back one into a residential driveway. The rental company handed them the keys after a credit card swipe and a signature, and now they are sharing the road with you.
When one of these trucks causes a crash, the question of who is legally responsible is not always straightforward. Depending on the facts, fault could fall on the driver, the rental company, or both. This is where the help of a Norfolk truck accident lawyer can be crucial.
Why Rental Truck Crashes Happen
Most rental truck accidents come down to a short list of predictable problems and most of them are preventable.
Inexperience Behind the Wheel
A person who has only ever driven a sedan is now behind the wheel of a truck that weighs 10,000 to 14,000 pounds when loaded. The blind spots are completely different. The braking distance is longer. The turning radius is wider. And if they are towing a car or trailer behind the truck, they are managing a vehicle combination that handles nothing like what they are used to.
None of that is illegal. You do not need a commercial driver's license to rent a U-Haul or most other consumer-grade moving trucks. But legal and safe are two different things, and when an inexperienced driver causes a wreck, the fact that they were allowed to rent the truck without any training becomes part of the story.
Driver Fatigue
People driving rental trucks are usually in the middle of a move. They have been packing for days, they did not sleep much the night before, and now they are behind the wheel for a six or eight hour drive to a new city. There is no federal hours-of-service limit for non-commercial drivers. A commercial truck driver is required by FMCSA regulations to stop after a certain number of hours behind the wheel. A U-Haul driver can legally drive until they fall asleep at the wheel.
That combination of fatigue and an unfamiliar vehicle is a recipe for a serious accident. And it happens more often than most people realize.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
The truck itself is sometimes the problem. Rental truck companies run large fleets, and some of those vehicles have serious mileage on them. Brakes wear out. Tires get thin. Trailer hitches loosen. Lights go out. If the rental company is not keeping up with inspections and maintenance, a mechanical failure can cause a crash that has nothing to do with driver error.
U-Haul specifically has faced lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over the condition of its fleet. When a truck's brakes fail or a trailer comes unhitched on the highway, the rental company's maintenance practices become a central issue in the case.
Who Is Liable in a Rental Truck Accident
This is where a Norfolk truck accident lawyer can make a real difference. Liability in a rental truck crash is not always limited to the driver. Several parties may share responsibility.
- The driver, if they were negligent, fatigued, distracted, or impaired
- The rental company, if the truck was poorly maintained or had a known mechanical defect
- A third-party mechanic or shop, if the truck was serviced improperly before being rented out
- Another driver, if a separate vehicle contributed to the collision
- The manufacturer, if a defective part caused or contributed to the crash
In Virginia, contributory negligence applies to these cases just like any other. If the other side can argue that you were even partially at fault for the collision, your claim could be barred entirely. That makes it especially important to have someone reviewing the evidence early and building your case before the rental company has a chance to bury anything inconvenient.
The Graves Amendment and Rental Company Liability
Federal law used to make it easier to hold rental companies liable for accidents caused by their vehicles. That changed in 2005 with the Graves Amendment, which is part of the federal transportation code (49 U.S.C. Section 30106). Under this law, a rental or leasing company generally cannot be held liable for an accident solely because it owns the vehicle. The driver has to have been at fault, and the company has to have done something independently wrong, like failing to maintain the truck or renting to someone they knew was unfit to drive.
That does not mean the rental company gets a free pass. It means your attorney needs to dig into the maintenance records, the inspection history, and the company's internal policies. If the truck had a mechanical problem that the company knew about or should have known about, the Graves Amendment does not protect them.
A Norfolk truck accident lawyer who understands how these cases work will know exactly what records to request and how to build the case against the rental company when the evidence supports it.
Talk to an Attorney About Your Rental Truck Accident
Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has handled trucking accident injury cases across Virginia for decades. The firm has been representing injured people and their families since 1985, and its attorneys have earned recognition for their work in complex injury cases involving commercial vehicles, rental trucks, and corporate defendants.
If you were hurt in a crash involving a U-Haul or other rental moving truck, contact Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to discuss your case. The firm obtained a $5.5 million settlement for a Virginia Beach family severely injured when a commercial truck driver rear-ended their car at a red light. Call 833-997-1774 or contact us online for a free consultation. Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has offices in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Norfolk, and Chesapeake.
