UNITED RENTALS, INC. (URI) Business

Item 1.    Business

United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world, operates throughout the United States and Canada, and has a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The table below presents key information about our business as of and for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024. Our business is discussed in more detail below. The data below should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified by reference to, our Management’s Discussion and Analysis and our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report.

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(1)Reflects the estimated impact of inflation on the revenue productivity of fleet based on OEC, which is recorded at cost.

(2)Reflects the combined impact of changes in rental rates, time utilization, and mix that contribute to the variance in owned equipment rental revenue. See note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the different types of equipment rentals revenue. Rental rate changes are calculated based on the year-over-year variance in average contract rates, weighted by the prior period revenue mix. Time utilization is calculated by dividing the amount of time an asset is

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on rent by the amount of time the asset has been owned during the year. Mix includes the impact of changes in customer, fleet, geographic and segment mix.

(3)Reflects the combined impact of changes in the other types of equipment rentals revenue (see note 3 for further detail), excluding owned equipment rental revenue.

(4)As discussed below (see “Industry Overview and Economic Outlook”), North American market share is based on industry estimates (excluding party and event rentals) from the American Rental Association (“ARA”). In March 2024, we completed the acquisition of Yak Access, LLC, Yak Mat, LLC and New South Access & Environmental Solutions, LLC (collectively, “Yak”). Estimated North American market share as of December 31, 2024 includes the standalone, pre-acquisition revenue of Yak.

Human Capital

The Company’s key human capital management objectives are to attract, retain and develop talent to deliver on the Company’s strategy. To support these objectives, the Company’s human resources programs are designed to: keep people safe and healthy; enhance the Company’s culture through efforts aimed at making the workplace more inclusive; acquire and retain high-performing talent; ensure employees are supported and engaged so they can provide outstanding customer service; reward and support employees through competitive pay and benefit programs; develop talent to prepare them for critical roles and leadership positions; and facilitate internal talent mobility to create a high-performing workforce. See “Locations/Personnel” in the table above for information on employee counts.

The Company focuses on the following in managing its human capital:

•Health and safety: We have a safety program that focuses on implementing management systems, policies and training programs and performing assessments designed to promote proper training of workers and prevention of injuries and incidents. All of our employees are empowered with stop-work authority which enables them to immediately stop any unsafe or potentially hazardous working condition or behavior they may observe. We utilize a mixture of indicators to assess the safety performance of our operations, including total recordable injury rate (TRIR), preventable motor vehicle incidents per million miles, corrective actions and near miss frequency and have disclosed an aspirational goal to further reduce our TRIR. We also recognize outstanding safety behaviors through our annual awards program.

•Employee wellness: The Company’s Live Well, Safe & Healthy program is a comprehensive approach to wellness that encourages healthy behaviors and is intended to raise morale, productivity and overall employee engagement. Through the program, eligible employees can reduce medical plan costs if they complete a health assessment and participate in a biometric screening at work or off-site, and, in 2025, 59 percent of eligible employees did so. The program also includes (i) a paid day off to be used for a wellness exam or day of service, which was used by 89 percent of eligible employees in 2025, (ii) tobacco cessation support and (iii) participation incentives. Additionally, employees and family members can participate in virtual health challenges to encourage daily activity.

•Compensation programs and employee benefits: Our compensation and benefits programs provide a package designed to attract, retain and motivate employees. In addition to competitive base salaries, the Company provides a variety of short-term, long-term and commission-based incentive compensation programs to reward performance relative to key financial, human capital and customer experience metrics. We offer comprehensive benefit options including paid time off, retirement savings plans, medical and prescription drug benefits, dental and vision benefits, accident and critical illness insurance, life and disability insurance, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, parental leave, legal coverage, auto/home insurance, identity theft insurance and tuition assistance. Additionally, we have conducted five company-wide stock grant programs for employees since 2014 – the most recent grant took place in 2024.

•Employee experience and retention: To evaluate our employee experience and retention efforts, we monitor a number of employee measures, such as employee retention, internal promotions and referrals. For example, voluntary employee turnover, which represents voluntary terminations during the year divided by average headcount during the year, was 10.8 percent, 11.9 percent and 12.4 percent for 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We also conduct an annual employee experience survey, with Peakon (a Workday company) serving as administrator, which provides information on drivers of engagement and areas where we can improve.

•Employee inclusion and engagement: Our commitment to inclusion is demonstrated through many efforts. As part of our inclusion efforts, we are committed to supporting our military veterans and have made the fair inclusion of veterans a priority. To provide an open and frequent line of communication for all employees, we host town hall meetings and quarterly all-employee conference calls, and utilize a virtual collaboration platform for our employees to engage with our full team. We recently launched a company-wide mentorship program, the UR Connections platform, enabling peer-to-peer connections both in-person and virtually. We also sponsor the United Compassion

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Fund, an employee-funded 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial assistance to fellow employees in need. In 2025, employees voluntarily donated approximately $1.7 million to the fund, and employees received 415 grants totaling approximately $1.4 million.

•Training and development: The Company is committed to the continual development of its employees. We aim for all new hires to attend JumpSTART, a new hire orientation, to quickly acclimate them to our culture, as well as applicable new hires to attend Center of Excellence (job-related) training within 90 days of hire. We offer a wide array of training solutions (instructor-led in-person, virtual, digital, hands-on, e-learning and experience maps) for further development of our employees to help them achieve their career goals. In addition, as we did in 2025, we aim to regularly develop new training programs, launch pilot programs and expand leadership opportunities for our employees. In 2025, our employees enhanced their skills through approximately 1.1 million hours of training, including safety training, sales and leadership training and equipment-related training from our suppliers. Our performance process encourages employee check-ins throughout the year to discuss performance and career goals, as well as development opportunities at all levels across the Company.

Strategy

For the past several years, we have executed a strategy focused on improving the profitability of our core equipment rental business through revenue growth, margin expansion and operational efficiencies. In particular, we have focused on customer segmentation, customer service differentiation, rate management, fleet management and operational efficiency. Our general strategy focuses on profitability and return on invested capital, and, in particular, calls for:

•A consistently superior standard of service to customers, often provided through a single lead contact who can coordinate the cross-selling of the various services we offer throughout our network. We utilize a proprietary software application, Total Control®, which provides our key customers with a single in-house software application that enables them to monitor and manage all their equipment needs. Total Control® is a unique customer offering that enables us to develop strong, long-term relationships with our larger customers. Our digital capabilities, including our Total Control® platform, allow our sales teams to provide contactless end-to-end customer service;

•The further optimization of our customer mix and fleet mix, with a dual objective: to enhance our performance in serving our current customer base, and to focus on the accounts and customer types that are best suited to our strategy for profitable growth. We believe these efforts will lead to even better service of our target accounts, primarily large construction and industrial customers, as well as select local contractors. Our fleet team's analyses are aligned with these objectives to identify trends in equipment categories and define action plans that can generate improved returns;

•A continued focus on “Lean” management techniques, including kaizen processes focused on continuous improvement. We have a dedicated team responsible for reducing waste in our operational processes, with the objectives of: condensing the cycle time associated with preparing equipment for rent; optimizing our resources for delivery and pickup of equipment; improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our repair and maintenance operations; and implementing customer service best practices;

•The continued expansion and cross-selling of adjacent specialty and services products, which enables us to provide a “one-stop” shop for our customers. We believe that the expansion of our specialty business, as exhibited by our acquisition of Yak in March 2024 and other recent, smaller acquisitions in Australia, as well as our tools and onsite services offerings, further positions United Rentals as a single source provider of total jobsite solutions through our extensive product and service resources and technology offerings; and

•The pursuit of strategic acquisitions to continue to expand our core equipment rental business, as exhibited by our acquisition of assets of Ahern Rentals, Inc. (“Ahern Rentals”) in December 2022, as well as other smaller, more recent acquisitions. Strategic acquisitions allow us to invest our capital to expand our business, further driving our ability to accomplish our strategic goals.

Industry Overview and Economic Outlook

United Rentals serves the following three principal end-markets for equipment rental in North America: industrial and other non-construction; commercial (or private non-residential) construction; and residential construction, which includes remodeling. We also have a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. See Item 2—Properties for further geographical detail on our rental network. In 2025, based on our classification of the vertical market segments in which our equipment was used:

•Industrial and other non-construction rentals represented approximately 48 percent of our rental revenue, primarily reflecting rentals to manufacturers, energy companies, chemical companies, paper mills, railroads, shipbuilders, utilities, retailers and infrastructure entities;

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•Commercial construction rentals represented approximately 48 percent of our rental revenue, primarily reflecting rentals related to the construction and remodeling of facilities for office space, lodging, healthcare, entertainment and other commercial purposes; and

•Residential rentals represented approximately four percent of our rental revenue, primarily reflecting rentals of equipment for the construction and renovation of homes.

In 2025, our full year rental revenue increased by 6.0 percent year-over-year. Our estimated North American market share of approximately 15 percent as of December 31, 2025, which is based on industry estimates (excluding party and event rentals) from the ARA, did not change materially from our market share as of December 31, 2024.

Competitive Advantages

We believe that we benefit from the following competitive advantages:

Large and Diverse Rental Fleet. Our large and diverse fleet allows us to serve large customers that require substantial quantities and/or wide varieties of equipment. We believe our ability to serve such customers should allow us to improve our performance and enhance our market leadership position.

We manage our rental fleet, which is the largest and most comprehensive in the industry, utilizing a life-cycle approach that focuses on satisfying customer demand and optimizing utilization levels. As part of this life-cycle approach, we closely monitor repair and maintenance expense and can anticipate, based on our extensive experience with a large and diverse fleet, the optimum time to dispose of an asset.

Significant Purchasing Power. We purchase large amounts of equipment, contractor supplies and other items, which enables us to negotiate favorable pricing, warranty and other terms with our vendors.

National Account Program. Our national account sales force is dedicated to establishing and expanding relationships with large companies, particularly those with a national or multi-regional presence. National accounts are generally defined as customers with potential annual equipment rental spend of at least $500,000 or customers doing business in multiple states. We offer our national account customers the benefits of a consistent level of service across North America, a wide selection of equipment and a single point of contact for all their equipment needs. National accounts are a subset of key accounts, which are our accounts that are managed by a single point of contact. Establishing a single point of contact for our key accounts helps us provide customer service management that is more consistent and satisfactory.

Operating Efficiencies. We benefit from the following operating efficiencies:

•Equipment Sharing Among Branches. Each branch within a region can access equipment located elsewhere in the region. This fleet sharing increases equipment utilization because equipment that is idle at one branch can be marketed and rented through other branches. Additionally, fleet sharing allows us to be more disciplined with our capital spend.

•Customer Care Center. We have a Customer Care Center (“CCC”) in Charlotte, North Carolina that handles all telephone calls to our customer service telephone line, 1-800-UR-RENTS. The CCC handles many of the 1-800-UR-RENTS telephone calls without having to route them to individual branches, and allows us to provide a more uniform quality experience to customers, manage fleet sharing more effectively and free up branch employee time.

•Consolidation of Common Functions. We reduce costs through the consolidation of functions that are common to our branches, such as accounts payable, payroll, benefits and risk management, information technology and credit and collection.

Our information technology systems, some of which are proprietary and some of which are licensed, support our operations. Our information technology infrastructure facilitates our ability to make rapid and informed decisions, respond quickly to changing market conditions and share rental equipment among branches. We have an in-house team of information technology specialists that supports our systems.

Our information technology systems are accessible to management, branch and call center personnel. Leveraging information technology to achieve greater efficiencies and improve customer service is a critical element of our strategy. Each branch is equipped with one or more computers that are electronically linked to our other locations and to our data center. Rental transactions can be entered at these computers, or through various web/mobile applications, to be processed on a real-time basis.

Our information technology systems:

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•    enable branch personnel to (i) determine equipment availability, (ii) access all equipment within a geographic region and arrange for equipment to be delivered from anywhere in the region directly to the customer, (iii) monitor business activity on a real-time basis and (iv) obtain customized reports on a wide range of operating and financial data, including equipment utilization, rental rate trends, maintenance histories and customer transaction histories;

•    allow our mobile sales and service team members to support our customers efficiently while in the field;

•    allow for the incorporation of AI solutions into our products, services and features, as well as the leveraging of AI in our product development and our operations;

•    permit customers to access and manage their accounts online; and

•    allow management to obtain a wide range of operational and financial data.

We have a back-up facility designed to enable business continuity for our core rental and financial systems in the event that our main computer facility becomes inoperative. This back-up facility also allows us to perform system upgrades and maintenance without interfering with the normal ongoing operation of our information technology systems.

For information about our approach to the cybersecurity risks we face, see Item 1C- Cybersecurity and Item 1A- Risk Factors.

Strong Brand Recognition. As the largest equipment rental company in the world, we have strong brand recognition, which helps us attract new customers and build customer loyalty.

Geographic and Customer Diversity. We primarily operate in the United States and Canada, and have a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and our global branch network includes 1,768 rental locations. See Item 2—Properties for further geographical detail on our branch network. Our North American network operates in 49 U.S. states and every Canadian province, and serves customers that range from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and homeowners. We believe that our geographic and customer diversity provides us with many advantages including:

•enabling us to better serve national account customers with multiple locations;

•helping us achieve favorable resale prices by allowing us to access used equipment resale markets across North America; and

•reducing our dependence on any particular customer.

Our foreign operations are subject to the risks normally associated with international operations. These include (i) the need to convert currencies, which could result in a gain or loss depending on fluctuations in exchange rates and (ii) the need to comply with foreign laws and regulations, as well as U.S. laws and regulations applicable to our operations in foreign jurisdictions. For additional financial information regarding our geographic diversity, see note 4 to our consolidated financial statements.

Strong and Motivated Branch Management. Each of our full-service branches has a manager who is supervised by a district manager. We believe that our managers are among the most knowledgeable and experienced in the industry, and we empower them, within budgetary guidelines, to make day-to-day decisions concerning branch matters. Each regional office has a management team that monitors branch, district and regional performance with extensive systems and controls, including performance benchmarks and detailed monthly operating reviews.

Risk Management and Safety Programs. Our risk management department is staffed by experienced professionals directing the procurement of insurance, managing claims made against the Company, and developing loss prevention programs to address workplace safety, driver safety and customer safety. The department’s primary focus is on the protection of our employees and assets, as well as protecting the Company from liability for accidental loss.

Segment Information

We have two reportable segments– general rentals and specialty. Segment financial information is presented in note 4 to our consolidated financial statements.

The general rentals segment includes the rental of construction, aerial and industrial equipment, general tools and light equipment, and related services and activities. The general rentals segment’s customers include construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities and homeowners. The general rentals segment reflects the aggregation of four geographic divisions—Central, Northeast, Southeast and West—and operates throughout the United States and Canada.

The specialty segment rents products (and provides setup and other services on such rented equipment) including (i) trench safety equipment, such as trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction

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lasers and line testing equipment for underground work, (ii) power and HVAC equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment, (iii) fluid solutions equipment primarily used for fluid containment, transfer and treatment, (iv) mobile storage equipment and modular office space and (v) surface protection mats. The specialty segment’s customers include construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, municipalities and industrial companies. This segment primarily operates in the United States and Canada, and has a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Products and Services

Our principal products and services are described below.

Equipment Rental. We offer a fleet of rental equipment with total OEC of $22.5 billion for rent on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. The types of equipment that we offer include general construction and industrial equipment; aerial work platforms; trench safety equipment; power and HVAC equipment; fluid solutions equipment; mobile storage equipment and modular office space; surface protection mats; and general tools and light equipment.

Sales of Rental Equipment. We routinely sell used rental equipment and invest in new equipment in order to manage repair and maintenance costs, as well as the composition and size of our fleet. We also sell used equipment in response to customer demand for the equipment. Consistent with the life-cycle approach we use to manage our fleet, the rate at which we replace used equipment with new equipment depends on a number of factors, including changing general economic conditions, growth opportunities, the market for used equipment, the age of our fleet and the need to adjust fleet composition to meet customer demand.

We utilize many channels to sell used equipment: through our national and export sales forces, which can access many resale markets across our network; at auction; through brokers; and directly to manufacturers. We also sell used equipment through our website, which includes an online database of used equipment available for sale.

Sales of New Equipment. We sell equipment such as aerial lifts, reach forklifts, telehandlers, compressors and generators from many leading equipment manufacturers. The type of new equipment that we sell varies by location.

Contractor Supplies Sales. We sell a variety of contractor supplies including construction consumables, tools, small equipment and safety supplies.

Service and Other Revenues. We offer repair and maintenance services and sell parts for equipment that is owned by our customers.

Customers

Our customer base is highly diversified and ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and homeowners. Our customer base varies by branch and is determined by several factors, including the equipment mix and marketing focus of the particular branch as well as the business composition of the local economy, including construction opportunities with different customers. Our customers include:

•construction companies that use equipment for constructing and renovating commercial buildings, warehouses, industrial and manufacturing plants, office parks, airports, residential developments and other facilities;

•industrial companies—such as manufacturers, chemical companies, paper mills, railroads, ship builders and utilities—that use equipment for plant maintenance, upgrades, expansion and construction;

•municipalities that require equipment for a variety of purposes; and

•homeowners and other individuals that use equipment for projects that range from simple repairs to major renovations.

Our business is seasonal, with demand for our rental equipment tending to be lower in the winter months.

Sales and Marketing

We market our products and services through multiple channels as described below.

Sales Force. Our sales representatives work in our branches and at our customer care center, and are responsible for calling on existing and potential customers as well as assisting our customers in planning for their equipment needs. We have ongoing programs for training our employees in sales and service skills and on strategies for maximizing the value of each transaction.

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National Account Program. Our national account sales force is dedicated to establishing and expanding relationships with large customers, particularly those with a national or multi-regional presence. Our national account team closely coordinates its efforts with the local sales force in each area.

Online Rental Platform. Our customers can check equipment availability and pricing, and reserve equipment online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by accessing our equipment catalog and used equipment listing, which can be found at www.unitedrentals.com.

Total Control®. We utilize a proprietary software application, Total Control®, which provides our key customers with a single in-house software application that enables them to monitor and manage all their equipment needs. This software can be integrated into the customers' enterprise resource planning system. Total Control® is a unique customer offering that enables us to develop strong, long-term relationships with our larger customers.

Advertising. We promote our business through local and national advertising across marketing channels, including digital media (including organic and paid search), customer engagement (lifecycle marketing and direct mail), television (connected and linear), trade publications (digital and print), earned media, tradeshows and sponsorships.

Suppliers

Our strategic approach with respect to our suppliers is to maintain the minimum number of suppliers per category of equipment that can satisfy our anticipated volume and business requirements. This approach is designed to ensure that the terms we negotiate are competitive and that there is sufficient product available to meet anticipated customer demand. We utilize a comprehensive selection process to determine our equipment vendors. We consider product capabilities and industry position, the terms being offered, product liability history, customer acceptance and financial strength. We believe we have sufficient alternative sources of supply available for each of our major equipment categories.

Competition

We primarily operate in the United States and Canada, and have a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The North American equipment rental industry is highly fragmented and competitive.

As the largest equipment rental company in the industry, we estimate that we have an approximate 15 percent market share in North America based on 2025 total equipment rental industry revenues (excluding party and event rentals) as measured by the ARA. Estimated market share is calculated by dividing our total 2025 North American rental revenue by ARA’s forecasted 2025 industry revenue (excluding party and event rentals). Our competitors primarily include small, independent businesses with one or two rental locations; regional competitors that operate in one or more states; public companies or divisions of public companies that operate nationally or internationally; and equipment vendors and dealers who both sell and rent equipment directly to customers. We believe we are well positioned to take advantage of this environment because, as a larger company, we have more resources and certain competitive advantages over our smaller competitors. These advantages include greater purchasing power, the ability to provide customers with a broader range of equipment and services, and greater flexibility to transfer equipment among locations in response to, and in anticipation of, customer demand. The fragmented nature of the industry and our relatively small market share, however, may adversely impact our ability to mitigate rental rate pressure. See “Industry Overview and Economic Outlook” above for a discussion of our end-markets.

Environmental and Safety Regulations

Our operations are subject to numerous laws governing environmental protection and occupational health and safety matters. These laws regulate environmental issues such as wastewater, storm water, solid and hazardous wastes and materials, and air quality. Our operations generally do not raise significant environmental risks, but we use and store hazardous materials as part of maintaining our rental equipment fleet and the overall operations of our business, dispose of solid and hazardous waste and wastewater from equipment washing, and store and dispense petroleum products from storage tanks at certain locations. Under environmental and safety laws, we may be liable for, among other things, (i) the costs of investigating and remediating contamination at our sites as well as sites to which we send hazardous wastes for disposal or treatment, regardless of fault, and (ii) fines and penalties for non-compliance. We incur ongoing expenses associated with the performance of appropriate investigation and remediation activities at certain locations.

Employees

Approximately 8,200 of our employees are salaried and approximately 20,300 are hourly. Collective bargaining agreements relating to approximately 175 separate locations cover approximately 1,800 of our employees. We monitor employee satisfaction through ongoing surveys and consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

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Available Information

We make our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports, as well as our other SEC filings, available on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is www.unitedrentals.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in this document.