It depends on the location with Hertz whether spouses are automatically authorized operators (for non-loyalty members). You can see
here that they say that spouses are only covered for rentals originating in California and Iowa in the US:
Authorized Operators
Acceptable Authorized Operators age 25 and older are automatically covered on the Rental Agreement.
Authorized Operators are:
- The employer, employee or fellow employee of renter on company business, (when booking includes company Corporate Discount Number).
- The renter's spouse* for rentals that originate in California or Iowa.
It does go on to say that spouses of Hertz Gold members get the benefit as a blanket policy regardless of location:
-The renter’s spouse or domestic partner** if the renter is a loyalty member of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards (all tiers)
Note that the spouse as authorized operator policy linked to by
mia above is specifically for YUL.