A beach rental business with a short, busy season
Beach 4x4 is based in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Renters come for the Outer Banks' 4x4 beaches, so the fleet is built for sand: Wrangler Rubicons and Xtreme Recons, Gladiator pickups, a Bronco, and eight- and nine-seat open-air 4x4s for bigger groups.
Most of the year's business lands between spring and early fall. In July 2026 alone, Beach 4x4 took 91 online bookings. On top of those, phone and walk-in rentals have to land on the same calendar, so nothing gets double-booked.
For Norfolk Airport renters, Beach 4x4 leaves a transfer vehicle in the airport garage with the keys inside. Renters drive it down to the Kill Devil Hills lot and swap into their 4x4, then do the same in reverse on the way home.
Booking on their own website
Beach 4x4 doesn't send renters to a marketplace. Fleetwire's booking widget runs on beach4x4.com, so renters pick a vehicle, choose dates and check out without leaving Bret's site.
- A deposit at booking. Each booking charges a $300 deposit up front, and the balance is collected later, so a reservation means a committed renter.
- One calendar for every channel. Rentals booked by phone or in person go on the same calendar as online bookings, and those dates disappear from the website automatically.
- GPS on the fleet. Bouncie trackers connect to Fleetwire, so vehicle locations and trips sit next to the bookings.
Beach 4x4 imported Turo trips in its first year. Since 2022, its online bookings have come in direct, with no marketplace commission.
“We've used Fleetwire for over four years, and it's been a lifesaver. There's no way we could have grown to more than 20 vehicles without it keeping us organized.”
Bret Doman · Beach 4x4
The results
Online bookings keep climbing: 357 in 2024, 405 in 2025, and 541 so far in 2026. That's 39% more than the same months last year, with two months of the year still to go. The fleet now has 26 vehicles listed, and every booking, deposit and phone rental is in one place.