How Turnpike Trailer Rentals grew from one leftover trailer to eight with Lockii
The trailer that would not sell
James Matlock bought a 24-foot enclosed trailer to move across the country. Once the move was done, he had no use for it. He tried to sell it and could not get close to what he had paid, so on a whim he listed it for rent on Facebook.
It booked that same night.
Within a week he bought three more trailers. Those booked up too. He doubled the fleet again, and Turnpike Trailer Rentals is now at eight units and still growing. The leftover moving trailer was never meant to be a business. The bookings made that decision for him.
Why James chose Lockii
James was just getting started and already knew he needed booking software. He sat through demos. Lockii was the strongest one, so he used it from day one.
That timing mattered. A fleet that jumps from one trailer to eight does not wait for you to outgrow a spreadsheet. James wanted something that could run the rental without him inventing a process later.
He is also numbers-first. The dashboard gives him the data he wants, and it did not take long to learn. For an operator watching utilisation as closely as cash, that overview is part of why the demo won.
What changed after moving to Lockii
Customers can handle the booking and rental without James standing there. That is the whole unlock: he can work on growth instead of managing every pickup by hand.
He still shows up for a lot of rentals because the business is new. The difference is that he does not have to. He can be out doing something completely unrelated, get a notification that another trailer was booked, and realise Lockii just ran the rental.
That is the moment the side listing becomes a company. Eight trailers only stay rented if the software keeps taking bookings while James is elsewhere.
Lockii has made running my trailer rental business incredibly easy. The automated booking and rental process lets my customers handle everything without me having to be there, which gives me the freedom to focus on growing the business instead of managing every rental.
James Matlock, Turnpike Trailer Rentals
What comes next for Turnpike Trailer Rentals
The first-year target is clear. Get the business running 100% automated, and open a second location. James wants something that can keep growing without him being there for every rental.
His advice to other operators is short. Try them. He does not regret starting on Lockii, and the fleet growth is the reason.
