I too am a Gold member. My Civil Partner is my travelling companion and I did register details of driving licence etc with the Gold customer services desk for previous trips to USA and they registered these with the reservations, once made.

I am in the process of planning our next trip and thought I would check with Hertz over the question of my partner as additional driver. They have just come back by Email as follows:-

I am afraid that it is not possible to do what you are asking for. Only the Gold Member can bee the driver of the car, if you want to add another person as a second driver, even if he is always the same person, you have to add him at the counter.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for contacting us and we look forward to serving you in the future. (sic)

I have since found this thread and I have replied, quoting the above FAQ which, by my reading, means that my partner does not even have to register as an additional driver. Is that correct?

I'll report back when I get a response from Hertz.

BTW, if we have to go to a desk each time we collect a car, this would nullify the advantage of being a Gold member using "Gold Canopy" service. I would therefore look at other companies where rates are better and, I understand, sometimes even have better cars!