Start with Allied for a full-service domestic quote, U-Pack when you want to pack and load while someone else drives, and International Van Lines for an overseas shipment. Bekins is worth comparing when storage is central to the plan; American Van Lines offers a focused route for piano or antique handling. Atlas provides another agent-based full-service option.

The six recommendations below are based on published services checked in November 2026. Request quotes for the same inventory, route, dates, and access conditions, then verify the legal entity and assigned carrier before booking.

Match the service model to the move

Provider	Published feature worth comparing	Detail to resolve in the quote
Allied Van Lines	Full-service packing, transport and optional additional services	Exactly which packing, unpacking and storage tasks are included
Atlas Van Lines	Agent-based relocation and its background-check program	Assigned agent, crew and coordination arrangements
International Van Lines	Ocean and air freight with destination services	Shipping method, customs responsibilities and excluded charges
U-Pack	Customer-loaded trailers or ReloCubes with professional transport	Space or container count, labor and access requirements
Bekins	Storage-in-transit coordinated through an agent	Warehouse terms and the transition after 180 days
American Van Lines	Piano and antique handling, including crating arrangements	Item-specific handling, access and any bulk or crating charge

These are different services, so a lower headline price is not necessarily an equivalent offer. Ask each company to quote the same inventory, origin, destination and date range before comparing totals.

Allied: Our Starting Pick for Full-Service Moving

Allied describes full-service options including packing, loading, transportation, unloading and unpacking. Its published service information also identifies optional storage, furniture disassembly and reassembly, custom crating and vehicle shipping. It offers both domestic and international relocation services. Allied full-service moving.

This makes Allied a candidate when coordinating several tasks through one moving plan is a priority. The important question is which tasks are actually in your estimate. “Unpacking” might mean placing contents on flat surfaces rather than organizing every cupboard, and a vehicle shipment needs its own arrangements.

List the items that require special packaging before the survey. If you intend to pack some rooms yourself, specify that division of work. A written room-by-room scope prevents an assumption about full service from becoming an argument on loading day.

Atlas: ask how the assigned agent will manage the move

Atlas describes its No Stranger in Your Home background-check program and advises customers to ask who will work in the home. Its corporate-relocation guidance also discusses in-home estimates and a streaming-video alternative to the walkthrough. Atlas relocation guidance.

For someone comparing agent-based moves, ask which office will perform the survey, arrange packing and handle destination questions. A program description is useful, but it does not replace knowing the names and responsibilities on your own move documents.

Ask how the coordinator will communicate pickup, delivery, and schedule changes. Keep their contact details and escalation route with the move documents so you can reach the right person during transit.

International Van Lines: Our Starting Pick for Overseas Moves

International Van Lines advertises professional packing, ocean freight, air freight, customs-clearance services and destination offloading and debris removal. Its international page describes a dedicated moving specialist as the contact for logistics and updates. IVL international services.

Use that service scope to request an itemized international proposal. Ask whether it is door-to-door or limited to specified ports or terminals, who handles customs paperwork, and which duties, taxes, inspections, storage or delivery-access charges remain outside the quoted total. Clarify whether the shipment travels in a shared container or has another arrangement.

Request an international quote identifying the inventory, shipping mode, destination services, and exclusions. Record both the expected port or airport arrival and the delivery window at your home, with responsibility for customs and storage delays.

U-Pack: Our Pick When You Want to Pack and Load

U-Pack delivers moving equipment, gives customers up to three business days to load, transports it and lets them unload at the destination. Its trailer option charges for the space used; ReloCube pricing is based on the number of cubes used. It also offers options for loading help, service-center storage and guaranteed transit services. U-Pack service and quote information.

Choose U-Pack when you can pack and load or arrange labor separately and want to avoid driving a rental truck. Add labor at both ends, supplies, storage, and equipment-access costs to its transport quote before comparing the total with a full-service move.

Before reserving, confirm that the building or property can accept the chosen equipment. The household must be ready within the loading window; a delayed packing plan can undermine the savings you expected from doing more of the work yourself.

Bekins: understand storage-in-transit before relying on it

Bekins explains that storage-in-transit, or SIT, places your goods in a local agent’s warehouse while the interstate move remains in progress. Its published description says that after 180 days the goods convert from SIT to local storage under the warehouse’s terms and the interstate move is considered complete. Bekins explanation of SIT.

Choose Bekins for the shortlist when your destination may be unavailable at pickup and you want agent-coordinated storage. Obtain warehouse charges, handling fees, access rules, and delivery notice requirements in writing.

Keep the liability terms for the moving period and any later warehouse agreement together. If your closing date changes repeatedly, put the conversion deadline on your calendar so you can address the new terms before it arrives.

American Van Lines: quote the specific piano or antique

American Van Lines publishes piano and antique services, including transportation within the contiguous United States and arrangements with a crating firm for valuable antiques. Its piano page explains that some larger instruments can attract bulk charges because other goods cannot be stacked in the space above them. American Van Lines piano and antique services.

Send the instrument type, dimensions, photographs and access details before pricing. Identify stairs, narrow turns and destination restrictions. Ask who will perform any disassembly, crating or specialist preparation and whether those charges are included.

For a piano or artwork, compare written handling plans for the actual object. Choose the provider whose quoted preparation, access arrangements, crew responsibilities, and liability terms meet those requirements.

Verify the carrier and read the estimate correctly

FMCSA distinguishes a mover, which transports household goods, from a broker, which arranges that transport. Both interstate movers and brokers require appropriate registration. Check the exact company name and USDOT number, including the actual carrier when a broker is involved. Intrastate requirements vary by jurisdiction. FMCSA selection steps; movers and brokers.

A binding estimate covers the agreed inventory and services; adding goods or services can change the agreement. A non-binding estimate is not a final price guarantee. The federal 110% rule limits collection of estimated charges at delivery in the applicable circumstances, rather than cancelling all remaining charges. Read the handbook’s provisions for additional services and impracticable operations. FMCSA rights and responsibilities.

Finally, compare liability choices. Released value pays no more than 60 cents per pound per article: a hypothetical 10-pound item has only $6 of protection under that measure, regardless of its purchase price. Full value protection has different terms and cost. These contractual liability levels are distinct from an insurance policy. FMCSA valuation explanation.

Sources

Provider service pages are linked in the six profiles. For the independent consumer framework, read FMCSA’s mover-selection guide, broker comparison, rights handbook and valuation guidance. The shortlist describes published services; obtain a route-specific written proposal before booking.