“Penske Yellow” it was once such an iconic color that it was an automotive paint name. Its trucks, painted in its signature color, were so recognizable that they were a major part of the company’s branding. Forbes wrote, “You can hardly leave your house without spotting an iconic yellow Penske truck.” The company’s community outreach branch even claimed, “Penske’s bright yellow trucks are a beacon of hope when disasters strike.” And the Penske NASCAR racing team paints its car yellow. But motorists have noticed that many of the Penske rental trucks you see on the road today are white. And the reason may be financial. But honestly, no one knows for sure.

A journalist asked Quora, “What’s the difference between white and yellow Penske trucks?” They added they’d heard a rumor that “the white trucks haul freight, and the yellow is for general rental.” They emailed Penske to ask if there is a difference. In the intervening year, the truck leasing company hasn’t responded.

Penske does indeed offer short term rentals and longterm leases. And some of its largest trucks are more commonly leased. But that doesn’t mean it has two separate fleets of its smaller trucks for renters and leasers. Penske’s business model is to send trucks where there is a market, so it mixes its fleet up.

The true answer–though not officially confirmed–may be purely financial. White trucks are just easier to buy and easier to sell. For years Penske had white trailers, then white trucks. I found the first discussions on White Penske trucks on Blogger.com date back to 2007. Flickr first began talking about it in 2010. And a Reddit user posted the question in 2019.

So there you have it, fewer Penske trucks are the signature yellow all of the time. Things have been changing for at least 15 years. And the reason may simply be the bottom line.

Next, find out why so many rental trucks have plates from Indiana, or check out Penske’s new electric rental van in the video below: