Test Drive: Penske 26-foot International Diesel Moving Truck

Sometimes, you have to hit the road and sometimes you need to bring ALL of your stuff with you. Over the years, we've found Penske moving trucks to be affordable, safe, and reliable so they were our choice for our most recent move. While professional truckers may scoff at a bright yellow rental truck, it's exciting to join the macho world of big rigs and diesel for a few days at a time. The 26-foot Penske truck is made by International and propelled by their powerful 195 horsepower DT66 diesel engine. Our Penske moving truck had nice new looking Michelin 11R22.5 radial tires with plenty of tread. While more powerful versions of this truck are available for commercial use by professional drivers, driving a Penske Moving truck provides plenty of excitement for an average car driver.

You definitely climb up into a Penske truck. You have two wide metal steps up into the cab. Once you are there, you are rewarded with a comfortable cabin with a wide bench seat. You'll have plenty of head room and leg room. As you drive, you'll find that the Penske truck has very effective air conditioning and comes with an AM/FM radio with CD-player that is difficult to hear over the diesel engine. The cabin controls are sparse and an emergency brake dominates the center of the cab. A cup holder is provided, but it down along the base of the emergency brake and is a bit of a reach. While it can be a little intimidating to drive a large rental truck, it is fun once you make the adjustment to a new perspective on the road.

As a novice truck driver, you do have to make several key adjustments in order to drive a big 26-foot rental truck successfully. With a diesel, you have to plan ahead when starting the moving truck. You have to turn the key, let the instruments settle down, wait for a minute, and then turn the key to crank the engine. On the road, you have to plan ahead when driving and use caution. You have to be aware of your trucks larger turning circle. When you make a turn, you have to turn a lot wider and watch you rear view mirror to make sure that your rear wheels aren't going to hit the curb. When you want to refuel, you have to find a place with diesel and with enough room to maneuver your truck. You have to make sure that you have sufficient overhead clearance before you pull into any bays or drive throughs. The 26-foot Penske home moving truck that I rented requires 12-foot 6-inches of clearance, has a 26-foot load length, and is a full eight feet wide in back.

When selecting a motel, restaurant, or gas station, my wife and I tried to pick places where I could pull the truck straight in and out and where I could take up 6 or 7 parking spaces without inconveniencing others. This is especially important if you are towing a vehicle behind your moving truck. Since you can't see directly behind you, you don't want to back up without someone to direct you with hand signals. You'll also want to find a gas station with diesel, room to pull through at the pumps, and generous clearance overhead. The 26-foot International truck that I rented had a 50-gallon diesel tank and you can go a long way between fill-ups. But, since you need diesel and a roomy gas station, it's good practice to fill up before you get really low on fuel. If you are towing a vehicle, you are also going to want to make regular stops to check to make sure your towed vehicle is secure. One of the tire straps on our full vehicle trailer kept sliding off our car's front tire and it took a few stops to finally get it securely secure.

I'd love to take a big yellow Penske truck to my local drag strip, a skid pad, or a famous road circuit. But, when we moved, we had "a long way to go and a short time to get there" so my driving impressions will have to suffice. The truck seems to have power steering and brakes, but a day of driving a Penske moving truck provides a bit of an upper body work out for the average car driver. The listed gross vehicle weight for a 26-foot International Penske moving truck is 25,500 pounds. In any big rental truck, you simply cannot accelerate or stop as quickly as a passenger car. You also can't turn as sharply. Plus, when you have all of your family's prized possessions in the back and a vehicle towed behind you, you really don't want to make any sudden or jarring moves on the road.

While the International 26-foot moving van is listed as having hydraulic ABS brakes, I didn't drive in a manner that would really put them to the test. You tend to avoid stirring S-curves when you're worried about your television set. You also have to obey any posted speed warnings on highway exit ramps. When I was a teenager, my Dad put a similar U-haul truck up on two wheels when he took a highway exit about five miles per hour faster than the posted speed. Learning from this scary family experience, I was very religious about taking exits at slower speeds. You just can't whip a big moving van around. I'd rate the Penske truck's handling as adequate if you aren't an idiot.

As for acceleration, you really do have to wait for a break in the traffic to pull out. With 195-horsepower, the Penske rental truck has plenty of power to move your stuff, but the big yellow truck is hardly a speed demon. When your truck is full, acceleration is leisurely and you'll use all of an on-ramp and more to get up to highway speed. Since I was also towing a Chevrolet Cavalier on a Penske rental trailer, I used all of the on ramp and sometimes a little more. I'd say it takes between 30 seconds and a minute to get up to 70 miles per hour with a full truck towing a vehicle.

Once you've got the momentum, the Penske truck also governs your top speed with some sort of limiter. While the governor can be frustrating, it also can keep a neophyte driver from getting into some serious situations. With your foot all the way to the floor, the big yellow truck tops out at about 65 to 75 miles per hour. You'll also lose momentum and slow down on hills when driving a Penske truck. Generally, when driving and up to speed, you'll find the speed limit a comfortable and safe place to be. You'll also be frustrated by slowpokes that force you to pass on the highway. With rolling hills and a speed governor, you can't always execute a pass smoothly. With all your worldly possessions behind you, it pays to be patient and take your time.

The Penske rental truck offers lots of room, a convenient loading ramp, and generally seems to be a reliable means of transporting your household goods. While I have experienced minor warning light niggles when first getting a truck in the morning, I'd generally ascribe them to my beginner impatience in starting a diesel truck. However, if a warning light remains lit, you definitely want to swap trucks before you get loaded up. Swapping a hinky truck only takes a couple of extra minutes when you are first renting the truck. That being said, diesels are very reliable and I have never seen a Penske truck broken down by the side of the road. Overall, we were happy with our Penske rental truck and found it very suitable for our move. I also learned a little about a truck driver's perspective on the road and will drive around trucks with a little more respect for a truck's limitations and challenges.

Sources:
Power train and dimensional data from www.penskeusedtrucks.com