Rental Trucks: dimensions & payload capacity
Interior cargo dimensions, volume, and payload for every common self-serve rental truck from Penske, U-Haul, and Budget, 10 ft to 26 ft, in one sortable table.
Interior cargo dimensions in inches; payload is maximum cargo weight, not gross vehicle or gross container weight. Figures are the published specifications of the manufacturer, carrier, or standards body linked on each row, and vary by make, model, and year. Treat them as planning numbers and confirm the specific unit before you load it.
About these numbers
Every figure here is an interior cargo-box dimension, the usable space you actually load, captured from each rental company's own published spec pages. The size in the truck's name, 12 ft or 26 ft and so on, refers roughly to the cargo box length, not the overall vehicle length once the cab is included. Payload is the maximum cargo weight, which is what matters for load planning, not the gross vehicle weight. Production managers, movers, and anyone planning a one-way rental use these numbers to lay out a load, estimate how many cases or pallets will fit, and decide between a 16, 20, and 26 foot truck before committing to a reservation. The three are close but not identical: at the 26 ft class Penske publishes 311 x 97 x 103 in, U-Haul 314 x 97 x 99 in, and Budget 312 x 97 x 97 in, and payload ranges from about 9,180 lb to 12,859 lb across the same nominal size. That payload spread is usually the deciding factor once you are loading anything dense. The rental companies themselves note that specs are representative and vary by make, model, and year, so treat these as planning numbers and confirm the specific truck at pickup. Each row links to its source page.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the interior dimensions of a 26-foot rental truck?
- A 26-foot box truck has roughly 26 feet of interior length, about 8 feet of width, and 8 to 8.5 feet of height, for around 1,700 cubic feet of cargo space. Penske's 22-26 ft box truck measures about 311 x 97 x 103 in, U-Haul's 26 ft truck about 314 x 97 x 99 in, and Budget's 26 ft truck about 312 x 97 x 97 in. Payload runs from roughly 9,000 to 12,800 lbs depending on the company and chassis.
- Which rental truck is the largest?
- Across the common non-CDL self-serve fleet, the 26-foot box trucks are the largest, at roughly 1,680 to 1,700 cubic feet. Penske, U-Haul, and Budget all offer one, and their interior dimensions are within a few inches of each other.
- Do I need a CDL to drive these trucks?
- No. Every truck on this page is part of the self-serve, consumer-rentable fleet and is designed to be driven on a standard license. They are built to stay under the gross-vehicle-weight threshold that would require a commercial driver license. Always confirm with the rental company, since weight rules vary by state.
- Are these the interior cargo dimensions or the exterior truck length?
- These are interior cargo-box dimensions: the usable space you actually load. The "12 ft" or "26 ft" name refers roughly to the cargo box length, not the overall vehicle length, which is longer once you include the cab.
- How accurate are these numbers?
- They come straight from each rental company's own published spec pages and are captured as listed. The companies themselves note that figures are representative and vary by make, model, and year, so treat them as planning numbers and confirm the specific truck at pickup. Each row links to its source page.
- How do I plan a load for one of these trucks in Truck Packer?
- Import the truck straight from this library into your Truck Packer container inventory, then drag your cases and gear in to see a 3D load plan before pickup. Pair this with the case libraries in the manufacturer library to plan an entire truck without a tape measure.
