United Rentals

Answer questions about United Rentals and how renting works. Use this for questions about: how renting works (delivery/pickup, minimums, extensions), documentation and common terminology, navigating UnitedRentals.com (what to click, where to find things), order history, invoices, quotes vs reservations, and operator training or safety courses. Do not use this for finding equipment — use find_equipment or recommend_equipment instead.

Parameters:

• question: The user's rental-related question (e.g., "What's the difference between a quote and a reservation?", "How do I extend a rental?", "What ID do I need to rent?").
• topic: Optional topic area to scope the answer (e.g., "delivery", "billing", "documentation", "extensions", "training").

Generate a side-by-side comparison of two or more pieces of equipment. Use this when the user is deciding between specific items and wants to evaluate differences in specs, capacity, features, or suitability for a job. Equipment IDs must be sourced from prior find_equipment results — do not guess. Providing comparison_criteria narrows the comparison to what matters most for the user's use case.

Parameters:

• equipment_ids: Array of two or more equipment IDs to compare, each in ###-

format (e.g., ["045-1234", "102-5678"]). Always source IDs from find_equipment results — do not guess or construct them manually.

• comparison_criteria: Optional focus area for the comparison (e.g., "lifting capacity and reach", "fuel type and operating cost", "indoor vs outdoor suitability"). If omitted, a general comparison is returned.

Search the United Rentals equipment catalog using one or more filter criteria. All filters are optional and combinable — omitting all parameters returns the full catalog. Use this tool when the user wants to browse or narrow down equipment options before committing to a specific item. Results can be passed to get_equipment_details or compare_equipment for follow-up actions.

Parameters:

• name: Filter by equipment name or model (e.g., "scissor lift", "Skyjack 3219"). Partial matches are supported.
• type: Filter by equipment type or broad category (e.g., "aerial", "earthmoving", "power & HVAC").
• function: Filter by the functional job the equipment performs (e.g., "lifting", "digging", "compacting"). More specific than type.
• size: Filter by equipment size class or capacity (e.g., "compact", "large", "10-ton").

Find United Rentals branch locations, contact information, and specialty training resources. Use this to route users to the right destination: branch locations (nearest branch, hours, phone numbers), United Academy (training catalog, safety education, certifications), and specialty offerings (specialty power, HVAC, pumps, trench safety). Do not use this for equipment search — use find_equipment instead.

Parameters:

• query: The user's question or request about locations or services (e.g., "Find a branch near Kansas City", "What safety certifications does United Academy offer?", "Who do I call for trench safety equipment?").
• service_type: Optional type of service to filter by (e.g., "branch", "training", "specialty power", "HVAC", "pumps", "trench safety").
• location: Optional location context to narrow results (e.g., city name, state, or zip code).

Retrieve full specifications, descriptions, and rental details for a single piece of equipment identified by its unique ID. Use this after find_equipment returns results and the user wants to drill into a specific item, or when an equipment ID is already known. Do not guess or fabricate equipment IDs — always source them from prior search results.

Parameters:

• equipment_id: The unique identifier for the equipment item in ###-

format (e.g., "045-1234"). Always source this value from find_equipment results — do not guess or construct IDs manually.

Route a free-form natural-language question to the equipment agent. Use this as a fallback when the question does not map cleanly to catalog search, detail lookup, comparison, or recommendation — for example, questions about equipment availability, operator requirements, or multi-step reasoning across equipment categories. Prefer the specialized catalog tools when the user's intent is clearly a search, lookup, compare, or recommend action. For questions about rental policies, pricing, documentation, or United Rentals locations and services, prefer ask_rental_questions or find_locations_and_services instead.

Return a ranked set of equipment recommendations tailored to a specific job or task. Use this when the user describes what they need to accomplish but doesn't know which equipment to use. The more detail provided in job_description, requirements, and constraints, the more relevant the recommendations. Recommended equipment IDs can then be passed to get_equipment_details or compare_equipment for deeper evaluation.

Parameters:

• job_description: A description of the job, task, or project the user needs to complete (e.g., "lifting HVAC units to a 3-story rooftop in an urban environment"). More detail yields better recommendations.
• requirements: Specific must-have capabilities or features (e.g., "must be electric-powered", "needs 40ft working height", "operator must not require special certification").
• constraints: Limiting factors that rule out certain equipment (e.g., "max 7ft wide for indoor use", "budget under $500/day", "must be towable, no CDL").