Item 1. Business

United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world, operates throughout the United States and Canada, and has a limited 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, 2021 and 2020. 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.

			2021						2020
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Total revenues (in millions)			$9,716						$8,530
Equipment rental revenue percent of total revenues			84%						84%
Equipment rental revenue variance components:
Year-over-year change in average original equipment cost (“OEC”)			4.0%						(2.2)%
Assumed year-over-year inflation impact (1)			(1.5)%						(1.5)%
Fleet productivity (2)			10.4%						(6.9)%
Contribution from ancillary and re-rent revenue (3)			2.0%						0.3%
Total equipment rental revenue variance			14.9%						(10.3)%
Key account percent of equipment rental revenue			72%						74%
National account percent of equipment rental revenue			43%						44%
FLEET
Fleet OEC (in billions)			$15.79						$13.78
Equipment classes			4,300						4,000
Equipment units			780,000						615,000
Fleet age in months			54.1						54.5
Percent of fleet that is current on manufacturer's recommended maintenance			77%						81%
Equipment rental revenue percent by fleet type:
General construction and industrial equipment			42%						43%
Aerial work platforms			26%						27%
General tools and light equipment			8%						8%
Power and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) equipment			9%						9%
Trench safety equipment			6%						6%
Fluid solutions equipment			7%						7%
Mobile storage equipment and modular office space (4)			2%						—%
LOCATIONS/PERSONNEL
Rental locations			1,345						1,165
Approximate range of branches per district			3-11						4-11
Approximate range of districts per region			4-9						5-10
Range of regions per division			2-6						3-4
Hourly employees			14,200						12,550
Salaried employees			6,200						5,700
Total employees			20,400						18,250
INDUSTRY
Estimated North American market share (5)			15%						14%
Estimated North American equipment rental industry revenue growth (decline) (2) (5)			4%						(9)%
2022 projected North American industry equipment rental revenue growth			10%
CUSTOMERS/SUPPLIERS
Largest customer percent of total revenues			1%						1%
Top 10 customers percent of total revenues			4%						4%
Largest supplier percent of capital expenditures			9%						9%
Top 10 supplier percent of capital expenditures			49%						45%

(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 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. The positive fleet productivity for 2021 and the negative fleet productivity for 2020 include the impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), which resulted in rental volume declines in response to shelter-in-place orders and other market restrictions, as discussed further below. The COVID-19 volume declines were more pronounced in 2020 than 2021, and in 2021, we saw evidence of a continuing recovery of activity across our end-markets. The 2020 decline in North American equipment rental industry revenue also includes the impact of COVID-19 (see "Industry Overview and Economic Outlook" below for further discussion).

(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 in note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, in May 2021, we completed the acquisition of General Finance Corporation (“General Finance”), which was a leading provider of mobile storage equipment and modular office space. Prior to the General Finance acquisition, we did not rent material amounts of such equipment.

(5)As discussed below (see "Industry Overview and Economic Outlook"), North American equipment rental industry revenue is based on industry estimates from the American Rental Association ("ARA"). Subsequent to our prior disclosure of 2020 industry information, the ARA decreased its estimate of the size of the North American equipment rental industry. As a result of this change, relative to our prior disclosures, our market share for 2020 increased and the size of the 2020 decline in North American equipment rental industry revenue decreased.

COVID-19

COVID-19 was first identified in people in late 2019. COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout the world and, in March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted supply chains and businesses around the world. Uncertainty remains regarding the ongoing impact of existing and emerging variant strains of COVID-19 on the operations and financial position of United Rentals, and on the global economy. Uncertainty also remains regarding the length of time it will take for the COVID-19 pandemic to ultimately subside, which will be impacted by the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 (including against emerging variant strains), and by measures that may in the future be implemented to protect public health. See "Industry Overview and Economic Outlook" below for a discussion of market performance in 2021 and 2020. The health and safety of our employees and customers remains our top priority, and we also implemented a detailed COVID-19 response plan, which is explained in more detail in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and which we believe helped mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our results.

We began to experience a decline in revenues in March 2020, when rental volume declined in response to shelter-in-place orders and other market restrictions. The volume declines were more pronounced in 2020 than 2021, and we have seen recent evidence of recovery across our construction and industrial markets, as well as encouraging gains in end-market indicators, as reflected in our 2022 forecast. COVID-19 is discussed in more detail throughout “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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 diverse talent; 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 to see that workers are trained properly and that injuries and incidents are prevented. 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, preventable motor vehicle incidents per million miles, corrective actions and near miss frequency. 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. The program includes a biometric screening at work or off-site, a health assessment, a paid day off to be used for a

wellness exam or day of service, tobacco cessation support, and participation incentives. Additionally, employees and family members can participate in virtual health challenges to encourage daily activity. Approximately 50 percent of eligible employees participated in the program in 2021.

• Diversity, equity and inclusion (“DE&I”):** We believe that an inclusive and diverse team is key to the success of our culture and aim to drive DE&I initiatives through many efforts, including sponsoring four employee-led employee resource groups (“ERGs”) that represent and support the diverse communities that make up our workforce. The ERGs facilitate networking and connecting with peers, outreach and mentoring, and leadership and skill development. The Company has internal goals for overall workforce diversity and additional goals for specific positions at the Company, and there has been positive progress in diverse representation at the Company, as reflected in a four percentage point increase in diverse employees in sales and management roles, which increased from 27 percent in 2018 to 31 percent in 2021. In addition, the Company has made hiring and supporting veterans a priority through its veterans ERG and working with organizations that support the veteran community. Importantly, in 2021, we conducted a Company-wide culture workshop with all employees designed to continue our dialogue on racial justice and social equity by focusing on three important keys of our culture: safety and wellness, DE&I, and trust and communication.

• 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, legal coverage, auto/home insurance, identity theft insurance and tuition assistance. Additionally, we have conducted three company-wide stock grant programs for employees since 2014 – the most recent grant was in recognition of our employees’ special efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and initially took place in 2020, with an update in 2021 recognizing the contributions of newly hired employees since the 2020 grant date.

• 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, total employee turnover, which represents voluntary and involuntary terminations during the year divided by average headcount during the year, was 15.4 percent, 11.9 percent and 14.4 percent for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We also conduct an annual employee experience survey, which provides valuable information on drivers of engagement and areas where we can improve. Our 2021 employee experience survey showed year-over-year increases in most categories and no declines in any category. Additionally, when we asked employees how likely they are to continue with the Company beyond 6 months, the average response was 9.2 out of 10, which was consistent with the average response in 2020. We believe this question assesses our employees’ commitment to United Rentals, and that the response is consistent with our strong employee retention. 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 Workplace to engage with our full team. The Company also sponsors the United Compassion Fund, an employee-funded 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial assistance to fellow employees in need. In 2021, employees voluntarily donated approximately $1.3 million to the fund, and employees received 403 grants totaling approximately $875,000.

• 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 (classroom, 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 2021, we aim to regularly develop new training programs, launch pilot programs and expand leadership opportunities for our employees. In 2021, our employees enhanced their skills through approximately 460,000 hours of training, including safety training, sales and leadership training and equipment-related training from our suppliers. The majority of our training was delivered virtually during 2021 and 2020. 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.

We are continuing to manage the impact of COVID-19, as discussed throughout “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” 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 continue to implement Lean kaizen processes across our branch network, with the objectives of: reducing the cycle time associated with renting our equipment to customers; improving invoice accuracy and service quality; reducing the elapsed time for equipment pickup and delivery; and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our repair and maintenance operations;

• The continued expansion of our specialty footprint, as well as our tools and onsite services offerings, and the cross-selling of these services throughout our network. We believe that the expansion of our specialty business, as exhibited by our acquisition of General Finance discussed in note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, as well as our tools and onsite services offerings, will further position 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. 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. In July 2018, we completed the acquisition of BakerCorp International Holdings, Inc. (“BakerCorp”), which allowed for our entry into select European markets. As discussed in note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, in May 2021, we completed the acquisition of General Finance, which allowed for our entry into select markets in Australia and New Zealand. See Item 2—Properties for further geographical detail on our rental network. In 2021, based on an analysis of our charge account customers’ Standard Industrial Classification (“SIC”) codes:

• Industrial and other non-construction rentals represented approximately 50 percent of our rental revenue, primarily reflecting rentals to manufacturers, energy companies, chemical companies, paper mills, railroads, shipbuilders, utilities, retailers and infrastructure entities;

• Commercial construction rentals represented approximately 46 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.

We estimate that, based on industry estimates from the ARA, 2021 North American equipment rental industry revenue grew approximately 4 percent year-over-year. In 2021, our full year rental revenue increased by 14.9 percent year-over-year, which included the impact of the General Finance acquisition that was completed in May 2021 and is discussed in note 4 to the consolidated financial statements. As discussed in more detail throughout “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, the increase in rental revenue includes the significant impact in 2020 of COVID-19, which resulted in rental volume declines in response to shelter-in-place orders and other market restrictions. Our estimated North American market share of approximately 15 percent in 2021 increased from 14 percent in 2020.

In 2022, based on our analyses of industry forecasts and macroeconomic indicators, we expect a continuation of the market recovery experienced in 2021, following a market decline in 2020, which included the pronounced impact of

COVID-19. Specifically, we expect that North American industry equipment rental revenue will increase approximately 10 percent in 2022.

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 workstations that are electronically linked to our other locations and to our data center. Rental transactions can be entered at these workstations, or through various mobile applications, to be processed on a real-time basis.

Our information technology systems:

• 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;

• permit customers to access their accounts online; and

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

We have a fully functional 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.

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 limited presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and our global branch network includes 1,345 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 5 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 (formerly "trench, power and fluid solutions"). Segment financial information is presented in note 5 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 is comprised of four geographic divisions—Central, Northeast, Southeast and West—and operates throughout the United States and Canada.

The specialty segment includes the rental of specialty construction products such as (i) trench safety equipment, such as trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction 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, and (iv) mobile storage equipment and modular office space. 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 limited presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Products and Services

Our principal products and services are described below.

Equipment Rental. We offer for rent approximately 4,300 classes of rental equipment 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; 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.

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 (UROne**®**)**. 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. Our customers can also use our UR Control® application to actively manage their rental process and access real-time reports on their business activity with us.

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 in various media, including television, trade publications, yellow pages, the internet, radio and direct mail. We also regularly participate in industry trade shows and conferences and sponsor a variety of local and national promotional events.

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. For a discussion of the risks associated with potential supply chain disruptions, see Item 1A- Risk Factors (“Operational Risks-Disruptions in our supply chain could result in adverse effects on our results of operations and financial performance").

Competition

We primarily operate in the United States and Canada, and have a limited 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 2021 total equipment rental industry revenues as measured by the ARA. Estimated market share is calculated by dividing our total 2021 North American rental revenue by ARA’s forecasted 2021 industry revenue. 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 market performance in 2021 and 2020, which included the pronounced impact of COVID-19, as well as projected performance in 2022.

Environmental and Safety Regulations

Our operations are subject to numerous laws governing environmental protection and occupational health and safety matters. These laws regulate issues such as wastewater, stormwater, 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 6,200 of our employees are salaried and approximately 14,200 are hourly. Collective bargaining agreements relating to approximately 133 separate locations cover approximately 1,450 of our employees. We monitor employee satisfaction through ongoing surveys and consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

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.