I am not sure why the rental company needs a deposit if they are direct billing the insurance company. Check with other rental companies. I have rented from Penske before and they didn't charge a deposit. I used a credit card and they checked my credit before allowing me to have the truck. It could have been a combination of my credit and the card that I used didn't really have a credit limit on it. They only charged me for the time I rented the truck. I suggest he also check with some of the truck dealers. Some rent trucks. If he takes his truck to a dealer's body shop to be repaired they may be able to keep his truck as collateral in lieu of a deposit. If he can't rent a truck on his own then he may be able to receive money from the insurance company for lost income. He will likely need to prove the amount of loss. Keep in mind that cars are not required to carry as much insurance as carriers, so he could be somewhat limited as to how much he may be able to collect without going after the driver and/or owner of the SUV, personally. If he goes after the loss of income he will likely not get the actual amount of the loss.
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