U-Box Load Share Named Sustainability Service of the Year

Ecofriendly U-Haul service embraces efficiency, addresses shipping concerns and needed cost savings for families

PHOENIX, Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Box® Load Share, the latest U-Haul® green initiative, has been awarded the 2022 Sustainability Service of the Year by The Business Intelligence Group.

The annual Sustainability Awards recognize organizations that have made sustainable practices an integral part of their business and commitment.

U-Box Load Share offers an environmentally friendly moving solution built on the premise of people helping people. It promotes affordable and reliable residential moves while reducing customer costs, fuel use, vehicle miles traveled and freight congestion on the roadways – thus lowering carbon emissions created during the transportation of household goods.

Additionally, the program supplements the existing truck driver shortage which has led to delayed deliveries and pricing increases.

"U-Box Load Share provides a collaborative service where people already driving a U-Haul truck cross-country, or to another state, can expedite a fellow customer's access to their possessions in a safe, ecofriendly way," explained Sam Shoen, U-Box Director. "This program is consistent with U-Haul Company's longstanding objective to lower costs for everyone using our products and services, while giving thoughtful consideration to our environmental impact."

Arranging for a one-way U-Haul truck customer to tow another customer's U-Box container during their move eliminates the need for a 53-foot freight tractor-trailer to transport the U-Box container to the same location.

This safe, collaborative, and sustainable transport alternative is closely monitored and managed by centralized U-Haul International personnel. When this service is performed, the allocation of cost savings is threefold:

• A discount is provided to the customer renting the one-way U-Haul truck
• A lower shipping rate is provided to all U-Box container customers
• U-Haul can manufacture newer and safer equipment, and retrofit existing equipment with improved safety and convenience features

The Business Intelligence Group award adds to the growing list of accolades for U-Box Load Share. The program was also honored as a PR News 2022 Social Impact Awards finalist in the Community Affairs Organizational Mission category.

"We are proud to reward and recognize U-Haul for their sustainability efforts," said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer for the Business Intelligence Group. "It was clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world."

U-Box Load Share is an attentive response to today's gig economy. It was formed after global shipping delays and interruptions in the supply chain caused slowdowns in customers receiving products, including U-Box containers. U-Box Load Share combats interruptions tied to freight shipping and allows customers to assist one another.

A four-factor vetting process is utilized to pre-select potential candidates before the option of U-Box Load Share is presented to any customer. The offer is always contingent on the customer's comfort and ability to tow a trailer. U-Haul assumes liability for the customer's belongings in the U-Box container when this service occurs.

Socio-Economic Benefits to U-Box Load Share

"Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at U-Haul, from the shared use of our trucks and trailers in the communities we serve, to our repurposing of existing and underutilized buildings for new moving and self-storage facilities through our Adaptive Reuse Program," said Dr. Allan Yang, U-Haul Director of Corporate Sustainability.

"U-Box Load Share is the latest innovation in our ongoing commitment to shared mobility, which enables customers to obtain short-term access to moving equipment as needed, rather than requiring ownership. We are pleased that it is being widely recognized for the many benefits it offers."

Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 186,000 trucks, 128,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 895,000 rentable storage units and 76.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. 

Contact:
Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com

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SOURCE U-Haul