United Rentals Etiquette

Have you tried asking the UR guys for help with unfamiliar machine?

 

I don't know anything about operating the machinery or the typical etiquette but I'm really happy to see this posted. You really write nicely and seem to be well thought out.

You're lucky to clear $600.00 a week gross or net? That's pretty low unless you've just got you're CDL or only work part-time, live in a really rural area or something. I know the economy is ####ed but still.


I don't think it's good for the office lady to mess with the time either. I think you should get paid for however long it takes but really maybe they are just trying to keep the customer/contract.. Who knows.. Still not cool she adjusts time.

Sorry I couldn't help with the loading process. You're post was a breath of fresh air I ran across.

 

I don't think he has. I don't think it's because he doesn't want to though.

I think he just doesn't know if that's appropriate which is why he posted this etiquette question. He's curious if it's standard for guys to come in to pickup stuff, and if unsure how to operate to ask for assistance in loading/operating from the UR guys.

 

@Doing_flatbed_nc you don't need year experience for food service. Some of those companies are hurting for drivers and even hire with only a cdl permit.
Sygma Network
Lily
Golden State Foods
Reinhart Foodservice
McLane Company
Sysco
Hadden House
U.S. Foods
May not be on the websites, but they hire new cdl grads & cdl permit drivers.

 

Funny stuff...I got a lifetime of "how the heck do i start its"
Once you master those, you'll have a bunch of "where the f is the parking break?"....I moved a new john deere excavator the other day, and it was either the I or the S that got it moving...all wierd buttons on this unit...

You mentioned the skid steers...I got in one, it already had the seat belt buckled, so i figured "ok, one mechanism down" what else...I got in and out of that dang thing 45 times till 30 minutes later I figured out that the seat belt needed to be unhooked, then rehooked....eeesh!

You mentioned the lifts...I cranked my self all the way to the clouds one day, and couldnt get down...apparently I used the battery power to start the unit to get myself up...Once up there was no power to get down, or start it...looked like an idiot that day!!!! LOL

I think you'll always have these issues...I couldnt shut off a ol cat excavator once, turns out, you needed to reach down and pull back on the gas pedal to kill it...there was a notch/snap like it was meant to be!!! wierd

For christs sake I stopped to help a old man change a tire on his lincoln and I couldnt get the dang tire off the ground with his jack!! Turns out, theres a airbag system overide button in the trunk....Once I found that, the tire just tucked up into the wheel well all by itself....

I think its never ending bud

 

Yep the switch is on the drivers side inside the trunk I own a Lincoln lol

 

I seem to have issues with the really old stuff. First one was an old CAT 250 excavator that was made in Belgium or Denmark. Not a lick of english on any of the buttons. Finally grabbed my phone and found a video on youtube. Then 2 days ago I had to move an old CAT 140 grader. I mean driveshafts instead of hydraulic hoses from the levers. Then I had to fold up the cable operated wing blade. Had to call the boss on that one and even he had to come over and pull levers until he figured it out. First time I had moved one with a wing blade at all so it was new to me.

If you have a new machine to pickup then before you get out of your truck look it up on your phone. Just looks like you are doing your paperwork.

 

An 80-85 boom is most likely going to be a Genie. Just make sure you have both E-stops (the red button) pulled out, The control on the main machine turned to "basket", then you're good to go to drive it. Make sure that whoever used it last didn't leave the axles extended. There is a switch in the basket the extends and retracts the axles- the have to be extended for the machine to boom all the way up and scope out. A lot of times customers will leave them like that when you go to pick one up. If they are you'll know....They will be too wide to load on any standard width bed.
If you need to retract them it is much easier to do while moving the machine (forward or backward, doesn't matter) slowly while holding the retract switch. If they still won't go in all the way, sometimes you have to swing the boom out perpendicular (to the side 90 degrees) and lower the boom and basket onto the ground, to where the boom is actually taking some of the weight of the machine. This will allow you to retract the axles on that side. Once done, swing around 180 degrees and do the other side.

I used to work for a smaller version of UR, and before that hauled OSOW for 8 years, so if I can be anymore help, just shoot me a PM. Good luck!