Since 1945 you can basically take a truck or trailer from U-Haul for virtually nothing down. You have to bring it back, but that’s what the rental company has always been based on; bringing it back. But what if someone rents a U-Haul trailer, but doesn’t bring it back for 14 years? How does this even happen?

First, how did this trailer slip through the U-Haul safety nets?

First, how did this trailer slip through the safety nets that U-Haul puts up to protect itself from having this happen? And then, why would someone decide to return a trailer rented 14 years previous? Why wouldn’t they just keep it forever, or burn it, or something? 

It’s easy to rent something from U-Haul and the company has a strict return policy. If you don’t bring whatever you have rented back by the time you promise you get nicked. Oh boy, do you get nicked. The late fees make sure you remember to bring it back. And don’t forget that U-Haul has a copy of your driver’s license. There’s just no way out of it.

It took 14 years for U-Haul to pursue getting its trailer back

What’s weird about all of this is that it took 14 years for U-Haul to decide to pursue getting its trailer back. But around the time it got listed on its agenda it mysteriously showed up at a U-Haul yard in Syracuse, Idaho. A company spokesperson says nobody knows where it has been the last 14 years. They also say that U-Haul won’t press charges. We don’t know what kind of example that creates but we wouldn’t suggest taking a box truck and just keeping it for a few years. 

The trailer itself got old, dented, and faded after over a decade on the lam. It has been used and abused but for what purpose, nobody knows. When it showed up it was missing its plates, but there were no replacement plates remaining. Was it ever registered to be used on streets and highways? 

U-Haul says it will send the trailer off to the scrapper

Along with deciding not to press charges, U-Haul says it will send the trailer off to the scrapper. We think it should display it or give it to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum. It represents something so unbelievable and unique it deserves a fate better than being scrapped. And other than a new fender and a repaint it looks as good as most other trailers we’ve rented. So, why not just refurbish it and stick it back into the fleet? 

There just seems to be a lot of mystery around this trailer, which will likely never be discovered. Unlike the trailer itself.