From Christmas decorations to furniture and boxes of old pictures, you almost certainly have a truckload of stuff to maneuver. This will be tedious to prepare and pack in any situation, but it might be completely overwhelming when moving across the country.

But to not fear, the most effective interstate moving firms offer a wide range of services that could make your endeavor much easier.

Read on to see what it’s best to consider when choosing the corporate that may handle your most prized possessions.

Our Top Picks for Best Interstate Moving Firms

Best Interstate Moving Company Reviews

Why we selected it: JK Moving Services offers full services nationally and may also assist on moves worldwide; they’re also highly rated in an industry that’s notorious for low customer satisfaction.

JK Moving Services offers full-service moving across all the United States. It also partners with international firms to supply moving assistance worldwide.

The corporate offers full-service packing, in addition to the choice to customize the packing service if you must either get monetary savings or handle some precious possessions yourself. You may also specifically request items to be packaged and handled with special care.

It runs background checks on their employees and provides them annual training in handling fragile and useful items, akin to antiques, pianos and art collections.

JK Moving Services can also be the highest-rated interstate moving company in multiple consumer review web sites. Its rankings are high not only for a moving company, but on the whole, consistently scoring over 4 out of 5 stars. In an industry that struggles with customer satisfaction, maintaining among the finest customer support records isn’t any small feat.

On the downside, it doesn’t offer loads of information or quotes online — as a substitute, the corporate will arrange a visit or video call before providing you with a quote. The upside is that the estimate might find yourself being rather a lot more accurate.

Why we selected it: International Van Lines’ long list of services, interstate and international availability and pricing transparency make it a solid option for long-distance moving.

With over 20 years of experience, IVL is a highly rated moving company that may provide service locally, nationally and internationally. It might also transport cars on land in addition to overseas.

International Van Lines stands out for its transparency in pricing. Its website has detailed information on how they charge each additional service. It provides clear information on how they price even very specific extras, akin to moving pianos of various sizes or if there’s a ways between the moving truck and your home.

With that said, those prices are relatively high and among the extra charges can seem a bit of excessive. The deposit can also be quite high at 25%, versus other firms that charge somewhere within the vicinity of 10% or charge low flat rates.

Nevertheless, International Van Lines is an organization that may provide anything you wish from the local to the international level, and considering the secrecy of many long-distance moving firms regarding their prices, transparency itself can sometimes be definitely worth the price.

Why we selected it: National Van Lines has 90 years of experience within the moving business. They cover from the shortest move to international relocation while maintaining high customer satisfaction rankings.

National Van Lines is one other full-service moving company that works with local and international moving, and offers quite a wide range of service options in between.

The corporate has packages for several types of moves: small apartments, senior citizen moving — which could mean downsizing before moving or moving into an assisted living facility, for instance — and specialized moving for items akin to cars, pianos, antiques and full art collections. It also offers industry-specific corporate relocation, including healthcare item transportation, exhibit booth transportation for out-of-state shows and even installation services when transporting store fixtures.

National Van Lines boasts a reasonably high level of customer satisfaction and over 15 years of BBB accreditation, where it scores well above 4 out of 5 stars.

The corporate also offers loads of helpful information on their website to assist customers of their moving process, in addition to shipment tracking, moving checklists and more.

Why we selected it: Amongst self-packing firms, 1-800-PACK-RAT stands out for the prime quality of their containers and overall satisfaction rankings, which are likely to be higher than many direct competitors’.

Self-packing services provide just about all the advantages of full-service moving firms without the packing. That is left to the purchasers, with the advantage of doing it at their very own pace.

1-800-PACK-RAT gives customers the containers for 30 days so that they can pack at their leisure. The corporate then picks up the container and drives it to the brand new destination or to one among their warehouses for long-term storage.

Based on the corporate, you don’t have to worry concerning the container being outdoors, because it is entirely weatherproof and might withstand even heavy rain and snow. There have been some complaints about containers having leaks upon arrival, nonetheless, so ensure that to ascertain the container as soon as you get it.

You possibly can get all the packing supplies you wish from 1-800-PACK-RAT as well, so there’s no have to go to the shop for boxes, tape, wrappers and other necessities.

Other firms we considered

Safeway Moving, Inc.

Safeway Moving, Inc. is especially a broker with a really small proprietary fleet. This, in addition to its short time within the industry — which leads to little customer satisfaction data — are the most important reasons it stays off our top list. Nevertheless, the small amount of reviews give it a really high customer satisfaction rating, and the web site shows a superb deal of transparency.

American Van Lines

AVL is a full-service moving company that delivers from the local to international level. It has experience with specialty moving akin to antiques and fantastic art collections, and way more. While it’s a solid company with a full range of services, low customer satisfaction rankings, together with a high deposit pushed it off our list.

Allied Van Lines

Allied Van Lines is a big, full-service mover that works all across the country. Despite its large scale, it didn’t make our list as a result of frequent complaints about mishandling customers’ belongings, especially furniture.

Nationwide Moving Services

Nationwide Moving Services is an interstate broker. Customer reviews are mixed, which kept it off our most important list. It is a frequent issue with brokers since customers will encounter different moving firms and quality may vary depending on the one they use.

PODS

In case you plan on doing all of your own packing and easily have an organization maintain transportation, PODS is an organization to take into account as they ship containers and packing materials straight to your door. It has an informative website with clear pricing information and easy quotes, together with the standard moving checklist, insurance information and more. Nevertheless, a high variety of complaints and a few reported issues with automatic payments kept it off our list.

Interstate Moving Firms Guide

Not all moves are the identical, and never all firms provide the identical level of service. Listed here are the aspects it’s best to consider before selecting an organization and paying that initial deposit.

What’s an interstate move?

An interstate move is precisely what it seems like: a move from one state to a different. Whether the state you’re moving to is 2 miles away or three whole states away, there are changing laws, certifications and parameters each you and the moving company have to abide by.

For instance, local moving firms are regulated by their state; when a move crosses state lines, it’s then regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). No matter state law, moving firms require a U.S. Department of Transportation identification number in the event that they are to maneuver between different states.

This also applies to insurance. For out-of-state moves, moving firms are required by law to supply insurance to clients.

What aspects affect interstate moving costs?

Many aspects can impact a moving quote, from how great a distance you’re moving to what number of steps there are in your property. Listed here are among the things it’s best to consider.

Distance

Distance is clearly some of the necessary facets of pricing. Gas and time cost rather a lot, and that cost will probably be passed on to you. Also, crossing state lines will typically mean a price increase or fee, no matter distance.

Home size

Apart from the space required to store your possessions, firms also calculate quotes in line with home size — each the house of origin in addition to the destination. Firms will charge, for instance, $0.50 per cubic foot.

Weight/volume

Weight is definitely one among the most important aspects when calculating price. Home size isn’t directly correlated to the space vital to move your possessions, neither does it account for the way much all of it weighs. Say, for instance, you collect copper antiques. That’s loads of work for the movers, which, in turn, increases the price of your move.

Date

Summer is peak moving season. It is sensible, changing kids from school is rather a lot smoother when done over the break, for instance, and moving itself is less complicated with friendly weather. This might make it difficult to search out an organization for a summer move date, and it might also raise the worth.

Add-ons

You possibly can add a myriad of things to a moving service. From antique handling to piano moving and different insurance policies, you possibly can customize your service to your moving needs. After all, this can have an impact on cost.

Binding estimate vs. non-binding estimate

Moving estimates will be tricky. Since providers might find it hard to gauge the extent of your move without an in-person visit, you possibly can find yourself with an easy ballpark number when you request a quote online or over the phone.

In case you get a non-binding estimate, it means the worth initially given can and can change in real time as a result of changes in weight or circumstances.

Alternatively, a binding estimate — which is probably the most common style of estimate given in interstate moving — establishes a hard and fast price on the transportation costs despite changes in weight once all the things is packed. It is going to be a better estimate from the beginning, but when you must avoid unexpected increases once the move has began, it’s a superb idea to get a binding estimate. Be mindful, nonetheless, that the movers will still charge you more when you add items not agreed upon or request additional services.

There are also binding “guaranteed to not exceed” estimates, which can not raise the worth if there’s more weight, but can reduce it if it finally ends up being less. This also excludes non-accounted for items, though, so when you add something last minute, it should indeed raise your price.

Do I want moving insurance?

In brief, yes. When moving outside of your state, movers are obligated by federal law to supply two sorts of insurance: released value protection (which is often already included) and full value protection. While it’s not legally required that you simply pay for full insurance coverage or third-party insurance, you would possibly want to think about those options since moving can include loads of complications.

Full value protection

Full value protection is one among two policies offered by moving firms doing an interstate move. This covers all of your possessions as much as their current market value. While it’s costlier, it might definitely turn out to be useful if expensive items suffer some damage throughout the method.

Released value protection

Any such coverage is sort of at all times included within the initial contract. While it might cover a few of your prized possessions, light but expensive devices might get the short end of the stick. This insurance covers only 60 cents per pound on each item. For instance, a 200-pound dining table is roofed for $120 — which is perhaps enough to cover that table from Ikea, but that conversation-starting piece hand-crafted by a woodworker, not a lot.

Third-party moving insurance

You may also get insurance yourself from a third-party insurer. This may cover your possessions along with the 60 cents a pound and may also reimburse you for perils not covered by the moving company, akin to storms.

The best way to select an interstate moving company

Resolve if you must hire skilled movers or pack it yourself

This is step one since it should determine which style of company you’re going to search for during your research.

DIY type firms give you transportation, either by them or by renting out a vehicle or container. They may also provide equipment to pack, akin to boxes, wrapping paper and more. Essentially the most consistent trait across all these firms is that they don’t touch your possessions, they simply provide the tools and, generally, the transportation.

Alternatively, a full-service skilled moving company sends trained teams to pack and unpack all the things. This will be probably the most stress-free, although dearer, option. There are customizable options, in fact, in case you must pack a part of your belongings yourself, whether for practical or personal reasons.

Research moving firms

Research all of the possible firms that provide the extent of service you require and that cover your area and your destination. Once you’ve gotten the highest interstate moving firms that might give you the results you want, take a look at their offerings and, most significantly, look for his or her certifications, read reviews online and search for any legal issues they may have.

Look for his or her company’s U.S. Department of Transportation license number and their FMCSA registration and ensure that the corporate is allowed to move household goods. You may also look up other possible non-mandatory certifications, akin to the General Services Administration (GSA) certification. While not vital, they’ll give you additional information and security about each company.

The moving industry is crammed with sketchy practices and unhappy customers. In some cases, it’s as a result of stress or unlucky accidents; in others, it’s as a result of actual incompetence or worse. Reading reviews on reputable web sites just like the Higher Business Bureau may also help provide you with an idea of how trustworthy an organization is and the way they reply to issues. Search for probably the most frequent complaints and the way the corporate has or hasn’t resolved these issues.

You may also take the corporate’s DOT number and search a few of their history on the Department of Transportation’s SAFER System, which provides details about crash history, inspections and more.

Compare quotes and costs

Don’t be afraid to get free quotes from different firms as a way to compare them effectively. While online quotes are fast and convenient, not all firms offer them and so they’re not very accurate. If you’ve gotten the prospect to get a free in-home quote, get it from all of your options.

Also, compare the deposits (they generally is a percentage of the entire or a flat rate). A cheaper company could charge, for instance, upwards of fifty% of the entire price, while a dearer company could charge a low flat rate of $300.

Finally, you’ll want to research or ask about add-ons and special services, akin to antique care, moving from or to houses with two stories or more, awkwardly shaped items and more. These charges could sneak up on you when you’re not aware that certain items or actions from the movers — akin to elevator usage and furniture disassembly — cost extra.

Know your rights

If you’re delegating the handling of your belongings to a bunch of strangers, it’s necessary to know exactly what your rights are — and which aren’t — and the way they’re protected. The most effective option to research these rights is with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The best way to avoid moving scams

The moving industry has been plagued with scams for a while, and these have increased rather a lot previously few years. These could include stolen deposits, hostage loads (withholding your property until you pay up) or just stolen goods. Nevertheless there are some steps you possibly can take to avoid them.

1. Search for the corporate’s Department of Transportation and FMCSA number and registration. That is, arguably, an important step.
2. Research the corporate’s history in addition to recent reviews posted on reputable publications and platforms. Reviews on the corporate’s homepage (even for a good company) are often not probably the most trustworthy; ensure that to search for reviews on third-party web sites.
3. Keep your eyes peeled for “too good to be true” offers and lowball prices. If the common cost ranges around $4,000 and one single company offers the identical full service for $2,300, try to be skeptical t.
4. If an organization insists on a deposit too early on (especially a very high one) or charges you for a quote, it’s best to remain away or, again, research the corporate further. One other big red flag in this case is an organization that doesn’t take bank cards. Never give any money when you feel even the tiniest little bit of suspicion.
5. Ask for a binding estimate. Even legitimate firms have been known to play the system, especially with hostage loads, so ensure that you’ve gotten a contract with the agreed-upon price. If the move actually costs greater than estimated as a result of unexpected circumstances, it needs to be notified before packing, not when you’ve reached your destination.
6. In case you fall victim to a moving scam, notify law enforcement immediately and file a criticism with FMCSA.

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How We Selected the Best Interstate Moving Firms

• Customer satisfaction: In the case of moving firms, customer satisfaction is an enormous issue. The moving experience is stressful and having strangers handle your possessions can add to that stress. We checked out reviews and overall rankings on reliable web sites akin to the Higher Business Bureau and others.

• Pricing and transparency: We made sure firms were upfront about their pricing, or no less than their pricing methods, and that they provided binding estimates and refunds. When that wasn’t the case, we evaluated ways of contacting them and the way willing they were to present information on their pricing and overall offerings.

• Services and features: While interstate moving firms normally offer full-service packing and extra services, we still made sure our picks did so. We also checked whether or not they offered some specialized services akin to fragile item packing, auto transport, storage options and more.

Summary of Money’s Best Interstate Moving Firms of 2022