The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2020,2021, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the closing price of the stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date, was $593.8 million.$2.39 billion.

Herc was incorporated in Delaware in 1965. Since its incorporation and until the Spin-Off, Herc was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hertz Holdings or one of its subsidiaries operating its equipment rental business. Since the Spin-Off, Herc has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Herc Holdings. Herc Holdings was incorporated in Delaware in 2005 under a previous name.

The growth and financial health of the North American equipment rental industry is driven by a number of factors including economic trends, non-residential construction activity, capital investment in the industrial sector, repair, maintenance and overhaul spending, government spending and demand for construction and other rental equipment generally, including for remediation and re-building efforts related to natural disasters. We believe that companies have increasingly turned to the equipment rental market to manage their capital needs, which allows our customers to operate their businesses without incurring the significant acquisition cost and maintenance expense associated with owning their own equipment fleet. We believe the trend from equipment ownership to rental in the North American construction industry will continue in the near term.

Since the North American equipment rental industry is highly fragmented, with very few national competitors, we believe that the majority of our competitors do not enjoy these same advantages.

In recent years, we have diversified our portfolio into a variety of niche markets that experience business cycles that may vary in intensity and duration from that of the general economy. We believe this diversification also positions us to take advantage of any increase in demand for more specialized rental solutions.

We are also increasinghave established three major initiatives to be completed by 2030, using 2019 as our focus on generating revenue from ancillary services as part ofbase year for measurement. We intend to reduce our total solutions offering.

As of December 31, 2020,2021, our rental fleet consisted of equipment with a total original equipment cost, based on the guidelines of the American Rental Association, of $3.59$4.38 billion. The following table provides a breakdown of the composition of our equipment rental fleet based on original equipment cost:

We operate in mid-size and large urban markets serving a wide range of industries, which enables us to reduce exposure to any single customer or market, with no single customer making up more than 3% of our equipment rental revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 2019 or 2018.2019. Our footprint and broad customer base also assist in reducing the seasonality of our revenues and the impact from any one market's cycle.

We advertise our broad range of offerings through industry catalogs, participation and sponsorship of industry events, trade shows, and via the Internet. Additionally, through our website and mobile apps, our customers can arrange for the rental of equipment, browse and purchase used equipment, review our service offerings and manage their fleet and overall account with us.

Our competitors in the equipment rental industry range from other large national companies to regional and local businesses and include equipment vendors and dealers who both sell and rent equipment directly to customers. The equipment rental industry is highly fragmented, with many companies operating on a regional or local scale and offering a limited number of products. The number of our competitors operating on a national scale is comparatively much smaller, although they often have significant breadth in their rental equipment categories. We believe, based on market and industry data, that we are one of the leading participants in the North American equipment rental industry, with the remainder comprised of a small number of multi-location regional operators and a large number of relatively small, independent businesses serving discrete local markets and specialty rental segments. In North America, the other leading national-scale industry participants are United Rentals, Inc., Ashtead Group plc’s Sunbelt Rentals brand and H&E Equipment Services, Inc. Aggreko is a global competitor in the power generation rental markets in which we also participate.

Under the direction of the CEO and CHRO, we conduct an anonymous employee survey on an annual basis to seek feedback from our employees on a variety of topics, including confidence in company leadership, competitiveness of our compensation and benefits package, career growth opportunities and improvements on how we could make our company an employer of choice. The results are reviewed by senior leadership and the Board of Directors who analyze areas of progress or deterioration and prioritize actions and activities in response to this feedback to drive meaningful improvements in employee engagement.

We also provide employees with several voluntary benefits and optional services that support total well-being, including physical, mental and financial wellness.

Strategic talent review and succession planning occur on a planned cadence annually. The CEO and CHRO meet regularly with senior leadership and the Board of Directors to review succession plans. We seek to provide opportunities for our employees to grow their careers by increasing our focus on internal talent mobility, which resulted in filling many open management positions internally during the year ended December 31, 2020.2021.

Our efforts to build an inclusive team led to the creation of two employee resource groups, Women in Action and the Veterans Resource Group. Women in Action seeks to empower, support and develop women by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experiences through learning opportunities as well as with internal and external networking events. Similarly, the Veterans Resource Groups offers veterans a community of support, networking, collaboration, learning and sharing. As of December 31, 2020,2021, approximately 450490 of our employees have self-reported as veterans.

There is an increasing global regulatory focus on greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions and their potential impacts relating to climate change. Future laws, regulations or policies in response to concerns over GHG emissions such as carbon taxes, mandatory reporting and disclosure obligations and changes in procurement policies could significantly increase our operational and compliance burdens and costs. We monitor developments in climate-change related regulation for their potential effect on us and also have a sustainability program that seeks to mitigate our impact on the environment, including targets to reduce our GHG emissions. Based on the conditions currently known to us, we do not believe that any pending or likely remediation and compliance costs will have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot be certain, however, as to the potential financial impact on our business if new adverse conditions are discovered, or compliance requirements become more stringent. Seestringent.See Item 1A "Risk Factors—Other Operational Risks."

Our rental equipment is used by our customers in a wide variety of industries, including contractors in residential and commercial construction and restoration, remediation and environment; general industrial, including refineries and petrochemical operations, manufacturing, power, metals and mining and agriculture; infrastructure; and other customers, including commercial and retail services, facility maintenance, recreation and entertainment production. Many of these industries are cyclical in nature. The demand for our rental equipment is directly affected by the level of economic activity in these industries, which means that when these industries experience a decline in activity, there is likely a corresponding decline in the demand for our rental equipment. This could materially adversely affect our results of operations.

A substantial portion of our revenues are derived from the rental of equipment to various types of contractors, including in the non-residential construction market, and to industrial customers. A decline in construction or industrial activity could lead to a decrease in the demand for our rental equipment and intensified price competition from other equipment rental industry participants. Similarly, declines in oil or gas prices, or even the perception of longer-term lower oil and natural gas prices, could lead to a significant slowdown in business activity, capital investments and maintenance expenditures of industrial customers in the upstream oil and gas markets and related service providers, which could negatively affect our rentals to participants in this industry, and could extend to other markets that we serve. Worsening of economic conditions or not achieving anticipated levels of economic expansion, either generally or in our customers’ specific industries, could have an adverse effect on demand for our products and services within those industries and extend to other markets that we serve, and could therefore materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The following factors, among others, may cause weakness in our markets, either temporarily or long-term:

Additionally, some of our customers may delay capital investment and maintenance even when favorable conditions exist in their industries or markets.

If we were to experience a significant decrease in orders or an increase in order delays or cancellations that can result from the aforementioned economic conditions or other factors beyond our control, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The equipment rental industry is highly fragmented and competitive. Our competitors include small, independent businesses with one or two rental locations, regional competitors that operate in one or more states, public companies or divisions of public companies, and equipment vendors and dealers who both sell and rent equipment directly to customers. We may in the future encounter increased competition from our existing competitors or from new competitors. Competitive pressures could adversely affect our revenues and operating results by, among other things, decreasing our rental volumes, depressing the prices that we can charge or increasing our costs to retain employees. In addition, the success of our business depends, in part, on our ability to identify and respond promptly to evolving trends in consumer preferences, expectations and needs while also managing appropriate equipment in our branches and maintaining an excellent customer experience. It is difficult to successfully predict the equipment and services our customers will demand. We also need to offer more localized assortments of our equipment to address local requirements and needs. If we do not successfully identify and provide the appropriate equipment to meet our customers’ needs and expectations, we may lose market share.

TheA widespread outbreak of an illnessepidemic, pandemic, or any other communicable disease, or any othercontagious diseases in the human population, including the COVID-19 pandemic, could cause a widespread public health crisis that results in economic and trade disruptions that could negatively impact our business and the businesses of our customers. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was identified and the virus continues to spread globally. COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, including the United States and Canada, and the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Many jurisdictions have implemented orders to slow and limit the transmission of the virus. These orders have limited or prohibited certain economic activity, including, in some jurisdictions, the shutdown of construction activity.

COVID-19While the pandemic's impact on social and economic conditions has caused many of our customersbegun to delay or cancel projects and events, leading to a decrease in demand for our rental equipment and services, possible deterioration in our customers’ financial condition and their inability to timely pay outstanding receivables owed to us. Thesubside, the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operational and financial performance, including our ability to execute our business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of the pandemic and related restrictions on economic activity, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. An extended period of economic disruption could materially affect our business, results of operations, access to sources of liquidity, particularly our cash flow from operations, and financial condition.

We rely heavily on communication networks and IT systems, including the Internet, to process rental and sales transactions, manage our pricing, manage our equipment fleet, manage our financing arrangements, pay suppliers and other third parties, collect from our customers, account for our activities and otherwise conduct our business and report our financial results. Our major IT systems and accounting functions are centralized in a few locations. Any disruption, termination or substandard provision of these services, whether as the result of computer or telecommunications issues (including operational failures, ransomware or other computer malware), localized conditions (such as a power outage, fire or explosion) or events or circumstances of broader geographic impact (such as an earthquake, storm, flood, other natural disaster, epidemic, strike, act of war, civil unrest or terrorist act), could materially adversely affect our business by disrupting normal operations. Our systems are also regularly subject to cyber attacks (such as business e-mail compromise or other social engineering attacks) which, if successful, could have a materially adverse affect on our ability to operate our business and negatively impact our reputation.

A compromise of our security systems resulting in unauthorized access to certain personal information about our customers, distributors or employees could adversely affect our corporate reputation as well as our operations, and could result in litigation

against us or the imposition of penalties. Security breaches can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, which could result in financial damage or loss. Most states have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals and often state authorities of data security breaches involving their personal data. These mandatory disclosures regarding a security breach often lead to widespread negative publicity, which would harm our reputation and brand, and may cause our customers and employees to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures. As a result, a security breach could cause the loss of customers and could also require that we invest significant additional resources related to our information security systems.

In addition, we outsource a portion of our IT services. Therefore, we are also susceptible to disruptions, failures and breaches of the systems maintained by our outsourced providers, which we do not control. Any disruption, failure, breach or poor performance of any of these systems could lead to lower revenues, increased costs or other material adverse effects on our business and results of operations.

Our business continues to demand the use of sophisticated systems and technology.technologies, including digital tools, SaaS offerings and cloud computing. As a result, we devote significant time and expense in maintaining, upgrading or replacing our systems and technologies in order to meet customers' demands and expectations. These types of activities subject us to additional costs and inherent risks associated with maintaining, upgrading, replacing and changing these systems and technologies, including impairment of our ability to manage our business, loss of customer confidence and business, potential disruption of our internal control structure, substantial capital expenditures, additional administration and operating expenses, demands on management time, training our employees to operate the systems, and other risks and costs of delays or difficulties in transitioning to, new systems or of integrating, new systems and technologies into our current systems.business. We rely on certain third party software vendorsproviders to maintain and periodically upgrade many of these systems and technologies so that they can continue to support our business. Further, the software programs supporting many of our systems werebusiness are licensed to us by independent software developers. The inability of these developers or us to continue to maintain and upgrade these informationour systems and software programstechnologies would disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations if we were unable to convert to alternate systems in an efficient and timely manner.

In addition, costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology,technologies, maintenance or adequate support of outdated or other existing systems and technologies could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our business operations and could have an adverse effect on our operations if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated. Our competitive position may be adversely affected if we are unable to maintain, upgrade or replace systems and technologies that allow us to manage our business in a competitive manner. We also may not achieve the benefits that we anticipate from an upgraded or replaced system.system and technology. Additionally, any systems failuresfailure of a system or technology could impede our ability to timely collect and report financial results in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

In recent years, our industry has been characterized by rapid changes in technology and customer demands. For example, industry participants have taken advantage of new technologies, including digital tools, SaaS offerings and cloud computing, to improve fleet efficiency, decrease customer wait times and improve customer satisfaction. Our ability to continually improve our current processes and customer-facing tools in response to changes in technology or in customer expectations is essential in maintaining our competitive position and maintaining current levels of customer satisfaction. We may experience technical or other difficulties that could delay or prevent the development or implementation of new technologies. We also may not achieve the benefits that we anticipate from new

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. Competitive factors in our industry include price competition, the importance of customer loyalty, changes in market penetration, the introduction of new equipment, services and technology by competitors, changes in marketing, product diversity and quality and the ability to supply equipment and services to customers in a timely, predictable manner. Because we do not have multi-year contractual arrangements with many of our customers, these competitive factors could cause our customers to cease renting our equipment and shift suppliers quickly.

The equipment rental market is highly fragmented, and we believe that price is one of the primary competitive factors. The Internet has enabled cost-conscious customers to more easily compare rates available from rental companies. If we try to increase our pricing, our competitors, some of whom may have greater resources and better access to capital or lower fixed operating costs, may seek to compete aggressively on the basis of pricing. In addition, our competitors may reduce prices in order to attempt to gain a competitive advantage, capture market share or compensate for declines in rental activity. To the extent we do not match or remain within a reasonable competitive margin of our competitors’ pricing, our revenues and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If competitive pressures lead us to match any of our competitors’ downward pricing and we are not able to reduce our operating costs, then our margins, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely impacted.

We face competition from traditional rental companies as well as our own suppliers. We purchase our rental equipment from leading, globally-known original equipment manufacturers. Under our supplier arrangements, the suppliers may appoint additional distributors, elect to sell or rent directly to our customers or unilaterally terminate their arrangements with us at any time without cause. Any such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows due to a reduction of, or an inability to increase, our revenues.

Our ability to successfully execute on our business plan depends upon the contributions of our senior management team as well as other key talent including our dedicated sales force and trades talent such as drivers and mechanics. In recent years, we have experienced increasing competition for available talent in the North American workforce as reflected by the low unemployment rate and shortages of available industry trades talent. As a result, we could experience inefficiencies or a lack of business continuity due to employee turnover, new employees’ lack of historical knowledge and lack of familiarity with the business processes, operating requirements, policies and procedures, and key information technologies and related infrastructure used in our day-to-day operations and financial reporting. Historically we have noted a ramp-up period before new members of our sales organization typically achieve a level of sales comparable to those we have employed for a longer period of time. We may also experience additional costs as new employees learn their roles and gain necessary experience, in addition to the cost of hiring new individuals. It is important to our success that newly hired team members quickly adapt to and excel in their new roles. If they are unable to do so, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected. Further, if we cannot meet our needs for IT staff, we may not be able to fulfill our technology initiatives while continuing to provide maintenance on existing systems.

If we were to lose the services of members of our senior management team or other key talent, whether due to death, disability, resignation or termination of employment, our ability to successfully implement our business strategy, financial plans, marketing and other objectives could be significantly impaired. In addition, if we are unable to attract and retain qualified key talent, we may not be able to effectively and efficiently manage our business and execute our business plan.

Significant components of our expenses are fixed in the short-term, including real estate taxes, rent, insurance, utilities, maintenance and other facility-related expenses, the costs of operating our IT systems and certain staffing costs. Seasonal changes in our revenues do not alter those fixed expenses, typically resulting in higher profitability in periods when our

An "ownership change" could limit our ability to utilize tax attributes, including net operating losses, capital loss carryovers, excess foreign tax carryforwards, and credit carryforwards, to offset future taxable income. As of December 31, 2020,2021, we had

unutilized U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $302.6$443.9 million. Our ability to use such tax attributes to offset future taxable income and tax liabilities may be significantly limited if we experience an "ownership change" as defined in Section 382(g) of the Code. In general, an ownership change will occur if and when the percentage of Herc Holdings’ ownership (by value) of one or more "5-percent shareholders" (as defined in the Code) has increased by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of stock owned by such shareholders at any time during the prior three years (calculated on a rolling basis). An entity that experiences an ownership change generally should be subject to an annual limitation on its pre-ownership change tax loss carryforward which accumulates each year to the extent that there is any unused limitation from a prior year. The limitation on our ability to utilize tax losses and credit carryforwards arising from an ownership change under Section 382 depends on the value of our equity at the time of any ownership change. If we were to experience an "ownership change,” it is possible that a significant portion of our tax loss carryforwards could expire before we would be able to use them to offset future taxable income. Many states have adopted the federal Section 382 rules and therefore have similar limitations with respect to state tax attributes.

    

Our business depends on our ability to maintain positive relations with our key national account customers, which collectively accounted for 45%44% of our rental revenue in 2020.2021. We cannot assure you that all of these relationships will continue at current levels or on current terms. Our contracts with our customers generally do not obligate them to rent equipment from us. Revenue from customers that have accounted for significant revenue in past periods, individually or as a group, may not continue in future periods or, if continued, may not reach or exceed historical levels in any period. Further, if our key customers fail to remain competitive in their respective markets or encounter financial or operational problems, our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

The market value of our equipment at the time of its disposition could be less than its estimated residual value or its depreciated value at such time. A number of factors could affect the value received upon disposition of our equipment, including:

A sale of equipment below its net book value could adversely affect our results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Accordingly, decisions to reduce the size of our rental fleet in the event of an economic downturn or to respond to changes in rental demand are subject to the risk of loss based on the residual value of rental equipment.

As our rental equipment ages, the cost of maintaining such equipment, if not replaced within a certain period of time, and the risk of fleet equipment being out of service, generally increase. As of December 31, 2020,2021, the average age of our rental equipment fleet was approximately 4649 months. Determining the optimal age at disposition for our rental equipment is subjective and requires considerable estimates by management. We have made estimates regarding the relationship between the age of our rental equipment, the maintenance and repair costs, the availability of our fleet and the market value of used equipment. It is possible that we may allow the average age of our rental equipment fleet to increase, which wouldcould increase our costs for maintenance and repair and likely would negatively impact the market value of such equipment at the time of its disposition. If maintenance and repair costs are higher than estimated or in-service times or market values of used equipment are lower than estimated, our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

    

We are exposed to a variety of claims arising from our operations, including claims by third parties for injury or property damage arising from the operation of our equipment or acts or omissions of our personnel and workers’ compensation claims. We are currently a defendant in numerous actions and have received numerous claims on which actions have not yet been commenced for liability and property damage arising from the operation of equipment rented from us. We also are exposed to risk of loss from damage to our equipment and resulting business interruption. Our responsibility for such claims and losses is increased when we waive the provisions in certain of our rental contracts that hold a renter responsible for damage or loss under an optional loss or damage waiver that we offer. While we attempt to mitigate our exposure to large liability losses arising from such claims by maintaining general liability, workers' compensation and vehicle liability insurance coverage, our coverage may not be adequate to protect us against these exposures and we self-insure against losses associated with exposures not covered by these insurance policies.

Moreover, in the event that insurance coverage does apply, we will bear a portion of the associated losses through the application of deductibles and self-insured retention in the insurance policies. For a company our size, such deductibles or self-insured retention could be substantial. There is also no assurance that insurance policies of these types will be available for purchase or renewal on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that the premiums and deductibles under such policies will not substantially increase, including as a result of market conditions in the insurance industry.

    

If we were to incur one or more liabilities that are significant, individually or in the aggregate, where we are not fully insured, that we self-insure against or that our insurers dispute, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. Even with adequate insurance coverage, we still may experience a significant interruption to our operations as a result of third-party claims or other losses arising from our operations.

Our operations are subject to numerous national, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing environmental protection and occupational health and safety matters. These laws govern such issues as wastewater, storm water, solid and hazardous wastes and materials, air quality and matters of workplace safety. Under these laws and regulations, regardless of fault we may be liable for, among other things, the cost of investigating and remediating contamination at our sites as well as sites to which we have sent hazardous wastes for disposal or treatment, and also fines and penalties for non-compliance. We use hazardous materials to clean and maintain equipment, dispose of solid and hazardous waste and wastewater from equipment washing, and store and dispense petroleum products from storage tanks at certain of our locations. We also indemnify various parties for the costs associated with remediating numerous hazardous substance storage, recycling or disposal sites in many states and, in some instances, for natural resource damages. The amount of any such expense or related natural resource damages for which we may be held responsible could be substantial. We cannot predict the potential financial impact on our business if adverse environmental, health, or safety conditions are discovered, or environmental, health, and safety requirements become more stringent. As of December 31, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, the aggregate amounts accrued for environmental liabilities, including liability for environmental indemnities, reflected in the Company's consolidated balance sheets in "Accrued liabilities" were $0.4$0.3 million and $0.2$0.4 million, respectively. If we are required to incur environmental, health, or safety

There is increasing concern that a gradual increase in global average temperatures due to the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will cause significant change in weather patterns around the globe and increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Climate change may also exacerbate water scarcity, negatively impacting our capability to deliver equipment that meets the safety and functional expectations of our customers as well as the health and safety of our employees. Increased frequency or duration of extreme weather conditions could impact our business and the demand for our equipment and services. An increase in demand for rental equipment may require additional capital expenditures in order for us to compete for such demand and we may not be able to make similar levels of investment as our

larger competitors. In addition, in an effort to combat climate change, our customers may require our rental equipment to meet certain standards. If we are unable to meet such standards and the expectations of our customers, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, the U.S. Congress and other legislative and regulatory authorities in the United States and internationally have considered, and likely will continue to consider, numerous measures related to climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and other laws and regulations affecting our end markets, such as oil, gas and other natural resource extraction. Should such laws and regulations become effective, demand for our services could be affected, our fleet and/or other costs could increase and our business could be materially adversely affected.

Further, investors are placing a greater emphasis on non-financial factors, including ESG factors, when evaluating investment opportunities. If we are unable to provide sufficient disclosure about ESG practices or if we fail to achieve ESG goals, investors may not view us as an attractive investment, which could have a negative effect on our stock price and business.

    

We may opportunistically considerOur strategy includes growth through the acquisition of other companies or service lines of other businesses that either complement or expand our existing business, or webusiness. We also may consider the divestiture of some of our businesses. Any acquisitions or divestitures we may seek to consummate will be subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements, satisfactory financing arrangements and applicable governmental approvals and consents, including under applicable antitrust laws, such as the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify suitable transactions and, even if we are able to identify such transactions, that we will be able to consummate any such acquisitions or divestitures on acceptable terms. Any future acquisitions or divestitures we pursue may involve a number of risks, including some or all of the following:

Any acquired entities or assets may not enhance our results of operations. Even if we are able to integrate future acquired businesses with our operations successfully, we cannot assure you that we will realize the cost savings, synergies or revenue enhancements that we may anticipate from such integration or that we will realize such benefits within the expected time frame. Any acquisition also may cause us to assume liabilities, record goodwill and other intangible assets that will be subject to

    

If we were to undertake a substantial acquisition, the acquisition likely would need to be financed in part through additional financing from banks, through public offerings or private placements of debt or equity securities or with other arrangements. We cannot assure you that the necessary acquisition financing would be available to us on acceptable terms if and when required, given our substantial indebtedness and restrictions in the terms of our indebtedness that may limit the additional indebtedness that we may incur or the acquisitions that we may pursue, which may make it difficult or impossible for us to obtain financing for acquisitions. If we were to undertake an acquisition by issuing equity securities or equity-linked securities, the acquisition may have a dilutive effect on the interests of the holders of our common stock.

A significant divestiture would, in the short term, result in loss of revenues and possibly earnings, and could require the amendment or refinancing of our outstanding indebtedness or a portion thereof. Further, to the extent that we agree to accept

payment of all or a portion of the sale price over time, we will bear the risk that the portion of the price that is not paid at closing may be uncollectible. In addition, in connection with any divestiture, we may agree to retain obligations related to the business or assets sold and we may agree to indemnify the purchaser for outstanding liabilities or with respect to the representations, warranties or covenants included in the definitive agreement between the parties. These retained obligations and indemnification obligations could result in significant costs and expenses.

    

In addition, New Hertz has assumed, among other things, liabilities associated with its vehicle rental business and related assets, whether such liabilities arose prior to or subsequent to the Spin-Off, and has agreed to indemnify us for any losses arising from such liabilities, as well as any other liabilities it assumed pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement. New Hertz also will be responsible for a portion (typically 85%) of certain shared liabilities not otherwise specifically allocated to New Hertz or us under the separation and distribution agreement. We rely on New Hertz to manage the defense and resolution of these shared liabilities. If New Hertz fails to satisfy its performance and payment obligations under the separation and distribution agreement, including its indemnification obligations, such failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Hertz Holdings received a favorable private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") to the effect that, subject to the accuracy of and compliance with certain representations, assumptions and covenants, (i) the Spin-Off qualified as a tax-free transaction under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code), and (ii) the internal spin-off transactions (collectively with the Spin-Off, the "Spin-Offs") qualified as tax free under Section 355 of the Code. A private letter ruling from the IRS generally is binding on the IRS. However, the IRS ruling does not rule that the Spin-Offs satisfied every requirement for a tax-free spin-off, and Hertz Holdings relied solely on opinions of its tax advisors to determine that such additional requirements were satisfied. The ruling and the opinions relied on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from Hertz Holdings and New Hertz regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not otherwise satisfied, Herc Holdings, its affiliates and its stockholders may not be able to rely on the ruling or the opinions of tax advisors and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the private letter ruling and opinions of tax advisors, the IRS could determine on audit that the Spin-Offs and related transactions are taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinions that are not covered

by the private letter ruling, or for other reasons, including as a result of certain significant changes in the stock ownership of Herc Holdings or New Hertz after the Spin-Off. If the Spin-Offs or related transactions are determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we and, in certain cases, our stockholders could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities, including taxation on the value of the New Hertz common stock in the Spin-Off.

    

If, under relevant federal and state fraudulent transfer and conveyance statutes, in a bankruptcy or reorganization case or a lawsuit by or on behalf of unpaid creditors of New Hertz, a court were to find that (i) the Spin-Off and related transactions were undertaken with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding current or future creditors of New Hertz, or (ii) at the time that Hertz Holdings undertook the Spin-Off and related transactions, New Hertz was insolvent, or was rendered insolvent, by reason of the completion of the Spin-Off and related transactions, then the court could rescind the Spin-Off or, under certain circumstances, require Herc Holdings to fund liabilities of New Hertz for the benefit of creditors.

The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing considerations will vary depending upon the law of the jurisdiction that is being applied in the relevant legal proceeding. Generally, however, New Hertz would be considered insolvent if, at the time that Hertz Holdings undertook the Spin-Off and related transactions, either:

We cannot give you any assurance as to what standards a court would use to determine whether New Hertz was solvent at the relevant time, or whether, whatever standard is used, the Spin-Off would be rescinded or other liabilities would be imposed on us on another of the grounds described above. We believe that no basis exists to challenge the Spin-Off as a fraudulent transfer or conveyance under the foregoing standards. However, in reaching such conclusion we have relied upon the advice of Hertz Holdings’ management and its third-party advisors whose analysis was based on certain projections and other assumptions. We cannot assure you, however, that a court would reach the same conclusion.    

As of December 31, 2020,2021, we had total outstanding debt of approximately $1.7$1.9 billion, including our outstanding senior notes and the amounts drawn under our credit facilities. This significant indebtedness requires us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flows from operations and investing activities to make payments on our debt, which reduces the amount available for working capital, capital expenditures or other general corporate purposes and which decreases our profitability and cash flow. We cannot assure you that we will maintain financing activities and cash flows sufficient to permit us to pay the principal,

If our capital resources (including borrowings under our financing arrangements and access to other refinancing indebtedness) and operating cash flows are not sufficient to pay our obligations as they mature or to fund our liquidity needs, we may be

forced, among other things, to do one or more of the following: (i) sell certain of our assets; (ii) reduce the size of our rental fleet; (iii) reduce or delay capital expenditures; (iv) reduce or eliminate our dividend; (v) obtain additional equity capital; (v)(vi) forgo business opportunities, including acquisitions and joint ventures; or (vi)(vii) restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt before maturity. We cannot assure you that we would be able to accomplish any of these alternatives on a timely basis or on satisfactory terms, if at all. If we cannot refinance or otherwise pay our obligations as they mature and fund our liquidity needs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, ability to obtain financing and ability to compete could be materially adversely affected.

Because substantially all of our assets are encumbered under our revolving credit facility, our ability to incur additional secured indebtedness or to sell or dispose of assets to raise capital may be impaired, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial flexibility and liquidity and force us to attempt to incur additional unsecured indebtedness, which may not be available to us.

A significant portion of our indebtedness bears interest at floating rates, which increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions (such as economic cycles and credit-related disruptions), including interest rate fluctuations. To the extent we have not hedged against rising interest rates, an increase in the applicable benchmark interest rates would increase our cost of servicing our debt and could reduce our profitability and materially adversely affect our results of operations.

In addition, we may in the future seek to refinance our indebtedness. If interest rates or our borrowing margins increase between the time an existing financing arrangement was consummated and the time such financing arrangement is refinanced, the cost of servicing our debt would increase and our results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. Although the agreements and instruments governing our financing arrangements contain restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and the additional indebtedness that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Further, these restrictions also do not prevent us from incurring obligations that do not constitute indebtedness. If new debt or other obligations are added to our current debt and liability levels without a corresponding refinancing or redemption of our existing indebtedness and obligations, the risks related to our substantial indebtedness could increase.

We are unable to predict whether significant amounts of our common stock will be sold in the open market or the potential negative effects that these sales could have on the price of our common stock. Certain shareholders, most notably affiliates of Carl Icahn and Mario Gabelli, have accumulated significant amounts of our common stock. Sales or distributions of substantial

amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales or distributions will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future. As of December 31, 2020,2021, there were 29.429.7 million shares of our common stock outstanding, which are freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), unless held or acquired by our “affiliates” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. In addition, all shares of our common stock acquired upon exercise of stock options and other equity-based awards granted under our stock incentive plan also will be freely tradable under the Securities Act unless acquired by our affiliates, as will shares acquired by our employees under our employee stock purchase plan. Approximately 2.6 million shares of common stock have been issued or are reserved for issuance under our stock incentive plan and our employee stock purchase plan.

We also may issue additional common stock for a number of reasons, including to finance our operations and business strategy (including acquisitions), to adjust our ratio of debt to equity, or to provide incentives pursuant to certain executive compensation arrangements. Such future issuances of equity securities, or the expectation that they will occur, could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

As of February 12, 2021,4, 2022, we had 277312 locations in the United States and Canada. We also operate regional headquarters, sales offices and service facilities in the foregoing countries in support of our equipment rental operations. Our principal executive offices are located in Bonita Springs, Florida.

The name, age, position and a description of the business experience of each of our executive officers is provided below. There is no family relationship among the executive officers or between any executive officer and a director.

Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "HRI". On February 12, 2021,4, 2022, there were 1,2661,384 registered holders of our common stock. The number of beneficial owners is substantially greater than the number of record holders because a large portion of our common stock is held of record in "street name."

In March 2014, Hertz Holdings announced a $1.0 billion share repurchase program (the "Share Repurchase Program"), which replaced an earlier program. The Share Repurchase Program permits us, as the successor to Hertz Holdings, to purchase shares through a variety of methods, including in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, in accordance with applicable securities laws. We are not obligated to make any repurchases at any specific time or in any specific amount. The timing and extent to which we repurchase shares will depend upon, among other things, market conditions, share price, liquidity

We paid no cash dividends on our common stock in 2020, and we do not expectOn February 8, 2022, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.record holders as of February 23, 2022, with payment date of March 10, 2022. The agreements governing our indebtedness restrict our ability to pay dividends. See Item 7, "Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Dividends," in this Report.

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on Herc Holdings common stock from July 1, 2016, the first day of trading for our stock on the NYSE, through December 31, 2020,2021, with the cumulative total returns of the Standard & Poor's Small Cap 600 Index and an industry peer group. The industry peer group is comprised of publicly traded companies participating in the equipment rental industry and other relevant companies of comparable size in the broader industry in which we compete. Our industry peer group is comprised of Aggreko plc, Applied Industrial Tech Inc., Ashstead Group plc, Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc., Fastenal Company, GATX Corp., H&E Equipment Services, KAR Auction Services Inc., McGrath RentCorp, NOW Inc., Pool Corp., Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated, Triton International Ltd., Watsco Inc., WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. and United Rentals, Inc. Mobile Mini, Inc. was previously included in our peer group, and, upon its merger with WillScot Corporation in 2020, the combined company is now included in our peer group.

We are engaged principally in the business of renting equipment. Ancillary to our principal business of equipment rental, we also sell used rental equipment, sell new equipment and consumables and offer certain services and support to our customers. Our profitability is dependent upon a number of factors including the volume, mix and pricing of rental transactions and the utilization of equipment. Significant changes in the purchase price or residual values of equipment or interest rates can have a significant effect on our profitability depending on our ability to adjust pricing for these changes. Our business requires significant expenditures for equipment, and consequently we require substantial liquidity to finance such expenditures. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" below.

Our revenues are primarily derived from rental and related charges and consist of:

Our expenses primarily consist of:

Our results for 2021 reflect the strong demand in the rental industry as demonstrated by our equipment rental revenues of $1.9 billion, an increase of 23.8% over the COVID-19 impacted 2020, reflectand 12.3% over 2019. Many of the challenges our business faced with the COVID-19 pandemic eased during 2021 as restrictions on businesses were lifted and whilemany projects that had been delayed resumed throughout the year. Additionally, our business was deemed essential and was allowed to remain open, many industries in which our customers operate were required to temporarily close their facilities or delay or cancel projects and events. Our customer and fleet diversification strategy helped to offset the reduction inpricing increased 2.1% during 2021.

Many costs normalized during 2021 with increased volume we experienced in certain parts of the business, with the stability of our national accounts business helping to offset the declines in local customer revenue. We were also able to maintain positive pricing during 2020, increasing 0.1%, despite the decline in volume resulting fromas the COVID-19 related business shutdowns. As a result, equipment rental revenues declined 9.3% to $1.54 billion in 2020 compared to $1.70 billion in 2019.

We invested significantly in our rental equipment as part of our long-term capital expenditure plans, adding rental equipment in high growth markets in response to customer demand and to position ourselves for growth into 2022. Additionally, during 2020,2021, we completed our first multi-location acquisition since we became an independent, publicly traded company in 2016. This acquisition supportseleven acquisitions totaling a net cash outflow of $431.0 million. These acquisitions support our long-term strategy to achieve greater density and scale in select urban markets across North America to better serve both our local and national customers.

During 2021, customer demand improved as the government rolled out the distribution of vaccines and lifted COVID-19 related restrictions, which opened up local economic activity. Despite the recovery we are seeing, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and the economic recovery could be slowed or reversed by a number of adjustments have been madefactors, including a widespread resurgence in COVID-19 infections, whether due to minimize physical interactions. These include utilizingthe spread of variants of the virus or otherwise, the rate of vaccinations, labor constraints, the strength of the global supply chain, and government actions, including the rate in which governments are re-opening businesses or, in certain jurisdictions, reversing re-opening decisions. We cannot predict the extent to which our information technology platformsfinancial condition, results of operations or cash flows will ultimately be impacted, however, we believe we are well-positioned to accommodate as many employees as possible to work remotely from their homes. Atoperate effectively through the operations level, we have implemented new policies to expand the washing of equipment and sanitization of high-touch areas such as dashboards and steering wheels. We have reduced access to our customer showrooms and have implemented curb-side pick-up and drop-off of equipment at our branches. We are supplying personal protective equipment for those employees who interact with customers and are employing remediation companies to assist in cleaning branches where necessary.present environment.

Equipment rental revenue decreased $158.1increased $366.7 million, or 9.3%23.8%. The increase was primarily due to higher volume of equipment on rent of 13.7% and positive pricing of 2.1% during 2021 over the prior year.

Sales of rental equipment decreased $85.4 million, or 43.0%, during the year ended December 31, 20202021 when compared with 2019. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower2020. During 2021, the decline in volume of equipment on rent (including delivery and other ancillary revenues) primarilysales was related to the ongoing economic impactsincrease in utilization and the strategic management of COVID-19. Re-rent revenues decreased $22.2 million as we continue to strategically reduce re-rent volume.

Direct operating expenses decreased $81.9increased $161.1 million, or 10.6%23.4%, primarily related to increases in (i) personnel-related expenses of $62.8 million resulting from increased headcount in 2021, versus limitations on overtime and furloughs in place during the year ended December 31,second and third quarters of 2020, when compared with 2019 primarily due to the following:

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $53.4 million, or 20.7%. The increase was primarily due to selling expense, including commissions and other variable compensation increases, of $29.0 million, general payroll and benefits increases of $16.8 million, which includes an increase in stock compensation expense of $6.9 million, and travel expense of $3.1 million as business travel resumed to a result of reduced volume of equipment on rent and better management of transportation costs; (ii)more normal level. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in re-rentbad debt expense of $21.0$7.0 million due to the decreasecontinued improvements in re-rent revenue; (iii) a decrease in maintenance expense of $14.3 million as more rental equipment was less utilized during 2020 and more maintenance was performed internally; and (iv) a decrease in fuel expense of $5.5 million due to the decrease in volume of equipment on rent and a decrease in the price of fuel.collections.

Our primary liquidity needs include the payment of operating expenses, purchases of rental equipment to be used in our operations, and servicing of debt.debt, funding of acquisitions and payment of dividends. Our primary sources of funding are operating cash flows, cash received from the disposal of equipment and borrowings under our debt arrangements. As of December 31, 2020,2021, we had approximately $1.7$1.9 billion of total nominal indebtedness outstanding. A substantial portion of our liquidity needs arise from debt service on our indebtedness and from the funding of our costs of operations and capital expenditures.

Our liquidity as of December 31, 20202021 consisted of cash and cash equivalents of $33.0$35.1 million and unused commitments of $1.4approximately $1.3 billion under our ABL Credit Facility. See "Borrowing Capacity and Availability" below for further discussion. Our practice is to maintain sufficient liquidity through cash from operations, our ABL Credit Facility and our AR Facility to mitigate the impacts of any adverse financial market conditions on our operations. Based on the impacts of COVID-19, we reduced our net rental equipment expenditures in 2020 significantly to effectively manage our fleet and liquidity. Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, weWe believe that cash generated from operations and cash received from the disposal of equipment, together with amounts available under the ABL Credit Facility and the AR Facility or other financing arrangements will be sufficient to meet working capital requirements and anticipated reduced capital expenditures, and other strategic uses of cash, if any, and debt payments, if any, over the next twelve months.

Significant factors driving our liquidity position include cash flows generated from operating activities and capital expenditures. Historically, we have generated and expect to continue to generate positive cash flow from operations. Our ability to fund our capital needs will be affected by our ongoing ability to generate cash from operations and access to capital markets.

During the year ended December 31, 2020,2021, we generated $24.7$133.1 million lessmore cash from operating activities compared with the same period in 2019.2020. The decreaseincrease was primarily related to improved operating results primarily resulting from higher revenues coupled with continued cost control measures. Additionally, the improvement in operating activities was related to timing of payments on accounts payable and other liabilities partially offset by improved collections on accounts receivable during December 31, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019.2020.

Cash used inprovided by financing activities increased $238.9$625.6 million during 20202021 when compared with the prior-year period. Cash used inprovided by financing activities during 20202021 primarily represents our changes in debt, which included net repaymentsborrowings of $396.7$251.6 million on our revolving lines of credit and securitization, which were used primarily to fund acquisitions during 2020.the year. Net repayments in the prior year period were $434.8 million, which were offset by net proceeds from the refinancing of our long-term debt of $335.5$396.7 million.

In order to reduce future cash interest payments, as well as future amounts due at maturity or upon redemption, we may from time to time repurchase our debt, including our notes, bonds, loans or other indebtedness, in privately negotiated, open market or other transactions and upon such terms and at such prices as we may determine. We will evaluate any such transactions in light of then-existing market conditions, taking into account our current liquidity and prospects for future access to capital. The repurchases may be material and could relate to a substantial proportion of a particular class or series, which could reduce the trading liquidity of such class or series.

Our capital expenditures relate largely to purchases of rental equipment, with the remaining portion representing purchases of property, equipment and information technology. The table below sets forth the capital expenditures related to our rental equipment and related disposals for the periods noted (in millions).

Our ABL Credit Facility and AR Facility (together, the "Facilities") provide our borrowing capacity and availability. Creditors under the Facilities have a claim on specific pools of assets as collateral as identified in each credit agreement. Our ability to borrow under the Facilities is a function of, among other things, the value of the assets in the relevant collateral pool. We refer to the amount of debt we can borrow given a certain pool of assets as the "Borrowing Base."

In connection with the AR Facility, we sell accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a wholly-owned special-purpose entity (the "SPE"). The accounts receivable and other assets of the SPE are encumbered in favor of the lenders under our AR Facility. The SPE assets are owned by the SPE and are not available to settle our obligations or any of our other subsidiaries. Substantially all of the remaining assets of Herc and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries are encumbered in favor of our lenders under our ABL Credit Facility. None of such assets are available to satisfy the claims of our general creditors. See Note 11, "Debt" included in Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements" of this Report for more information.

With respect to the Facilities, we refer to "Remaining Capacity" as the maximum principal amount of debt permitted to be outstanding under the Facilities (i.e., the amount of debt we could borrow assuming we possessed sufficient assets as collateral) less the principal amount of debt then-outstanding under the Facility. We refer to "Availability Under Borrowing Base Limitation" as the lower of Remaining Capacity or the Borrowing Base less the principal amount of debt then-outstanding under the Facility (i.e., the amount of debt we could borrow given the collateral we possess at such time).

As of December 31, 2020,2021, the following was available to us (in millions):

As of December 31, 2020, $23.42021, $24.8 million of standby letters of credit were issued and outstanding under the ABL Credit Facility, none of which had been drawn upon. The ABL Credit Facility had $226.6$225.2 million available under the letter of credit facility sublimit, subject to borrowing base restrictions.

Our ABL Credit Facility, our AR Facility and our 2027 Notes contain a number of covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict our ability to dispose of assets, incur additional indebtedness, incur guarantee obligations, prepay certain indebtedness, make certain restricted payments (including paying dividends, redeeming stock or making other distributions), create liens, make investments, make acquisitions, engage in mergers, fundamentally change the nature of our business, make capital expenditures, or engage in certain transactions with certain affiliates.

Under the terms of our ABL Credit Facility, our AR Facility and our 2027 Notes, we are not subject to ongoing financial maintenance covenants; however, under the ABL Credit Facility, failure to maintain certain levels of liquidity will subject us to a contractually specified fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1:1 for the four quarters most recently ended. As of December 31, 2020,2021, the appropriate levels of liquidity have been maintained, therefore this financial maintenance covenant is not applicable.

For further information on the terms of our 2027 Notes, ABL Credit Facility and AR Facility see Note 11, "Debt" included in Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Report. For a discussion of the risks associated with our significant indebtedness, see Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" contained in this Report.

Our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes.

Certain of our accounting policies, as discussed below, involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity in their application and, therefore, represent the critical accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements. If different assumptions or conditions were to prevail, the results could be materially different from our reported results. For additional discussion of our critical accounting policies and estimates, as well as our significant accounting policies, see Note 2, "Basis of Presentation and Recently IssuedSignificant Accounting Pronouncements"Policies" to the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

Equipment rental revenue includes revenue generated from renting equipment to customers and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the length of the rental contract. Also included in equipment rental revenue are fees for equipment delivery and pick-up and fees for our rental protection program, which allows customers to limit risk of financial loss in the event our equipment is damaged or lost. Delivery and pick-up fees are recognized as revenue when the services are performed and fees related to our rental protection program are recognized over the length of the contract term.

Service and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.

Our principal assets are rental equipment, which represented 63.0%59.4% and 65.2%63.0% of our total assets as of December 31, 20202021 and 2019,2020, respectively. Rental equipment consists of equipment utilized in our equipment rental operations. When rental equipment is acquired, we use historical experience, industry residual value guidebooks and the monitoring of market conditions to set depreciation rates. Generally, we estimate the period that we will hold the asset, primarily based on historical measures of the amount of equipment usage and the targeted age of equipment at the time of disposal. We also estimate the residual value of the applicable rental equipment at the expected time of disposal. The residual value for rental equipment is affected by factors which include equipment age and amount of usage. Depreciation is recorded over the estimated holding period. Depreciation rates are reviewed regularly based on management's ongoing assessment of present and estimated future market conditions, their effect on residual values at the time of disposal and the estimated holding periods. Market conditions for used equipment sales also can be affected by external factors such as the economy, natural disasters, fuel prices, supply of similar used equipment, the market price for similar new equipment and incentives offered by manufacturers. As a result of this ongoing assessment, we make periodic adjustments to depreciation rates of rental equipment in response to changing market conditions.

Employee pension costs and obligations are dependent on assumptions used by actuaries in calculating such amounts. These assumptions include discount rates, salary growth, long-term return on plan assets, retirement rates, mortality rates and other factors. Actual results that differ from our assumptions are accumulated and amortized over future periods and, therefore, generally affect our recognized expense in such future periods. While we believe that the assumptions used are appropriate, significant differences in actual experience or significant changes in assumptions would affect our pension costs and obligations. The various employee-related actuarial assumptions (e.g., retirement rates, mortality rates and salary growth) used in determining pension costs and plan liabilities are reviewed periodically by management, assisted by the enrolled actuary, and updated as warranted. The discount rate used to value the pension liabilities and related expenses and the expected rate of return on plan assets are the two most significant assumptions impacting pension expense. The discount rate used is a market-based rate as of the valuation date. For the expected return on assets assumption, we use a forward-looking rate that is based on the expected return for each asset class (including the value added by active investment management), weighted by the target asset allocation. The past annualized long-term performance of the Plan's assets has generally been in line with the long-term rate of return assumption.

The Company has made several acquisitions and may continue to make acquisitions in the future. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded based on their respective fair values at the date of acquisition. Long-lived assets (principally rental equipment), goodwill and other intangible assets generally represent the largest components of the acquisitions. Rental equipment is valued utilizing either a cost market or incomemarket approach, or a combination of certain of these methods, depending on the asset being valued and the availability of market or income data. The intangible assets that the Company has acquired are non-compete agreements, customer relationships and trade names and associated trademarks. The estimated fair values of these intangible assets reflect various assumptions about discount rates, revenue growth rates, operating margins, terminal values, useful lives and other prospective financial information. Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the cost of the acquired entity over the net of the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. Non-compete agreements, customer relationships and trade names and associated trademarks are valued based on an excess earnings or income approach based on projected cash flows and may be amortized over the useful life if they are determined to be finite-lived intangible assets. Determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired is judgmental in nature and can involve the use of significant estimates and assumptions.

As part of an acquisition, the Company will also acquire other assets and assume liabilities. These other assets and liabilities typically include, but are not limited to, parts inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other working capital items. Because of their short-term nature, the fair values of these other assets and liabilities generally approximate the book values on the acquired entities' balance sheets.

On an annual basis and at interim periods when circumstances require, we test the recoverability of our goodwill. Goodwill impairment is deemed to exist if the carrying value of goodwill of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. A reporting unit is an operating segment or a business one level below that operating segment (the component level) if discrete financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by segment management. However, components are aggregated as a single reporting unit if they have similar economic characteristics. We have assessed the guidance and performed our analysis using our one reporting unit, worldwideNorth American equipment rental.

When assessing the fair value of our reporting units using a quantitative approach, we estimate the fair value using a combination of an income approach on the present value of estimated future cash flows and a market approach based on published earnings multiples of comparable entities with similar operations and economic characteristics as well as acquisition multiples paid in recent transactions. The key assumptions used in the discounted cash flow valuation model for impairment testing include discount rates, growth rates, cash flow projections and terminal value rates. Discount rates are set by using the

weighted average cost of capital, or "WACC," methodology. The WACC methodology considers market and industry data as well as company specific risk factors for each reporting unit in determining the appropriate discount rates to be used. The discount rate utilized for each reporting unit is indicative of the return an investor would expect to receive for investing in such a business. The cash flows represent management's most recent planning assumptions. These assumptions are based on a combination of industry outlooks, views on general economic conditions and our expected pricing plans. Terminal value rate determination follows common methodology of capturing the present value of perpetual cash flow estimates beyond the last projected period assuming a constant WACC and low long-term growth rates. If the carrying value of the reporting unit is greater than its fair value, we recognize an impairment charge for the amount equal to that excess. A significant decline in the projected cash flows or a change in the WACC used to determine fair value could result in a future goodwill impairment charge.

Indefinite-lived intangible assets, primarily trademarks, are not amortized but are evaluated annually for impairment and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of this asset may exceed its fair value. If the carrying value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

In connection with our impairment analysis for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets conducted as of October 1, 2020,2021, we assessed qualitative factors as described above to determine if it is more likely than not that goodwill and indefinite-lived assets may be impaired and concluded that there was no impairment related to such assets.

Finite-lived intangible assets include technology, customer relationships, trade names and other intangibles. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the estimated economic lives of the assets, which range from threefive to 14 years. These assets are primarily amortized using the straight-line method, however, certain assets may be amortized using an accelerated method that reflects the economic benefit to us. Long-lived assets, including intangible assets with finite lives, are reviewed for

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and net bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates is recognized in the statement of operations in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets by the

amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Subsequent changes to enacted tax rates will result in changes to deferred taxes and any related valuation allowances. We have recorded a deferred tax asset for unutilized net operating loss carryforwards in various tax jurisdictions.

The Company has determined not to assert that earnings from foreign operations are permanently reinvested. Therefore, the Company recognizes deferred taxes on foreign earnings as appropriate. The Company has asserted that future earnings associated with the potential stock sale or liquidation of foreign subsidiaries is permanently reinvested. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded any deferred tax liabilities associated with these book-to-tax differences. We regularly review our cash positions and our determination of permanent reinvestment of foreign earnings. If we determine that all or a portion of such foreign earnings are repatriated, we may be subject to additional foreign withholding taxes and U.S. state income taxes. Many foreign jurisdictions impose taxes on distributions to other jurisdictions. Due to the variations and complexities of these laws, we believe it would be impractical to calculate and accrue these taxes beyond the normal earnings and profits standard for U.S. tax purposes.

whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. In evaluating whether a tax position has met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company presumes that the position will be examined by the appropriate taxing authority with full knowledge of all relevant information. Upon determination that a tax position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, it is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The Company recognizes interest and penalties for uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.

We are subject to ongoing tax examinations and assessments in various jurisdictions. Accordingly, accruals for tax contingencies are established based on the probable outcomes of such matters. Our ongoing assessments of the probable outcomes of the examinations and related tax accruals require judgment and could increase or decrease our effective tax rate as well as impact our operating results.

All stock-based compensation award disclosures are measured in terms of common stock of Herc Holdings. The cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments is based on the grant date fair value of the award. That cost is recognized over the period during which the employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, referred to as the vesting period. In addition to the service vesting condition, the performance stock units have an additional vesting condition, which stipulates the number of units that will be awarded based on achievement of a certain level of return on invested capital or other performance measures as defined in the applicable award agreements, over the applicable measurement period.

For a discussion of additional risks arising from our operations, see Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" included in this Report.

We are exposed to a variety of market risks, including the effects of changes in interest rates (including credit spreads), foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in fuel prices. We manage our exposure to these market risks through our regular operating and financing activities and, when deemed appropriate, through the use of derivative financial instruments. Derivative financial instruments are viewed as risk management tools and have not been used for speculative or trading purposes. In addition, derivative financial instruments are entered into with a diversified group of major financial institutions in order to manage our exposure to counterparty nonperformance on such instruments.

We have assessed our exposure to changes in interest rates by analyzing the sensitivity to our earnings assuming various changes in market interest rates. Assuming a hypothetical increase of one percentage point in interest rates on our ABL Credit Facility, AR Facility and cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020,2021, our pre-tax earnings would decrease by an estimated $4.0$6.5 million over a 12-month period.

From time to time, we may enter into interest rate swap agreements to manage interest rate risk on our mix of fixed and floating rate debt. Consistent with the terms of certain agreements governing our debt obligations, we may decide to hedge a portion of the floating rate interest exposure under the ABL Credit Facility to provide protection in respect of such exposure.

We have foreign currency exposure to exchange rate fluctuations, primarily with respect to the Canadian dollar.

We manage our foreign currency risk primarily by incurring, to the extent practicable, operating and financing expenses in the local currency in the countries in which we operate, including making fleet and equipment purchases and borrowing locally.

We also manage exposure to fluctuations in currency risk on cross currency intercompany loans we make to certain of our subsidiaries by entering into foreign currency forward contracts, when appropriate, which are intended to offset the impact of foreign currency movements on the underlying intercompany loan obligations.

We do not hedge our operating results against currency movement as they are primarily translational in nature. Using foreign currency forward rates as of December 31, 2020,2021, each hypothetical one percentage point change in foreign currency movements would not have a significant impact on our revenue or earnings.

As discussed in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019 due to the adoption of Topic 842, using a modified retrospective transition method.

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.