Segment Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Segment Reporting, Measurement Disclosures [Abstract]

Segment Information

Segment Information

Our reportable segments are general rentals and trench safety, power and HVAC. The general rentals segment includes the rental of the following equipment:

• General construction and industrial equipment, such as backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment and material handling equipment, which accounted for approximately 41 percent of our total 2011 equipment rental revenue;

• Aerial work platforms,such as boom lifts and scissor lifts, which accounted for approximately 39 percent of our total 2011 equipment rental revenue; and

• General tools and light equipment, such as pressure washers, water pumps, generators, heaters and power tools, which accounted for approximately 8 percent of our total 2011 equipment rental revenue.

The general rentals segment reflects the aggregation of seven geographic regions—the Southwest, Gulf, Northwest, Southeast, Midwest, East, and the Northeast Canada—and operates throughout the United States and Canada.

The trench safety, power and HVAC segment includes the rental of specialty construction products such as the following:

• Trench safety equipment, such as trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction lasers and line testing equipment for underground work, which accounted for approximately 6 percent of our total 2011 equipment rental revenue; and

• Power and HVAC equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment including heating and cooling equipment, which accounted for approximately 6 percent of our total 2011 equipment rental revenue.

The trench safety, power and HVAC segment’s customers include construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, municipalities and industrial companies. This segment operates throughout the United States and in Canada.

These segments align our external segment reporting with how management evaluates and allocates resources. We evaluate segment performance based on segment operating results.

The accounting policies for our segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. Certain corporate costs, including those related to selling, finance, legal, risk management, human resources, corporate management and information technology systems, are deemed to be of an operating nature and are allocated to our segments based on either the actual amount of costs incurred in the prior year for selling, general and administrative expenses or equipment rental revenue generating activities.

The following table sets forth financial information by segment for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, except for balance sheet information, which is presented as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

	General rentals		Trench safety, power and HVAC		Total
2011
Equipment rentals	$	1,953	$	198	$	2,151
Sales of rental equipment	201		7		208
Sales of new equipment	77		7		84
Contractor supplies sales	79		6		85
Service and other revenues	79		4		83
Total revenue	2,389		222		2,611
Depreciation and amortization expense	448		32		480
Segment operating income	377		57		434
Capital expenditures	739		71		810
Total assets	$	3,776	$	367	$	4,143
2010
Equipment rentals	$	1,693	$	141	$	1,834
Sales of rental equipment	134		10		144
Sales of new equipment	72		6		78
Contractor supplies sales	89		6		95
Service and other revenues	83		3		86
Total revenue	2,071		166		2,237
Depreciation and amortization expense	426		23		449
Segment operating income	199		32		231
Capital expenditures	344		30		374
Total assets	$	3,458	$	235	$	3,693
2009
Equipment rentals	$	1,700	$	130	$	1,830
Sales of rental equipment	218		11		229
Sales of new equipment	81		5		86
Contractor supplies sales	114		7		121
Service and other revenues	89		3		92
Total revenue	2,202		156		2,358
Depreciation and amortization expense	449		25		474
Segment operating income	123		22		145
Capital expenditures	$	295	$	16	$	311

The following is a reconciliation of segment operating income to total Company operating income:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2011			2010			2009
Total segment operating income	$	434		$	231		$	145
Unallocated RSC merger related costs	(19		)	—			—
Unallocated restructuring charge	(19		)	(34		)	(31		)
Operating income	$	396		$	197		$	114

We operate in the United States and Canada. The following table presents geographic area information for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, except for balance sheet information, which is presented as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. All the foreign assets as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 are Canadian, and the foreign information in the following table primarily relates to Canada.

	Domestic		Foreign		Total
2011
Equipment rentals	$	1,779	$	372	$	2,151
Sales of rental equipment	180		28		208
Sales of new equipment	59		25		84
Contractor supplies sales	62		23		85
Service and other revenues	64		19		83
Total revenue	2,144		467		2,611
Rental equipment, net	2,181		436		2,617
Property and equipment, net	338		28		366
Goodwill and other intangibles, net	$	232	$	140	$	372
2010
Equipment rentals	$	1,569	$	265	$	1,834
Sales of rental equipment	121		23		144
Sales of new equipment	59		19		78
Contractor supplies sales	71		24		95
Service and other revenues	68		18		86
Total revenue	1,888		349		2,237
Rental equipment, net	1,985		295		2,280
Property and equipment, net	365		28		393
Goodwill and other intangibles, net	$	182	$	45	$	227
2009
Equipment rentals	$	1,602	$	228	$	1,830
Sales of rental equipment	200		29		229
Sales of new equipment	70		16		86
Contractor supplies sales	96		25		121
Service and other revenues	78		14		92
Total revenue	$	2,046	$	312	$	2,358