Each New Year, many of us resolve to lose weight, stop smoking, get organized, and a multitude of other admirable goals meant to improve our life.

Like personal resolutions, rental car companies need to get in the act, too. I constantly get complaints from customers who are mystified and angered by the rental car experience: paying for hidden fees or extras that wind up greater than the price of the car itself, or enduring their bait-and-switch-like practices.

If rental car companies are serious about improving their customers' experience, there are a number of things that they should commit themselves to. Here are seven New Year's resolutions for 2012:

One often overlooked extra when renting a car is a fee assessed for an additional authorized driver. Whether you plan on sharing the driving, or are just looking to have the flexibility for a spouse or fellow traveler to get behind the wheel if needed, adding another driver your rental contract can be quite convenient. However at $10-$13 per day, these charges can add up quickly. Policies and fees vary greatly by company, location and situation though, so it's important to educate yourself beforehand to ensure you don't end up overpaying.

You've scored a great deal on your car rental by checking discount codes and diligently comparing rates. Don't pat yourself on the back just yet though. As many people find out at the rental counter, that may be only half the battle.

Are you traveling with small children? If so, you may need one or more car seats to keep them secure. Not familiar with the local area? A GPS navigation system might be important. These add-ons may add extra charges to your rental. In some cases, these charges may even end up costing more than the time and mileage charges for the rental itself.

Here are a few strategies to avoid or minimize the cost of rental options:

The oldest of the major worldwide rental brands, Hertz today focuses primarily on the business traveler. Hertz's #1 Club Gold program is designed for maximum efficiency for the customer in a hurry, and to that end, it succeeds.

Hertz's loyalty program actually consists of two separate products: the free Hertz #1 Club and the fee-based membership program Hertz #1 Club Gold. The former allows you to save your information for faster check-out at the rental counter and collect Hertz #1 Awards points, while the latter provides a much more complete express rental experience. It's relatively easy to find ways to join the full Hertz #1 Club Gold product for free, so we'll focus on the full program in this review.

Don't like to wait at the rental car counter? Who does? But with the holiday season approaching you could see longer lines, and longer waits.

But there just may be something you can do to all but eliminate any hassle at the rental counter, and get on your way quickly and easily.

Many business travelers are familiar with the frequent renter programs offered by the major car rental companies. There's the Hertz #1 Club, Avis Preferred, and National Emerald Club just to name a few. These programs offer varying levels of benefits which often include express checkout, upgrades, discounts, and the ability to earn credits toward free rentals. What many people don't realize is that even if you only rent from a particular company once a year, it may still pay to sign up for their loyalty program. It takes only a couple of minutes to sign up on-line by entering your driver's license, credit card, vital stats and rental preferences. A little extra effort now may mean the difference between driving off the rental lot in less than five minutes, or enduring a long line and a slow agent trying to input all your information into their computer system.