November 8, 2019
1 min read

Best Practices for COOP Owners

Whether you’re just getting started or a veteran with COOP by Ryder™, it’s worth asking yourself, “How can I get my business in the best possible position to get more rental transactions on the platform?” Here are our straightforward tips on how to do just that. Below we’ll cover the key profile, account, and maintenance practices that’ll get your commercial trailers and vehicles noticed.

Optimize Your Vehicle Listings

Businesses have a host of diverse needs when it comes to renting a vehicle on COOP. Make your vehicle listings easier to find so those who want to rent specific vehicles that match your specs and features will be able to discover and reserve it.

Manage Your Vehicles

Begin by adding vehicles under the Vehicles tab in your account. Clicking the Add New Vehicle button will prompt you to provide the COOP team necessary information so we can start bringing your vehicles onto our network. You can also use the Upload Multiple Vehicles button on this page to have our team help with adding several vehicles.

Under the Vehicles tab, you can click a listed vehicle and edit or manage each one.

Once vehicles have been added, click the Availability tab and select the minimum reservation days you would like, and click save if that vehicle is always available for rent. If there are dates that your vehicle will be unavailable, select those dates and click save to block them out. We suggest you only make your vehicles available for days you can guarantee they can be rented out. This will avoid running into a situation of having to deny rental requests. Plus, remember to check your availability regularly in case you need to update unavailable dates to attract more rentals.

You can always revise your vehicle’s details, set any applicable restrictions, and adjust your dates here, if needed.

Setting Your Rate

COOP Owners can use an innovative pricing tool called Smart Rate, which helps you maximize your earnings. This tool easily allows you to set the best rate automatically to optimize your vehicle rentals.

How is the rate determined? COOP Smart Rate dynamically adjusts the rate of your vehicles based on a variety of characteristics like vehicle type, mileage, and market demand to attract more reservations. Sign in to your account to apply Smart Rate on your fleet.

As an Owner, you can also select the custom price option to control your rates and adjust them as needed. Keep in mind that this option requires more time spent monitoring your rates and being aware of changing trends to adapt to the marketplace.

It’s important to note that vehicles listed at or below the recommended rates are 60% more likely to transact than vehicles listed above the recommended rate.

Want to estimate your potential earnings on COOP? Use our simple revenue calculator and see how much your idle vehicle can earn.

Look Your Best

Another way to increase your chances of renting your vehicles out is to add photos of your truck, tractor, or trailer. Take pictures with your phone or camera to capture all four sides of the vehicle, the interior of the cab, and inside the cargo space. Stage photos of the vehicle against a background that’s not too busy, a blank side wall or greenery behind the truck works well. Be sure to include both the cab and body, so renters get an accurate view of the entire vehicle.

Specify the Specs and Details

Appearances aren’t everything. You’ll also want to write in some additional features or requirements for your vehicles under the Details tab, especially if they aren’t included in COOP’s specified features. For example, if your flatbed comes with straps, you can make a note of that or something else.

You can also let potential Renters know what they can or can’t do with your vehicles under the Renter Restrictions tab. For instance, if you prefer that drivers don’t smoke while on their rental in your vehicles, you can write in “No Smoking Allowed.”  

Think about what you appreciate about the unit, and you can bet that a renter out there would consider it when deciding to make a reservation.

Promote Your Vehicles

Find your fleet’s permanent web link so you can start advertising it to any network. On the Vehicles page of your account, you can find an orange URL link under Advertise Your Fleet. Clicking it copies your fleet page to share this link wherever you’d like to promote your vehicle, such as through social media, email, or even in a text message to another trusted business.

Do you have a success story using COOP? Listening to our Featured Customers through video interviews is a pleasure that we’ll visit with you to make reality. If you want to share your vehicle with hundreds of COOP customers, let us know.

Make Your Vehicles Road-Ready

Keep your vehicle’s maintenance up-to-date while you wait for Renters to book. Some ideas are to check your tire’s PSI, ensure you have a quarter tank of fuel and DEF, and clean your cabin as well as the cargo area.

When you do get bookings, prepare for your reservations and take photos of your vehicle’s present condition. Contact us as need be so that your reservations go off without a hitch. Customers with an account can even complete these steps on-the-go from the reservations page using our online platform.

Build Your Profile

With COOP, it’s all a matter of connecting a network of carefully vetted companies, large and small, on our platform. Give Renters a chance to become acquainted with their vehicle owner-to-be by setting up your profile. No doubt you’ve already got some foundations, but make sure everything looks right before you go.

Find Your Settings

Once you’re logged in, click the upper-right of the screen to access Account Management. Once there, you’ll find your profile ready to update under the Profile Settings tab.

We find that accounts on COOP that welcome with a first impression make Renters comfortable and bring in more reservations. An opportunity to impress your audience is when you upload a profile photo that shows your location, logo, or you.

Confirm Your Locations

Confirm that your location details under the Pickup Locations tab are correct, including a contact person, parking, and hours of operation. Add any special instructions or a gate code here as well.

For security purposes, the information in your pick-up instructions isn’t given to renters until one has booked with you. Pick-up and drop-off locations should be easy to access and secure so the driver for the reservation can find the vehicle and get out on the road.

Prioritize Your Payment Info

At the end of the day, you’ve joined to generate revenue, so make sure your payment information is up to date. Verify the payment method preferences under the Manage Payments tab to ensure you’re ready to transact. Get paid at the end of each rental transaction once everything is set up on your account. Our payment method is 100% secure and takes just a minute to complete.

Last Notes

We’d like to leave you with a couple of our most essential security tips. Just to be safe, don’t respond to requests to schedule or pay for transactions outside of the platform. It wouldn’t have the protections in the rental contract, so it is in your best interest to keep your vehicles covered by transacting through the platform.

As time goes on, please notify us if there are any changes to your DOT information or insurance coverage. If your insurance expires or DOT information changes, we’ll update your records to make sure you can continue to share on the platform.

As always, if you want more guidance or suggestions on how to get your vehicles rented, stay connected with our COOP team. Feel free to reach out to your representative with any questions you have. We’re always happy to help! And, stay tuned for more tips coming through the COOP blog about how you can generate revenue from your idle equipment.

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