By: Carlos A. Bazán,
Green Motion International
Carlos Bazán is the Head of Operations for Americas for Green Motion and U-Save. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Car Rental Association, is a member of the Car Rental Committee for the National Defense Transportation Association, and serves as an advisor for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s transportation electrification project (Athena).
The opinions expressed in this article are only those of the author and not necessarily those of ACRA.
I’ve seen too many operators treat their lot like empty space instead of the moving system it really is. When I look at a lot, I don’t just count stalls—I watch how cars move through returns, fueling, wash, and ready lanes hour by hour. Real capacity is not how many cars you can squeeze in; it’s how many you can cycle without slowing down your team or your customers.
When I track dwell time in each zone and see where jams build up, I know exactly when the lot is pushing its true limits. I plan for that. I redirect overflow before it chokes the ready lanes. I adjust deliveries and returns so staff aren’t fighting a losing battle to move cars that have nowhere to go.
Running a lot like this keeps turnaround times short and protects every booking. It’s insurance I control. When my lot flows the way it should, I’m not paying for emergency storage or dealing with angry renters waiting for cars that should have been ready. That’s the difference between a lot that works for you and one that buries you when you’re busiest.
Ready and Return Lanes.
One of my top priorities is the Ready and Return lanes, the RR. I never leave them to chance. They are the heartbeat of the lot. I know exactly how many cars can be dropped off, processed, cleaned, fueled, and staged before the whole flow stalls. I watch how quickly cars clear the return zone and hit the ready line because every extra minute costs me bookings.
I look at my peak return hours (usually late mornings and early evenings, and also affected by days when Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays are chaos) and plan staffing to match. I keep my RR lanes wide enough to avoid cross-traffic jams, and I make sure signage and lanes are clear so customers don’t create their own gridlock. I space my staging so cars don’t block each other when they’re waiting for final wash or check-in.
When returns come in heavy, I sometimes flex part of my lot for temporary staging. If my lanes back up, I pull the slowest units off for later turnaround instead of letting the pileup drag the whole team down. My RR lanes only work when I treat them like a live process, not static parking. The faster I clear them, the more cars I can cycle—and the fewer angry customers I have waiting for a car I promised would be ready.
Ready and Return lanes Photo: Courtesy, CA Bazan, LLP. CC BY-NC-ND.
Quick Turnaround Area (QTA)
My QTAs are a production line. Every step needs to move fast or the entire flow suffers. I know how many cars my QTA can handle per hour because I track wash time, fueling time, inspection time, and final staging. I don’t guess. If one part runs slow, I fix it before the backlog hits my ready line.
I always separate my QTA from my customer lanes. Rental counters and drop-offs stay clear so customers aren’t dodging wash hoses or fuel trucks. My layout avoids tight corners and wasted steps—cars move forward, not backward. Every minute shaved off a turnaround is another car ready to rent sooner.
I watch my staffing levels daily. If I see an uptick in late returns or weekend peaks, I add staff or stagger shifts so my QTA never gets buried. I invest in good equipment and basic training because one missed scratch or a half-fueled car costs me more than paying to do it right the first time.
When my QTA hums, my entire lot works better. Cars get turned, staged, and rented again with minimal downtime. That’s money back in my pocket instead of locked in idle inventory.
QTA Area. Photo: Courtesy, CA Bazan, LLP. CC BY-NC-ND.
Long Term Storage
I never let long-term storage become a dumping ground. When cars sit too long, they cost me money and create clutter that slows the active lot. I separate my lot so my core rental flow stays clear while older units or seasonal extras park off to the side or, better yet, off premises.
I map my seasonal fleet needs in advance. If I know I’ll need extra SUVs for winter or convertibles for summer, I secure the storage space months ahead. I make sure stored units stay maintained and started up regularly. A car that’s dead or dirty when I need it is worse than no car at all.
I use offsite lots when overflow hits, but only with clear tracking. Every car in storage is labeled, logged, and easy to retrieve. If a unit sits too long without a plan, I liquidate it. Old or idle fleet ties up capital I can put to better use.
Long-term storage isn’t passive. It’s an active part of my fleet strategy. The right cars come out at the right time, ready to earn again without jamming up my main lot. That’s how I keep my operation lean and ready for the next peak.
Overflow
Overflow is my pressure valve when the lot hits max capacity. I plan my offsite options before I need them. Last-minute overflow is chaos. I build relationships with nearby lots or underused spaces where I can store cars short-term without creating retrieval headaches.
Every overflow unit is logged, tagged, and mapped. I know exactly how many cars are offsite, what condition they’re in, and how fast I can get them back. I rotate cars through to avoid flat spots and battery drain. I don’t let overflow become a black hole for aging cars I should have sold.
I keep overflow close enough that retrieval doesn’t eat labor hours. I train my team to move cars efficiently when peak days hit. I use overflow to protect my RR lanes and QTA. When returns back up, I pull slow-turn units off the main lot and stage them offsite so my core operation keeps flowing.
Planned overflow is cheap insurance. It keeps me from scrambling when bookings run hot. It keeps my promises to renters because the cars they booked aren’t stuck behind a wall of surplus inventory. It gives my staff space to work. Overflow is not clutter. It’s a tool. And I use it wisely.
When you plan your lots, make sure you understand your traffic, your seasonality, peak times, renter and people flow, and that you make it a state of the art facility for your renter, your employees, and your bottom line.