Condensed Consolidating Financial Information of Guarantor Subsidiaries - CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										$ 4,941	$ 4,949	$ 4,819
Sales of rental equipment										496	538	544
Sales of new equipment										144	157	149
Contractor supplies sales										79	79	85
Service and other revenues										102	94	88
Total revenues		$ 1,523	$ 1,508	$ 1,421	$ 1,310	$ 1,523	$ 1,550	$ 1,429	$ 1,315	5,762	5,817	5,685
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										1,862	1,826	1,806
Depreciation of rental equipment										990	976	921
Cost of rental equipment sales										292	311	315
Cost of new equipment sales										119	131	120
Cost of contractor supplies sales										55	55	59
Cost of service and other revenues										41	38	32
Total cost of revenues										3,359	3,337	3,253
Gross profit		657	656	590	500	648	690	618	524	2,403	2,480	2,432
Selling, general and administrative expenses										719	714	758
Merger related costs										0	(26)	11
Restructuring charge										14	6	(1)
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										255	268	273
Operating income		402	412	347	254	397	446	375	300	1,415	1,518	1,391
Interest (income) expense, net										511	567	555
Other (income) expense, net										(5)	(12)	(14)
Income before provision for income taxes										909	963	850
Provision for income taxes										343	378	310
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										566	585	540
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										0	0	0
Net income		$ 153	$ 187	$ 134	$ 92	$ 169	$ 215	$ 86	$ 115	566	585	540
Other comprehensive income (loss)	[1]									32	(176)	(93)
Comprehensive income										598	409	447
Eliminations
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										0	0	0
Sales of rental equipment										0	0	0
Sales of new equipment										0	0	0
Contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total revenues										0	0	0
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										0	0	0
Depreciation of rental equipment										0	0	0
Cost of rental equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of new equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Cost of service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total cost of revenues										0	0	0
Gross profit										0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses										0	0	0
Merger related costs											0	0
Restructuring charge										0	0	0
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										0	0	0
Operating income										0	0	0
Interest (income) expense, net										(5)	(5)	(6)
Other (income) expense, net										0	0	0
Income before provision for income taxes										5	5	6
Provision for income taxes										0	0	0
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										5	5	6
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										(383)	(473)	(770)
Net income										(378)	(468)	(764)
Other comprehensive income (loss)										(82)	490	255
Comprehensive income										(460)	22	(509)
Parent
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										0	0	0
Sales of rental equipment										0	0	0
Sales of new equipment										0	0	0
Contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total revenues										0	0	0
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										0	0	0
Depreciation of rental equipment										0	0	0
Cost of rental equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of new equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Cost of service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total cost of revenues										0	0	0
Gross profit										0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses										43	5	55
Merger related costs											0	0
Restructuring charge										0	0	0
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										15	15	17
Operating income										(58)	(20)	(72)
Interest (income) expense, net										(6)	(3)	9
Other (income) expense, net										(471)	(471)	(149)
Income before provision for income taxes										419	454	68
Provision for income taxes										154	201	1
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										265	253	67
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										301	332	473
Net income										566	585	540
Other comprehensive income (loss)										32	(176)	(93)
Comprehensive income										598	409	447
URNA
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										4,524	4,452	4,217
Sales of rental equipment										444	480	478
Sales of new equipment										129	137	124
Contractor supplies sales										68	69	70
Service and other revenues										87	80	73
Total revenues										5,252	5,218	4,962
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										1,669	1,603	1,558
Depreciation of rental equipment										900	881	820
Cost of rental equipment sales										265	279	277
Cost of new equipment sales										107	115	101
Cost of contractor supplies sales										47	48	49
Cost of service and other revenues										35	33	27
Total cost of revenues										3,023	2,959	2,832
Gross profit										2,229	2,259	2,130
Selling, general and administrative expenses										579	596	607
Merger related costs											(26)	11
Restructuring charge										7	5	(1)
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										216	228	226
Operating income										1,427	1,456	1,287
Interest (income) expense, net										509	559	538
Other (income) expense, net										521	513	212
Income before provision for income taxes										397	384	537
Provision for income taxes										157	141	236
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										240	243	301
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										61	89	172
Net income										301	332	473
Other comprehensive income (loss)										32	(176)	(93)
Comprehensive income										333	156	380
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										0	0	0
Sales of rental equipment										0	0	0
Sales of new equipment										0	0	0
Contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total revenues										0	0	0
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										0	0	0
Depreciation of rental equipment										0	0	0
Cost of rental equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of new equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Cost of service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total cost of revenues										0	0	0
Gross profit										0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses										0	1	3
Merger related costs											0	0
Restructuring charge										0	0	0
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										0	1	1
Operating income										0	(2)	(4)
Interest (income) expense, net										3	8	5
Other (income) expense, net										0	0	(3)
Income before provision for income taxes										(3)	(10)	(6)
Provision for income taxes										0	(5)	0
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										(3)	(5)	(6)
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										21	52	125
Net income										18	47	119
Other comprehensive income (loss)										28	(175)	(90)
Comprehensive income										46	(128)	29
Non Guarantor Subsidiaries - Foreign
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										417	497	602
Sales of rental equipment										52	58	66
Sales of new equipment										15	20	25
Contractor supplies sales										11	10	15
Service and other revenues										15	14	15
Total revenues										510	599	723
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										193	223	248
Depreciation of rental equipment										90	95	101
Cost of rental equipment sales										27	32	38
Cost of new equipment sales										12	16	19
Cost of contractor supplies sales										8	7	10
Cost of service and other revenues										6	5	5
Total cost of revenues										336	378	421
Gross profit										174	221	302
Selling, general and administrative expenses										72	79	84
Merger related costs											0	0
Restructuring charge										7	1	0
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										24	24	29
Operating income										71	117	189
Interest (income) expense, net										2	3	4
Other (income) expense, net										40	44	17
Income before provision for income taxes										29	70	168
Provision for income taxes										8	18	43
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										21	52	125
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										0	0	0
Net income										21	52	125
Other comprehensive income (loss)										22	(139)	(72)
Comprehensive income										43	(87)	53
Non Guarantor Subsidiaries - SPV
Revenues:
Equipment rentals										0	0	0
Sales of rental equipment										0	0	0
Sales of new equipment										0	0	0
Contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total revenues										0	0	0
Cost of revenues:
Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation										0	0	0
Depreciation of rental equipment										0	0	0
Cost of rental equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of new equipment sales										0	0	0
Cost of contractor supplies sales										0	0	0
Cost of service and other revenues										0	0	0
Total cost of revenues										0	0	0
Gross profit										0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses										25	33	9
Merger related costs											0	0
Restructuring charge										0	0	0
Non-rental depreciation and amortization										0	0	0
Operating income										(25)	(33)	(9)
Interest (income) expense, net										8	5	5
Other (income) expense, net										(95)	(98)	(91)
Income before provision for income taxes										62	60	77
Provision for income taxes										24	23	30
Income (loss) before equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										38	37	47
Equity in net earnings (loss) of subsidiaries										0	0	0
Net income										38	37	47
Other comprehensive income (loss)										0	0	0
Comprehensive income										$ 38	$ 37	$ 47

[1] There were no material reclassifications from accumulated other comprehensive loss reflected in other comprehensive income (loss) during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 or 2014. There is no tax impact related to the foreign currency translation adjustments, as the earnings are considered permanently reinvested. There were no material taxes associated with other comprehensive loss during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 or 2014.