From its inception in 1945, U-Haul relied on local business owners becoming trailer rental “agents” (called U-Haul Dealers today). In fact, if a person was moving to a location that didn’t already have an established U-Haul Dealership, they were asked to drop off the trailer at a local service station and give the owner a packet of information explaining how to become a U-Haul Dealer.
Nowadays, such an act of trust would be unthinkable. But in 1948, it paid off. After only nine years in business, U-Haul opened its 1,000th U-Haul Dealership on April 26, 1954.
May 1954 U-Haul News Article on 1000th Dealer
According to an old issue of the Company’s internal news publication, U-Haul News, the 1,000th U-Haul Dealer was Floyd O. Britting in El Dorado, Kansas. Neither he nor U-Haul Team Member Tom Neibergall were aware of the significance of the “Rental Agent’s contract” when they signed it. But, they soon found out when the May 1954 U-Haul News arrived in their mailboxes.
Today, U-Haul Dealers are the still backbone of the Company, though the numbers have grown significantly. With more than 17,900 dealerships, U-Haul is able to offer moving and self-storage services to every community across North America.
Have you rented a truck or trailer from a U-Haul Dealer? Are you a U-Haul Dealer? Tell us what you love about renting from or being a U-Haul Dealer in the comment section below.
