Moving can be a real pain in the neck; not only because of all the packing and goodbyes, but also because of the logistics of it all. Once you’ve put all of your belongings into bags and boxes—and likely realized you have too many of them—you also have to find a way to drag them from point A to point B.

That’s when services such as U-Haul come in handy. You can rent a vehicle or equipment that you need and set off on the next chapter of your life. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, it’s not always as simple as that and these pictures, shared by the Facebook group fittingly titled ‘Uhaul probably wouldn’t like you doing that with their vehicle’, prove it. Scroll down to find some of the best instances of U-Hauls in the wild and see for yourself what an adventure moving can be.

In addition to the pictures, below you will also find our conversation with a professor in the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University in Canada, expert in accident law and automobile insurance, Erik S. Knutsen, who was kind enough to answer a few of Bored Panda’s questions.

#1 It Was Tired. Just Taking A Nap On Its Back

Image credits: Joe Marshall

#2 I Mean, Uhaul Said It Could Move A 2-3 Bedroom House

Image credits: Coal Rudy

#3 Don’t Worry, They’re Run Flat Tires

Image credits: Leighton Wieglenda

“This is a Uhaul memes and fails group,” reads the description of the oddly specific yet undeniably amusing Facebook group. Created in 2020, it covers all sorts of mishaps and bizarre situations related to the vehicle renting service in the US and Canada, typically used when moving.

U-Haul itself was founded back in 1945, when after World War II, Mr. and Mrs. Shoen noticed a need for “do-it-yourself” moving equipment, which allows people to travel one way cross-state when moving households. Back in the day, the couple themselves tried to rent a trailer for moving their belongings from Los Angeles to Portland, albeit unsuccessfully.

#4 I Can Hear This Picture

Image credits: Tyler Atkinson

#5 The Things You See

Image credits: Jesse Jernigan

Since the Shoens’ hunt for a rental trailer to move to a different state was an unsuccessful one, they used their car and took whatever they could fit in it. And on that car ride, the idea for what grew to become an internationally recognized name came to life.

According to U-Haul, nowadays, one-in-five people move every year, 75% of whom are “do-it-yourself” movers. Such movers ensure the demand for this type of a rental service, but they also cause situations that end up on ‘Uhaul probably wouldn’t like you doing that with their vehicle’ and similar groups.

#6 Pole Came Out Of Nowhere

Image credits: Dylan Pierce

#7 My Customers 2 Seconds After Telling Me “I Dont Need Your Stupid Insurance”

Image credits: Arlan Schulze

#8 There’s Nothing Wrong Here, The Uhaul Was Just Thirsty

Image credits: Armando Villarreal Sandoval

Even though accidents can happen to anyone on the road, drivers of U-hauls and other rentals might often get into troublesome situations because they’re unfamiliar with the vehicle.

“Rental vehicles like U-Hauls tend to be larger and more awkward to drive than your typical car or truck that most people have experience driving. Therefore, that makes them riskier to operate,” Queen’s University professor Erik S. Knutsen told Bored Panda. 

“They are larger, move differently, have different blind spots and viewing angles, and are heavier vehicles. People operating them may not be familiar with how to drive them, because they are essentially ‘one shot’ rentals that people may do once or twice in their lives.”

#9 All That Fun For 19.95 What A Deal

Image credits: Toby Schulte

#10 The Hitch On This Pop Up Is Literally Held Together With Zip Ties

Image credits: Zaq Lockhart

#11 Real Life Oregon Trail

Image credits: Alex Maynard

Prof. Knutsen explained that because of the drivers’ unfamiliarity with the rented vehicle, you can expect them to do things they might not normally do. “This would include parking in awkward or dangerous places, driving under overhangs that are too low for a higher vehicle, and difficulty backing up.

“If it is a U-Haul trailer, the art of driving with a trailer is an art unto itself—especially backing up with it,” the expert added. “Many people may be shocked to learn that one must turn the steering wheel in ways they may not expect to get the reversing trailer to go the way they want. This can cause all sorts of unexpected accidents.”

#12 Hope They Got The Insurance

Image credits: Thomas Brasse

#13 Hmmm

Image credits: Caleb Cheatham

#14 Better Hope That Wagon Has Brakes

Image credits: Merlin Watts

Knutsen emphasized that a driver is legally mandated to purchase liability insurance when operating a vehicle in either Canada or the United States. “States and provinces require this because we know that driving is a risky activity,” he said. “Therefore, a driver who takes on the responsibility of operating on a road must have valid, collectible liability insurance in case they hurt someone or someone’s property.

“The insurance responds to the loss so that the accident victim is compensated. Most people, on their own, do not have enough assets to satisfy a court judgment if sued for hurting someone in a car accident. For example, hurting someone bad enough so they cannot work could be very expensive. That is why liability insurance is required to drive.”

#15 So A Guy Drove The Uhaul With The Trailer To Pick Up His New Project Truck Then Decided To Haul The Uhaul Back To Save On Mileage

Image credits: Chris Bowman

#16 Redneck Ingenuity Right There

Image credits: Brett Lindke

#17 Uhaul Landscaping Division?

Image credits: Andrew MacKellar

Judging by the pictures shared by ‘Uhaul probably wouldn’t like you doing that with their vehicle’, it seems that some drivers might act differently depending on whether it’s a rental that they’re operating or their personal means of transportation. (Unless these are some really unfortunate mishaps instead of unfortunate decisions from the driver.) 

The expert in accident law and automobile insurance explained that there are several factors affecting an individual handling a rental. “In insurance, there is a concept called ‘moral hazard’, which is the idea that people behave less carefully if they are insured from a loss. However, people are also expected to be careful and avoid risks to themselves or their property—this is called ‘risk aversion’.”

He suggested that if a driver of a rented vehicle would be responsible to pay in some way if it was damaged—either by having to pay out of pocket or have insurance premiums raised as a result of an accident—they would behave more carefully because of risk aversion.

#18 Maybe Rent A Bigger Trailer?

Image credits: Keith Oaks

#19 Apartment For Rent $19.98 Per Day

Image credits: Shelley Lynn

#20 Hey Must Still Be Inside Because There’s No Way To Get Out

Image credits: Michaela Hartley

Prof. Knutsen continued to point out that ‘moral hazard’ can also affect driver behavior. “There are some studies that point to possible evidence that there is a higher incidence of road traffic accidents if there is no-fault insurance in place. This means that people do not have to sue other at-fault drivers in cases of accidents—they simply seek compensation from their own insurance company for injury or property damage.

“However, there is a flaw in that thinking when driving a car—the driver behind the wheel is at risk of getting hurt themselves. So because people are ‘risk averse’—meaning they behave to avoid risks to themselves and their property—most people would drive safely whether they are insured or not, because they do not want to get hurt.”

#21 Saw This On The Way Out Of U-Haul

Image credits: Richard Deeter

#22 Not My Doing, But Surely A Sight. Allegedly A 06 Dodge Challenger On The Dolly

Image credits: Adam Prater

#23 That Sign On The Front Of The Truck That Says “Weight Under 20k Lbs” Is Totally Lying

Image credits: Quentin Piliero

According to Erik S. Knutsen, it’s not only the time spent on the road that can be dangerous. “Even loading and unloading a vehicle like a U-Haul can be risky,” he told Bored Panda. “People can stack all kinds of things in awkward ways in these vehicles. They can load them unevenly. They can get hurt opening and closing the large doors at the back, or using the loading ramps. All of this involves automobile liability insurance, which covers people for ‘use or operation’ of a motor vehicle like a U-Haul.

“Anything you hook up to a vehicle, like a trailer, is considered part of the vehicle in law and is covered by the driver’s automobile liability insurance, if there is an accident,” he explained.

#24 Rough

Image credits: Joseph-David Previto

#25 All Just Sounds Like A Big Misunderstanding

Image credits: Dawson Briggs

#26 I Guess Uhaul Wouldn’t Like This

Image credits: Anthony Bourque

The pictures on this list show that some people get real creative when it comes to loading U-Hauls. Whether it’s trying to close the gap in the back doors by using whatever it is they can lay their hands on or playing tetris with furniture to squeeze as many of them in as possible and save an additional trip, they might seem like good solutions at first, but can prove otherwise in a matter of minutes.

#27 Surrealism

Image credits: Kyle Harris

#28 Is Now The Wrong Time For Insurance? Asking Fer A Friend

Image credits: Dane Michael Bruce

#29 I Saw This Today

Image credits: Matt Allard

#30 Civic Loaded Up

Image credits: Eric Ennenga

#31 Uhaul New Submarine

Image credits: José Rivera Aguilar

#32 You’re Not Supposed To Park There

Image credits: David Barinowski

#33 Officers Be Squinting At This One

Image credits: Nat Sams

#34 Thats A New Feature For When You Dont Return It On Time

Image credits: Steve Sheldon

#35 Opsie

Image credits: Shawn Bolton

#36 Used As A Hearse For A Funeral Procession. Just Put The Casket Straight In The Back. Thank Goodness For The Low Deck

Image credits: Sam Becker

#37 Moo-Haul

Image credits: Robert Huneke

#38 What A Gem

Image credits: Zack Kirschnick

#39 Sign Is Clearly On The Wrong Side

Image credits: Sean Cowan Sr

#40 Uhaul Brand Ladder System

Image credits: Christopher Buconan

#41 Oh Boy

Image credits: Nick Clark

#42 Honda Civic All Day Long

Image credits: Caleb Hawkins

#43 Cuz Who Needs A Dump Trailer

Image credits: Nibbz Sanchez

#44 The Good News Is, If The Ramps Bend/Break They Will Act As Skis Briefly

Image credits: Michael Fine

#45 Love How The Suspension Lowers The Step So It’s Easy To Get In

Image credits: Daniel Talley

#46 Got Behind This

Image credits: Zach Hi

#47 These Prom Proposals Are Getting Clever

Image credits: Taylor Marie Cox

#48 Thought He Had Enough Clearance To Backup And Turn.. He Didn’t

Image credits: Brittany Brooks

#49 Uhaul Does Not Authorize Using Their Rental To Try And Pull A Train Car

Image credits: Trygve Maakestad

#50 Uhaul Probably Wouldn’t Like You Storing One Of Their Trucks In A Storage Locker

Image credits: James Viita

#51 Heyo You Cant Park There

Image credits: Wesley Swenson

#52 *slow Heavy Metal Music Playing*

Image credits: Nick Orr

#53 That’s A Whole Lotta Confidence In Chrysler Brakes And A Lack Of Physics Knowledge

Image credits: Jacob DeNormandie

#54 If It Fits It Ships

Image credits: Jensen Winters

#55 If It Fits, It Ships

Image credits: Chad Hodgkiss

#56 Sir You Can’t Park There

Image credits: James Betts

#57 Well, They Said It Would Move A Two Bedroom Home

#58 I Mean It Works Lol

Image credits: Johnathon Meulenbelt

#59 The Civic Fit Great

Image credits: Will Roberts

#60 “Can You Just Give Me A Tug From Behind?”

Image credits: Devin Moore

#61 Fully Loaded

Image credits: Mike Bastek

#62 Just Remember, Over And Above All That’s A Ford Flexing It’s Muscles

Image credits: Andy Palmes

#63 Cheap Weekend Getaway

Image credits: Alex Cogswell

#64 It’s Lit

Image credits: Jorge Morales

#65 Nice Tow Rig

Image credits: Jason Napiontek

#66 Hey I’ve Never Seen A Rule That Says You Cant Haul Landscape Material

Image credits: Kevin Tudor

#67 It’s Not Supposed To Have A Sunroof

Image credits: Alexander Joseph

#68 I Think The V-6 Should Pull It Just Fine

Image credits: Austin Hobbs

#69 Seen This Beautiful Civic Tonight

Image credits: Jordan Ymker

Source: boredpanda.com