Allied Van Lines has been a leading name in the moving industry since 1928. With more than 90 years of experience, a national and worldwide presence, and a diverse range of service offerings, this provider is one of the best moving companies for relocations of any size. It’s A+ rating on BBB and a claimed 96% customer satisfaction rating show that Allied has thoroughly earned the position it now holds within the business. Read on to learn more, including:
- The range of services Allied Van Lines offers
- What your move should cost with Allied
- What past customers thought of their Allied moving experience
4.2
Our Rating
Our Preferred Moving Companies
Today’s Homeowner recommends several movers to our readers. Below you’ll see our latest suggestions and their unique superlatives.
You can also explore our review of some top-notch moving companies to find your top choice.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
Our Allied Review
Allied Van Lines is one of the best moving companies currently operating in the U.S. They provide complete suites of residential and corporate relocation services, which can be catered to assist most clients. As partners of North American Van Lines under the parent company SIRVA, Allied is a part of one of the world’s largest moving networks. This placement gives them a nearly unmatched service range and area.
Positive customer reviews report flexibility and communication at all stages of the moving process. Booking with Allied grants you access to personalized customer service during the moving estimate and beyond. Whether you’re planning a move within the same town, or a cross-country endeavor, Allied can provide the basic and additional services to make your move a success. With transparent pricing and qualified workers in numerous locations, this is a great option for anyone on the move.
How Much Does Allied Van Lines Cost?
Regardless of your relocation, we highly recommend getting multiple quotes from different providers. This should always be your first step. Allied makes getting pricing estimates reasonably straightforward, with InstaQuotes and more personalized, in-person estimates available. Below, we’ve included some basic pricing information for Allied moves. Your base price will consist of loading and unloading, essential furniture protection, shipment tracking for longer moves, and released liability coverage. All other add-ons will cost extra.
<250 mi | 500 mi | 1,000 mi | 2,000 mi | |
2 BR | $1,800 – $4,500 | $2,400 – $5,400 | $2,700 – $5,700 | $4,400 – $7,400 |
4 BR | $3,300 – $6,000 | $5,700 – $8,700 | $7,500 – $10,500 | $10,900 – $13,900 |
Other Fees
Many negative reviews of Allied and any mover will stem from misunderstandings regarding pricing. For long-distance moves, when pricing is primarily based on the total weight of your goods, your bottom line may not be fully established until your movers’ truck has been weighed following loading.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
What Services Does Allied Offer?
Allied’s service offerings are on par with other van lines and include the necessary add-ons to help move clients in any situation. Allied has you covered whether you’re a college student moving out for the summer or a family of five in need of cross-country moving assistance.
Basics
This mover’s service area is nearly unmatched in the industry and can help with the following:
- Local moving: The 400 branches and local partners Allied operates throughout the United States and can assist with local moves (under 50 miles) in most areas. Your move will be billed with an hourly rate.
- Long-distance moving: That same network of locations can equally assist long-distance moves. You should note that your move could be packaged onto the same truck as other customers’ goods at larger Allied hubs. Moving companies do this to save time and money, but it could delay your delivery window.
- International moving: Allied has more than 1,000 direct representatives and affiliates in 130 other countries worldwide. This mover’s FMCSA licensing and international air and ocean freight licensing make moves to nearly any location accessible. Allied’s reliable online shipment tracking tool is also available for these moves.
No matter where you plan on moving, Allied provides a single point of contact for all relocations.
Add-ons
Add-on services will inflate your cost, but if your next move has some special requirements, Allied is one of your best options. They offer the following:
- Packing and unpacking: Whether it be full-service packing for your entire home, fragile packing, or simply packing up your home office, Allied’s packers can help you. When hiring professional packers, they assume responsibility for all broken goods packed. This means that such breakages would fall under whichever protection plan you’ve opted for during your move. Ask about packing services during your quote to learn more.
- Crating: Custom crating for antiques or large, fragile items is time-consuming and expensive, no matter who you go to, but Allied’s qualified workers are able to render quality assistance in this area.
- Extra care protection: If you have more valuable goods, this full-value coverage option may be the right choice for you. It requires minimum coverage of $5 per pound, with a premium of $0.80 per $100 of coverage. Whatever your declared value is, you’ll be reimbursed for it if protected goods are damaged in transit.
- Short and long-term storage: Allied offers a full range of storage options. Whether you need a couple of extra days of storage-in-transit or are stuck in limbo between your old and new home for a few months, you’ll find an option to meet your needs.
- Disassembly and reassembly: For a local move, this service could simply be folded into your hourly rate. For long-distance moves, you could be looking at an added fee for convenience. Either way, Allied movers will come equipped with the necessary tools to help you in this area.
- Vehicle shipping: One of the areas where Allied shines is its vehicle shipment options. The large moving vans it provides make them able to directly service any vehicle shipping needs. This includes cars and family vehicles, boats and marine equipment, and far more.
Service Area & Availability
Allied Van Lines is available for nearly any local or interstate moves and international moves. Along with global service to 180 other countries, Allied operates more than 400 Allied agents across the United States with service relocation needs across all 50 states.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
How To Schedule With Allied
Getting your free quote with Allied is similar to getting moving quotes from other providers. If you’re opting for a full-service moving company instead of a moving container or DIY move, then you should begin this process around eight weeks in advance. Research professional movers in your area and schedule quote with any who have the right service options to help with your move.
Aside from Allied’s InstaQuote online estimate option, booking more personalized visual estimates is fairly efficient through their website. Most past clients report that an Allied representative got back to them within a day or two of filling out a contact form. Booking over the phone is possible but can be hit-or-miss, depending on the exact day or time during which you place your call.
When you schedule with Allied — or any moving company — you’ll want to be sure that you get exactly what you pay for. Get copies of your moving contract and moving estimate once you’ve confirmed your booking. For long-distance moves, your movers will keep detailed bills of lading for all household items loaded onto their moving trucks. Be sure to check this list upon loading and unloading.
Aside from this, here are a few things you should look for in any moving company:
- Proper insurance: Aside from workers’ compensation, all movers carry basic liability coverage for goods in case of loss or damage. This covers you at a rate of $0.60 per pound per item. Most movers, including Allied, offer a kind of full-valuation coverage to supplement this.
- Proper registration: If you’re using an interstate mover, then federal registration with the FMCSA is all that’s required. Using a mover’s USDOT and MC numbers, you can research registration status and complaint history through this link.
- Positive reviews: As stated below, positive reviews are a must for any reputable mover. Looking up this feedback from multiple sources is an easy way for you to safeguard against shady or fly-by-night operators. That said, Allied is about as well-established as it gets as far as moving brands are concerned.
- Adequate service offerings: All movers will provide a basic range of services, including full-service packing and a few similar offerings. That said, if you have particular add-ons that you’ll need to have fulfilled, then you should disclose these during your moving quote.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
Allied Van Lines Reviews From Actual Customers
Whether you end up booking a move with Allied or with another moving company, customer reviews will be vital to your chances of having a positive experience. Getting quotes is obviously a necessary step to take to establish basic expectations regarding your moving cost and service requirements. That said, customer feedback will tell you far more about a mover than any in-person estimate will. Look for reviews from Yelp, Google, social media, and Better Business Bureau to find out more about any mover.
The Good
Allied Van Lines’ range of services, excellent protection options, and 24/7 GPS tracking for all shipments rate highly on all customer reviews. Clients rave about the flexibility that all of this lends to their Allied moving experiences.
The Bad
Most nationwide movers and van lines with as many locations as Allied (more than 400) will not be able to guarantee the same level of service across their entire service area. This is true of restaurants, retailers, and any other large-scale brand. Rather than trusting any such mover’s overall review score, you should look to reviews of their locations in your general area. These will be far more representative of what you can expect.
Negative Allied reviews feature damage complaints and difficulty with filing related claims. Pricing discrepancies are also worth noting as a common point of contention for moves of all sizes.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
Frequently Asked Questions About Allied Van Lines
What are hourly minimum charges?
These charges typically factor into local moving or labor-only moving services. If you’re looking to hire movers, you’ll usually have a provision in your moving contract for minimum charges. These will amount to anything from two to four hours, times whatever hourly rate you’re in line to pay. So, if you’re hiring movers to move one or two items from a storage unit or rental truck into your new home, you’ll still be in line to pay that minimum fee.
What are line-haul charges?
Line-haul fees are calculated using your household goods’ move distance and total weight. This method of billing is exclusively used for long-distance moves. Most movers have defined processes for truck weigh-ins before and after your goods have been loaded. You should ask about this when you get a quote from any long-distance mover.
Should I tip my movers?
Tips are never a requirement. Tipping — especially after a long interstate move — is an excellent way to show gratitude for a job well done. If you opt to tip, then $5 per hour per mover is a good general rule to follow. You should tip $40 to $50 per mover per day on the road for long-haul moves.
How far in advance of my move date should I begin packing my home?
This should begin shortly after you complete your move inventory. This and other initial preparation should begin around the eight-week mark. You’ll have plenty of time if you start packing around six weeks ahead of moving day and commit to packing a couple of boxes or organizing a little each day. Breaking up your work into smaller, more manageable chunks will help you have a far more stress-free moving process.
Today's Homeowner Rating Methodology
At Today's Homeowner, our primary goals are to be a reliable source of information and to be totally transparent to our readers. With that in mind, we’ve developed the following formula to render objective ratings – on a scale of 10 points – for the moving companies we review.
- Transparency (3.0): Communication and being fully straightforward regarding company policies and licensing are incredibly important. A given mover’s willingness to display these, to supply quick quotes, and to provide clearly-worded moving contracts all factor into the three points within this single rating criteria.
- Cost (2.5): A mover’s cost relative to industry averages, as well as accessibility to cost data play a role in the customer experience as much as anything else. We know that being sure of what you’re paying – and being confident that you’re not overpaying – will ultimately make for a positive move. We’ve weighted cost factors accordingly in our ratings.
- Customer Service (2.0): Establishing an easy line of contact with your movers during the booking process or during the move itself is a huge asset for any moving client. The stress of moving, in general, can be greatly eased by knowing you can talk to a licensed professional whenever you need to, which is why we’ve listed this as a key rating category. This is where customer reviews come into play; since the majority of complaints stem from poor customer service, feedback from BBB, Yelp, Google, and other review platforms factor into this criteria.
- Services Offered (1.5): This rates lower on our priority list than many would think, simply due to the fact that many movers provide a similar line of services. However, breadth of service offerings does still vary to a degree.
- Customization Options (1.0): Having the autonomy to fully customize your move should rate highly on any moving checklist. Here, we’ve taken moving package customization ability, as well as pricing for more involved add-ons. Steep pricing for such services can provide something of a soft barrier for clients looking to add to their move, and we’ve taken this into consideration.