Blue Oval Rentals - Zubie Sense for Vehicles

Justin Murphy

Smoking in rental vehicles was a persistent challenge for Blue Oval Rentals until Zubie Sense for Vehicles helped them regain control and better protect their fleet & customers.

In A Nutshell

The Problem

Smoking in vehicles led to unhappy customers, vehicle cleanliness issues, and challenges recouping losses related to vehicle damage & downtime.

The Solution

Justin implemented Zubie Sense for Vehicles to deter smoking, track smoking events in real time, and enforce a structured, customer-friendly fining system.

The Results

Cleaner vehicles, fewer disputes, higher customer satisfaction, early identification of high-risk renters — and even helped stop criminal misuse of vehicles.

Justin's Story

Before using Zubie Sense for Vehicles

Justin described the old process as “difficult”, and Blue Oval Rentals almost never recovered full compensation when rental contracts were breached.

Frequent disputes — smoking could only be proven by odor and visual cues after vehicle return.
Inefficient fine process — previously, Justin charged a flat $500 smoking fee that was hard to enforce and often led to upset customers.
Operational tradeoffs — with only a $200 upfront deposit from renters, Justin’s team often had to choose between recouping smoking damage or fuel discrepancies, rarely recovering both.
Difficulty identifying high-risk customers — these customers smoked, mistreated cars, and ignored contract terms.

Zubie Helped Create a Fair, Effective Fine Structure

With Zubie Sense for Vehicles, Justin implemented a tiered fine system that was easier for customers to understand and more effective for his staff:

First offense – $75
Second offense – $150
Third offense – $300
Fourth offense – Remove renter for breach of contract

Vaping is treated more leniently, with warnings issued instead of immediate fines. This structure reduced friction, helped maintain customer relationships, and gave staff a defensible system supported by real data rather than subjective judgment.

A Transformational Impact Across the Business

Zubie Sense for Vehicles allows Justin’s team to intervene early and assign smoke-free vehicles to sensitive renters, significantly improving customer satisfaction.

Although the business recoups fines each month, Justin stated that the true value is prevention, not profit:

“I’d rather use Zubie Sense for Vehicles as a deterrent because of all the positive ripple effects. Cleaner vehicles, happier customers, and avoiding repeat offenders.”

At first, the team doubted Zubie Sense for Vehicles. But as every smoked-in vehicle consistently matched Zubie’s smoke alerts, staff trust grew quickly. Staff began using alerts as evidence, and conversations with customers got easier.

Justin noticed that multiple smoking events in a rental contract often correlate with other bad behaviors such as poor refueling, contract violations, and misuse. Zubie Sense gives early warning signs so the team can intervene before issues escalate.

A Major Incident Avoided Thanks to Smoke Alerts

Justin shared a pivotal incident that revealed the power of Zubie Sense for Vehicles. A high-end Ford Bronco triggered more than 40 smoking alerts during the rental, and failed to return at the scheduled time. The renter had stopped responding, and even though they attempted to tape over the Zubie Sense for Vehicles device, it continued reporting smoking activity. His team reported the vehicle stolen, and using Zubie Direct Connect location data, the sheriff’s office located and pulled the vehicle over.

What followed was alarming: the vehicle had been passed among multiple drug dealers, one already on Justin’s do-not-rent list, and the renter was actively involved in drug trafficking. Reflecting on the incident, Justin said:

“If we didn’t see so many smoke alerts, we probably wouldn’t have been watching that vehicle so closely. It would have gone on much longer. Because of the smoke detection alerts, we caught it the same night, and got three drug dealers out of our customer pool.”

In Justin's Words

“Because of Zubie’s early alerts and real-time data, we were able to act quickly and recover a vehicle with minimal damage. Their technology continues to play an absolutely critical role in our operations, helping us prevent losses and maintain accountability across our fleet.”

Justin Murphy, Blue Oval Rentals, Chicago, IL

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