U-Haul Technical Center and Test Track

U-Haul Tech Center Test Track circa 1977.

Opened in June 1970, the U-Haul Technical Center in Tempe, Arizona, is the source of many of the Company’s product innovations and advancements. In its early days, 84 people occupied the Tech Center, which was designed to be a headquarters for the Company’s shops and manufacturing facilities. Today, there are more than 300 Tech Center Team members with the mission to research, design, test, manufacture and sustain U-Haul products and equipment.

In 1977, to further our extensive product testing, a 1.25-mile test track was opened at the Tech Center. The track included various sections engineered to measure equipment performance in areas including braking, durability, stability and maneuverability. Equipment was rigorously tested under conditions simulating the most severe conceivable conditions of customer use and road environments until later in the 1980s when the land was sold.

One of many research tests conducted at the Tech Center in 1981 assessed the strength of the U-Haul coupler. As you can see by the photo, the connection was very secure. (Also, it’s just a really cool picture!) Tests like these are vital to the design of reliable and durable U-Haul equipment, and still happen to this day.

Since its start, the Tech Center has added a repair shop, rental center and manufacturing plant, making it truly unique. In addition to that, the Tech Center has masterminded many products and tools specific to making moving easier for our customers.

In fact, U-Haul currently holds 74 patents in the U.S. and Canada, 55 of which were Tech Center inventions. In addition to that, the Tech Center currently has 15 pending patent applications.

Fun fact: The first U-Haul patent was awarded in 1961 for the Posi-Lite Wire Connector.

This constant drive to improve our equipment is central to our primary service objective: To provide a better and better product and service to more and more people at a lower and lower cost.

What do you want to know about U-Haul? Let us know in the comment section below.

College Move-Out Survival Guide: What You Need (and What You Don’t)

The end of the school year is here. Whether you are a graduating senior or completing your freshman year, there are many things on your mind: finals week, saying goodbye to friends, job hunting, and the emotions of leaving campus and disrupting your daily norm. It is...

Earth Day 2026: At U-Haul, Every Day Is Earth Day

The 56th annual observation of Earth Day occurs on April 22 with the theme "Our Power, Our Planet." U-Haul proudly celebrates this. But sustainability isn’t a once-a-year talking point for our teams. It’s a business model that predates the modern...

history hitch milestones test track trailers U-Haul Tech Center

What’s New

U-Box Load Share Named Best Sustainability and Climate Protection Service of 2026

U-Haul® has won the Gold Stevie®, the top honor from the American Business Awards, for the numerous customer and climate benefits created by the highly regarded U-Box® Load Share program. U-Box Load Share was awarded the top Sustainability and Climate Protection...

College Move-Out Survival Guide: What You Need (and What You Don’t)

The end of the school year is here. Whether you are a graduating senior or completing your freshman year, there are many things on your mind: finals week, saying goodbye to friends, job hunting, and the emotions of leaving campus and disrupting your daily norm. It is...

30 Days Free Storage Offer to Displaced Residents of Tulsa Apartment Fire

U-Haul® is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container use at three Company facilities in Tulsa for residents displaced by a major apartment fire that tore through the Sheridan Pond Apartments complex on Thursday morning. The Tulsa Fire Department was...

U-Haul Volunteers Serve Dinner at Andre House in Phoenix

Seven U-Haul® volunteers shared a portion of their day on April 23 preparing food and then serving dinner to the at-risk and homeless community just south of downtown Phoenix at Andre House. U-Haul partners with many local nonprofits like Andre House, a highly...

U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free U-Box Storage after Tornado Hits Enid

U-Haul® is offering 30 days of free U-Box® portable storage container use at two Company facilities for residents of the Enid community and Vance Air Force Base after a devastating tornado swept through the region Thursday night. A large tornado...

Earth Day 2026: At U-Haul, Every Day Is Earth Day

The 56th annual observation of Earth Day occurs on April 22 with the theme "Our Power, Our Planet." U-Haul proudly celebrates this. But sustainability isn’t a once-a-year talking point for our teams. It’s a business model that predates the modern...

Wildfire Evacuees: U-Haul Offers Disaster Relief at 49 Stores in Florida, Georgia

U-Haul® is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container use at 49 Company facilities across most of northern Florida and southeast Georgia to residents impacted by the multiple wildfires burning across the region. Homes and personal property are at risk...

U-Haul International President J.T. Taylor Honored with TRALA’s Legacy Award

John “J.T.” Taylor, longtime President of U-Haul International, has been presented the Truck Renting and Leasing Association’s (TRALA) Steve Lawrence Legacy Award. TRALA honored Taylor during the closing dinner of its annual national meeting on April 15 in Scottsdale....

More Than a Race: The Conversations That Define Pat’s Run

A firsthand account of Pat’s Run from U-Haul intern and Cronkite School student Peter Bishop. Pat’s Run honors former Army Ranger, NFL standout and Arizona State University alumnus Pat Tillman, who died in 2004, while raising money for the Pat Tillman Foundation — an...