Hertz - Can't take CA-plated cars out of state?

Hi all --

More trials and tribulations with my recent two week, one way rental from LA to SEA.

Had to trade in my first car (with CA plates) to SNA due to problem with front driver's side tire; was initially offered an SRX with CA plates and only 2,000 miles. However, as I was leaving, I asked about driving into Canada, at which point the rep realized I was dropping off in SEA and she had to give me another SRX with IL plates and 11,000 miles because CA would fine their location for sending a CA-plated car out of state.

I attempted to fight it, pointing out my original rental location had been fine with it, but she insisted they would be fined and I might be too.

Finally the manager came out and explained that they get fined because CA loses a share of the revenue when a CA-plated car is dropped out of state.

I tried fighting it, but she was insistent. I also asked the rep at the gate, who said there was a fee for dropping out of state -- however, it is not itemized in my rental agreement and it clearly states I am dropping in SEA.

I remember reading something about this before, but couldn't find the thread.

Is there any truth to her statement, or should I be kicking myself for having opened my mouth in the first place? The SRX I received is a serious downgrade from the SRX I was supposed to receive. Or should I be happy that it got caught now to avoid a future headache?

I remember reading something about this before, but couldn't find the thread.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz/1358154-one-way-do-license-plates-matter.html

There is another old thread, from 3 years ago, that I started, about the CA license plate and one-way issue. You can search for it if you like.

I had been told it was due to CA emissions laws limiting local rentals of vehicles with out of state plates. So, for Hertz at least, they try to keep the CA plated cars in CA.

I doubt it's due to CA loss of revenue. If they send a car with IL plates one-way to the Pacific Northwest, that car could have been rented locally in CA, and lost revenue for there nonetheless.

as far as the state of CA fining you or hertz that is total bs. my guess would be they figured out it was oneway and did not want to give you there nicer car.

docbert -- Thanks for finding the thread!

Auto Enthusiast -- You're right, the emissions thing seems fairly plausible to me, given that it is what distinguishes CA-plated cars from all the rest. I called the location that I received my original CA-plated car from and spoke to the rep who gave me the car about it. He said something along the lines of: "Oh yeah, that's right. I'm glad she caught it." He went on to say that it was something that started "a month ago" and was an "inter-location" thing. I think he was trying to say that it was Hertz corporate policy and that they weren't supposed to do it. However, he did say that if worst came to worst they would do it, and the customer would face no financial repercussions (I guess since he had originally done it with me, he wanted to reassure me that he hadn't tried to screw me).

bhunt -- Don't think it was just about keeping the car at SNA, because they already knew it was a swap from another location in L.A. and that my contract was remaining the same (and thus, the drop-off location would not have been SNA, so they wouldn't have gotten the car back anyway...at least not right away). Also, I would think that if they were most concerned about keeping the nicer cars on the lot, they wouldn't have tried giving me the SRX that they ended up giving me...still a nice car even if it has 11,000 miles on it. I had booked Luxury (I) in my original reservation, and they had no obligation to upgrade me. They also offered me a Suburban with out-of-state plates...and even when I said I'd be happy with something smaller (and thus a downgrade from my reserved class and certainly a downgrade from a SRX), they still stuck to the story of not being able to send anything out with CA plates.

So I think again, it must be that there is some vague corporate policy dictating that CA-plated cars remain in state whenever possible, and I do think that there is a financial penalty administered (perhaps by corporate) upon locations that send CA-plated cars away.

Oh well. Annoyed I opened my mouth, but at least I got the same model I had been slated to receive in my swap, even if it was a little worse for wear. Could've been a lot worse!

Auto Enthusiast -- You're right, the emissions thing seems fairly plausible to me, given that it is what distinguishes CA-plated cars from all the rest.

The emissions thing was plausible a decade ago ago but no longer today, when twelve other states (including WA and OR) demand California-spec vehicles.

Auto Enthusiast -- You're right, the emissions thing seems fairly plausible to me, given that it is what distinguishes CA-plated cars from all the rest. I called the location that I received my original CA-plated car from and spoke to the rep who gave me the car about it. He said something along the lines of: "Oh yeah, that's right. I'm glad she caught it." He went on to say that it was something that started "a month ago" and was an "inter-location" thing. I think he was trying to say that it was Hertz corporate policy and that they weren't supposed to do it. However, he did say that if worst came to worst they would do it, and the customer would face no financial repercussions (I guess since he had originally done it with me, he wanted to reassure me that he hadn't tried to screw me).

It's quite possible that the $1,000 fine isn't imposed by the State of California, it's imposed by Hertz corporate on the location.

The State of California doesn't care where a car gets dropped. They do, however, care what gets rented and returned in California. I seem to recall reading that rental agencies who rent foreign-plated (foreign as in other states) cars (specifically, ones that don't meet and/or haven't been certified to California emissions standards) do get in trouble with the State of California. Thus, there is incentive for each agency to keep its California-emissions cars within the state of California.

It would be difficult to do this if a bunch of California-plated cars were sent elsewhere in the Hertz corporate network, as there would eventually end up being not enough California-plated cars to meet the demand of intra-California rentals, thus getting the agency in trouble with the State of California. So, Hertz corporate (to avoid getting in trouble) has probably instituted a policy that rental agents are not to send California-plated cars out of state, and if they do, their location is fined $1,000.

That's my guess, anyway.

I did a one way SFO-PDX in 2005. It was mildly interesting in light of this thread. One, it was my first ever Gold rental, so I had to go in to the counter anyway (this was at current rental car building, but it was pretty new back then). It was also when you could reserve a model-specific Mazda 6, which I had done. I don't know why but they picked out a Mazda 6 with California plates. She did make sure I got that model (at one point after lots of typing and a phone call or two I wasn't really sure that's what she was still doing), but I remember her specifically saying into the phone hey this is a California car, etc, etc. They kept me in that one anyway. Bonus? It had Sirius, back when it was always the aftermarket device. My first intro to Sirius as well, although driving out on the northern CA coast it had some reception issues. She never mentioned that, I only found out when I got to the car.

So, perhaps a CA car can sometimes go out of state (at least it could several years ago), but there is something about it that Hertz doesn't really want that to happen if they can help it. In your particular case they found another same model car with other plates and had you swap it instead. Not sure why they didn't do that in my case as I'm guessing there had to be plenty more Mazdas there to send including some with other plates, although maybe they couldn't easily search by where the plate is from.

It's quite possible that the $1,000 fine isn't imposed by the State of California, it's imposed by Hertz corporate on the location.

...

It would be difficult to do this if a bunch of California-plated cars were sent elsewhere in the Hertz corporate network, as there would eventually end up being not enough California-plated cars to meet the demand of intra-California rentals, thus getting the agency in trouble with the State of California. So, Hertz corporate (to avoid getting in trouble) has probably instituted a policy that rental agents are not to send California-plated cars out of state, and if they do, their location is fined $1,000.

That's my guess, anyway.

It's interesting that you mention that because I've rented cars with CA plates before and I've never rented in CA. I got a CA-plated Corvette in SLC (although that's not too far from Cali) last December, and last February I got a CA-plated Crown Vic in Portland, Maine (now that's far!). Although coincidentally 3 months later I saw that exact same Crown Vic in SLC.

-J.