Hertz Timeline Reveals A Bigger Story Than Most Know
Hertz company timeline
The Hertz company timeline begins in 1918 with Walter Jacobs's small Chicago rental operation and expands into a century-long story of innovation, acquisitions, global growth, and repeated reinvention under the Hertz name. The core arc is simple: a 12-car startup became one of the world's best-known mobility brands, then evolved through major milestones such as airport rentals, computerized reservations, international expansion, and the creation of multiple rental sub-brands.
What makes the Hertz history more interesting than a standard brand chronology is that it tracks the modernization of travel itself, from early road trips to airport convenience and digital booking. Hertz's own history materials say the company generated about $1 million in annual revenue by 1925, opened its first European location in France in 1950, and reached 1,000 locations by 1955, signaling how quickly the company scaled its network.
Origins and early growth
The founding years start in 1918, when Walter Jacobs launched a car-rental business in Chicago with a fleet of 12 Model-Ts. Jacobs sold the business to John D. Hertz in 1923, but the company kept the Hertz name and soon became a recognizable rental brand in the United States. By 1925, Hertz was already building a coast-to-coast rental network, which helped set the template for modern nationwide car rental.
In the 1920s, Hertz also introduced services that now sound familiar but were highly novel at the time. The company rolled out advanced reservations, Rail-Drive service for train passengers, and the National Credential Card in 1926, which is often described as a precursor to the modern credit card. These early moves show how the customer model was built around convenience long before convenience became an industry slogan.
Key milestones
The most important milestones in Hertz's timeline show a business that repeatedly adapted to transportation changes. The company opened the first airport rent-a-car facility at Chicago's Midway Airport in 1932, opened its first European location in France in 1950, and became the first rental company with 1,000 locations in 1955. Those steps turned Hertz from a domestic operator into a multinational travel service provider.
| Year | Milestone | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Walter Jacobs launches a 12-car rental business in Chicago | Marks the company's founding and entry into auto rental |
| 1923 | John D. Hertz acquires the company | Gives the brand the name that would endure for decades |
| 1925 | Annual revenue reaches about $1 million | Shows early commercial traction and national scale |
| 1932 | First airport rent-a-car facility opens at Chicago's Midway Airport | Connects the company to the emerging air-travel economy |
| 1950 | First European location opens in France | Begins Hertz's international expansion |
| 1955 | Company reaches 1,000 locations | Demonstrates rapid network growth |
| 1972 | Introduces the #1 Club, later Hertz Gold Plus Rewards | Brings computerization into customer loyalty and express service |
| 1989 | Express benefits expand to faster airport pickup | Deepens the brand's speed-and-convenience promise |
| 1990s | Launches NeverLost and its first website | Signals a shift toward digital travel tools |
| 2013 | Expands portfolio with Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly | Creates a broader global rental platform |
Technology and service
Hertz's timeline is especially notable for its repeated use of technology to reduce friction in travel. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company began using computers to simplify rental processing, and in 1972 it introduced the #1 Club, a computerized data system that allowed members to use Express Service. By 1989, that service had evolved so members could bypass the counter and move more directly from flight to car, which was a major operational advantage in airport markets.
The company also embraced navigation and digital booking early compared with many competitors. In the 1990s, Hertz introduced NeverLost, one of the better-known in-car navigation systems of its era, and launched its first website, which helped move the rental experience online. The digital shift mattered because it changed Hertz from a counter-based business into a travel platform increasingly shaped by software and loyalty data.
"We boast a rich history of significant first steps, ambitious ideas and innovation that has formed our company into the reputable brand it is today."
Global expansion
Hertz's expansion outside the United States started in earnest after World War II, when international travel began growing quickly. The first European location opened in France in 1950, and the company later expanded across Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and New Zealand. That global footprint turned Hertz into a brand associated not just with rental cars, but with business travel, tourism, and airport mobility worldwide.
By the 2010s, Hertz had broadened its portfolio with multiple brands, including Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly, and the company described itself as having about 10,300 locations globally. This multi-brand strategy allowed Hertz to serve different price points and customer segments while keeping the core brand focused on airport and premium convenience. The result was a more complex global network than the company had in its early decades.
Corporate changes
Hertz's corporate timeline is also a story of ownership changes and strategic restructuring. Over time, the company moved through different corporate eras as the mobility and rental markets changed, and those changes reshaped how the brand operated, financed expansion, and managed competition. For readers studying the company timeline, this matters because Hertz is not just a car-rental name; it is a business that repeatedly reinvented its structure to stay relevant.
A useful way to understand the broader arc is to see Hertz as three overlapping businesses: a rental pioneer, an airport-service innovator, and a global mobility platform. Each phase brought new operating systems, new customer expectations, and new ways to compete. The company's long timeline reflects both resilience and the pressure of a highly cyclical industry.
What the timeline shows
The largest lesson from the Hertz timeline is that the company succeeded by spotting transportation shifts before many competitors did. It moved from local auto renting to coast-to-coast service, then to train and airport partnerships, then to computer-based loyalty programs, and finally to digital reservations and multi-brand global operations. That pattern explains why Hertz became one of the most recognizable names in travel.
It also shows that the company's identity has always been tied to speed. Whether through early reservations, airport counters, express loyalty programs, or mobile booking, Hertz repeatedly tried to reduce the time between arrival and departure. In practical terms, the brand's history is a record of how convenience became a business strategy.
Chronology of events
- 1918: Walter Jacobs founds the business in Chicago with 12 cars.
- 1923: John D. Hertz acquires the company and the Hertz name takes hold.
- 1925: The company reports about $1 million in annual revenue.
- 1926: Hertz introduces the National Credential Card and advanced reservations.
- 1932: The first airport rent-a-car facility opens at Chicago's Midway Airport.
- 1950: Hertz opens its first European location in France.
- 1955: Hertz becomes the first rental company with 1,000 locations.
- 1972: The #1 Club launches as a computerized loyalty and express-service system.
- 1989: Express benefits expand to help customers bypass the airport counter.
- 1990s: Hertz introduces NeverLost and launches its first website.
- 2013: Hertz expands its brand portfolio with Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly.
Frequently asked questions
Why it matters
The history of Hertz is bigger than a single rental company because it mirrors the evolution of mass travel in the 20th and 21st centuries. From Model-Ts to airport kiosks and digital reservations, the company's timeline shows how convenience, scale, and technology became the core logic of modern mobility. For anyone researching the company timeline, Hertz offers a compact case study in how a travel brand can survive by changing faster than the market around it.
Expert answers to Hertz Timeline Reveals A Bigger Story Than Most Know queries
When was Hertz founded?
Hertz traces its origins to 1918, when Walter Jacobs started the business in Chicago with 12 Model-Ts. The Hertz name entered the company in 1923 after John D. Hertz acquired it.
What was Hertz's first major innovation?
One of Hertz's earliest major innovations was coast-to-coast rental service paired with advanced reservations in the 1920s. The company also introduced the National Credential Card in 1926, which is often viewed as an early step toward modern credit-card-style identification.
When did Hertz become international?
Hertz opened its first European location in France in 1950. That move marked the start of a broader global expansion that later extended across multiple continents.
Why is Hertz important in travel history?
Hertz is important because it helped define the modern airport car-rental model. The company repeatedly linked cars, trains, airports, and digital booking into a single convenience-focused service chain.
What brands are connected to Hertz today?
Hertz expanded its portfolio to include Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly in 2013. That gave the company a multi-brand structure aimed at serving different traveler segments and pricing needs.