All U-Haul trucks have Arizona license plates. Here's why

Adam Terro and Brock Blasdell, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
U-Haul International has had its headquarters in Phoenix since 1967.
U-Haul International has had its headquarters in Phoenix since 1967.

A shooting in a Brooklyn subway on Tuesday morning brought police to an abandoned U-Haul in search of a suspect. The rental vehicle has an Arizona license plate, but the company says the van was not leased out of the state.

This has left many curious onlookers with one question: Why do all U-Haul rentals have Arizona plates?

Is U-Haul based in Arizona?

Yes. The U-Haul company headquarters is located in Phoenix, where the company registers all of its fleet of vehicles.

"U-Haul International has been headquartered in midtown Phoenix since 1967," Jeff Lockridge, manager of media and public relations for U-Haul International, said.

Why are U-Haul trucks registered in Arizona?

U-Haul uses a vehicle registration system called the International Registration Plan or IRP. The program allows for companies across Canada and the United States to register their vehicle fleets in one location while still paying the appropriate fees to the places their vehicles are used.

All U-Haul rentals have Arizona plates because of IRPs — vehicles registered this way are given one license plate from the state in which they are registered. In U-Haul's case, that's been sunny Arizona since the late '60s.

By using this form of registration, the jurisdiction which U-Haul pays fees to is responsible for then sending money owed to other jurisdictions where U-Haul trucks may be operated.

"Such a vehicle, so far as registration is concerned, may be operated both interjurisdictionally and intrajurisdictionally," Lockridge wrote in a statement.

How old do you have to be to rent a U-Haul?

According to the U-Haul website, customers must be at least 16 years old to rent trailers and at least 18 years old to rent a truck.

All customers must provide a government-issued driver's license.

Can you take a U-Haul anywhere in the country?

U-Hauls are able to be reserved and taken from Phoenix to anywhere within the U.S. and Canada where they operate. Prices vary depending on the length of travel, but reservations can be made by customers without any additional paperwork or information beyond destination location.

Reach breaking news reporter Adam Terro at adam.terro@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's why all U-Haul vehicles have Arizona license plates