Independent rental companies are not disappearing. The opportunity is to give them more ways to grow without giving up what made them successful.
The rental industry is getting bigger. So are the companies competing for its growth. But behind the fleets, branches and balance sheets is a part of the industry that is harder to measure: the independent rental company, built over years through customer relationships, employees, reputation and local knowledge.
This Labor Day, we wanted to hear directly from the people building those businesses. Their perspective points to a clear tension: the qualities that make independents valuable are deeply human, while technology and scale are changing what it takes to compete.
RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE OWNERS PROUD
“I’m very proud of the team I built and the relationship with the customers we established, and this reflects on great reviews and great referrals.” Mike Rhima, Owner, EZ Equipment Rental
For an independent rental company, those relationships are part of the business itself. They are built over years and become a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate.
A MARKET IN THE MIDDLE OF CHANGE
The numbers make the scale of the opportunity clear. The American Rental Association’s latest 2026 forecast puts the combined U.S. construction and industrial equipment and general tool rental market at $83.5 billion, with 3.4% growth projected for 2026 and further growth expected through 2028. [1]
At the same time, the largest rental companies continue to expand through acquisitions, new locations and technology. In June 2025, Herc completed its $4.8 billion acquisition of H&E Equipment Services, adding approximately 160 branches and more than 2,500 team members to its network. Herc described the transaction as the largest acquisition in the rental industry. [2]
Sunbelt is pursuing a similar strategy. In fiscal 2025, it added 61 North American locations, including 48 greenfield locations and 13 through four bolt-on acquisitions, while adding approximately 42,000 new credit-account customers. [3]
Scale creates real advantages. More locations create density. More fleet creates availability. Greater purchasing power can improve economics. Larger networks can invest in technology and data at a level that is difficult for a smaller operator to match.
But the independent market remains substantial. More than 40% of the U.S. rental market is represented by companies with five or fewer locations, according to Sunbelt’s latest filing. [4] The question is therefore not whether independents have a place in the market. It is how they can preserve their advantages while gaining the capabilities customers increasingly expect.
THE ADVANTAGE THAT SCALE CANNOT EASILY REPLICATE
“Speed, relationship and communication. Understanding the customer and doing what’s right, as opposed to being a big, rigid corporation.” Jorge Tovar, Owner, Avanza Equipment
For independents, those advantages come down to proximity. The people making the decisions are often close to the customer and close to the business itself.
“We make decisions right on the spot without waiting for headquarters in a different state to make the decision for us.” Mike Rhima, Owner, EZ Equipment Rental
That ability to act locally can be especially valuable when a project changes, equipment is needed quickly or a customer needs a decision that does not fit neatly into a standard process.
Scale still matters. Larger fleets and broader networks bring greater availability, reach and purchasing power. The opportunity is to give independent operators access to those capabilities without losing the local control that makes them competitive.
SCALE STILL MATTERS
None of this means scale is irrelevant. A large contractor may need dozens of machines, multiple equipment categories, different delivery dates and support across several markets. A national network can solve problems that a single independent company cannot solve alone.
That is where the competitive equation is changing. The strongest independents do not need to choose between local relationships and larger capabilities. The opportunity is to preserve the first while gaining access to the second.
THE NEXT ADVANTAGE: ACCESS
Independence has never meant that an operator has to do everything alone. But historically, many of the capabilities that help a rental company scale have been easier for larger companies to build.
An independent operator can benefit from access to equipment beyond its own fleet, broader customer opportunities, better data, modern technology, purchasing power, financing and a network of other trusted operators. The goal is not to make every company look the same. It is to remove the limitations that come simply from being smaller.
WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE OF RENTAL LOOK LIKE?
Technology will be a major part of the next chapter of rental. For independent operators, the opportunity is to use it to make better decisions without losing the human judgment at the heart of the business.
“I’d like to see independent operators take full advantage of AI to optimize operations. Equipment demand forecasting, maximize equipment utilization, smarter equipment acquisitions and financing terms, as well as predictive maintenance.” Jorge Tovar, Owner, Avanza Equipment
Mike sees that potential extending across the day-to-day operation of a rental company.
“Definitely the future in the rental business looks much brighter and great. Hopefully AI will play a big role from equipment inspections to collections to approvals.” Mike Rhima, Owner, EZ Equipment Rental
These are not abstract future concepts. Demand forecasting, utilization, inspections, collections and approvals are decisions rental companies make every day. Better data and AI can help operators make those decisions faster, with more consistency and with a clearer view of what is happening across the business.
For large rental companies, those capabilities can be supported by significant technology budgets and large internal teams. For independents, the opportunity is different: shared technology and infrastructure can make advanced capabilities accessible without requiring every operator to build them from scratch.
GROWTH WITHOUT LOSING THE BUSINESS YOU BUILT
For an independent owner, growth is not just about getting bigger. It is about deciding what should change and what should stay the same.
A company can carry its owner’s name, reputation and years of customer relationships. The team that helped build it can be just as important as the fleet itself. That makes the question of growth more complicated than adding locations or equipment.
Owners want more capacity, stronger systems and greater opportunity. But they also want to remain close to their customers and retain control over the business they built.
The future does not have to be a choice between staying small and becoming part of a national chain. Independent companies can gain more scale, technology and resources while keeping the identity, relationships and decision-making that made them successful in the first place.
WHY STORENT BELIEVES THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER OPTION
More than 18 years ago, we started our own heavy equipment rental business. We learned how to build a fleet, serve customers, hire and retain people, manage capital and grow while staying independent. We also learned where independent companies can hit a ceiling, not because they lack ambition or ability, but because the infrastructure around them limits how they can grow.
That experience shaped Storent.
We do not believe independent companies need to become smaller versions of national rental companies to compete. They should be able to access the technology, equipment, purchasing power, infrastructure, and opportunities that come with scale while keeping the identity and control they have built.
For many businesses, that can also mean creating liquidity from the business they built while continuing to be part of its next chapter.
THE FUTURE IS BIGGER THAN A FLEET
The rental industry will continue to consolidate. Technology will continue to reshape operations. Customers will continue to expect more availability, speed and convenience.
But the qualities that built the independent rental market will remain valuable: trust, responsiveness, reputation, local knowledge and people who care about the customer beyond the transaction.
The opportunity is to combine those strengths with the capabilities that scale makes possible.
We want to build the biggest competitor to the nationals without becoming one. We believe independent companies can become stronger together, while the people who built them remain at the center.
That is the future of rental we want to help build.
And this Labor Day, we want to recognize everyone building, operating, repairing, delivering, renting and growing rental businesses across America.
Thank you!
Annija, Eizenarma, Strategic Relationships, Storent
SOURCES
[1] American Rental Association, 2026 equipment rental forecast, reported August 2026.
[2] Herc Holdings, 2025 Annual Report / SEC filing. H&E acquisition completed June 2, 2025; $4.8 billion purchase price; approximately 160 branches and 2,500+ team members.
[3] Ashtead Group, Annual Report 2025. Sunbelt added 61 North American locations in FY2025, including 48 greenfields and 13 through four bolt-on acquisitions; added approximately 42,000 new credit-account customers.
[4] Sunbelt Rentals, SEC filing, 2026. More than 40% of the U.S. rental market estimated to be represented by companies with five or fewer locations.
