When you are planning a long distance move, the search for the right company may feel overwhelming. Reviews, ratings and quote comparisons all matter, but they don’t always tell the full story. To choose the right mover, look for three things a company has to earn – and keep earning. These include BBB accreditation, claims-window compliance, and whether it operates as a carrier or a broker.
If you’re doing research for your own long distance move, you’ve likely seen many different kinds of online reviews and customer quotes for a variety of companies. It can be confusing to figure out what’s true or not… and what even counts as “the best” in the moving industry.
National Van Lines is owned by its employees, creating a level of accountability that shows up in how our team supports each move. We know how important it is to trust your belongings with a company that truly cares, and we’re here to give our insights into what you can consider “the best” when it comes to choosing the right moving company.
What Does “Best Long Distance Movers” Actually Mean?
In the moving industry there’s a large number of companies you can choose from. Search “best long distance movers” on Google, and you’re faced with a list of names that could provide a good option for you. So how do you choose from all the movers you see?
First, keep in mind that all long distance moving companies are required to do certain things per federal regulations. Every legal interstate mover carries an active USDOT number and FMCSA registration, which we recommend checking as you start to look at different options. However, while this tells you that a company is legally ready to handle your move, it will not show you the full picture.
At National Van Lines we believe that “best rated” is something a company has to earn from its satisfied customers, and that “earning it” never stops. Here are the three criteria we think are most helpful.
- BBB Accreditation and Rating – Accreditation is voluntary and reviewed on an ongoing basis, so a current letter grade tells you how a company is handling complaints right now, not just how it markets itself.
- Claims-Window Compliance – Federal rules give movers up to 9 months to resolve a claim after delivery. How efficiently and fairly a company handles that window (not just whether it technically complies) says something real about how it treats customers.
- Carrier vs. Broker Status – Some companies move your shipment through their own vetted network. Others hand it off to the outside carrier that submits the lowest bid. Both are legal, but they are not the same thing.
Altogether, these factors give you a much better understanding of what to look for as you research. Also, understand that using a thorough estimate process is another important sign of a reliable mover. Understanding how a virtual survey works for a long distance move can help you see how a company gathers the details needed to build a more accurate quote.
Who Are the Best Long Distance Moving Companies?
You just learned about what to look for as you’re doing your research. To help you out, we’ve gathered some top names in the moving industry, and how they measure up to our criteria.
| Company | BBB Status | Carrier or Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Allied Van Lines | Accredited, A+ | Carrier |
| Mayflower Transit | Not accredited | Registered as both carrier and broker |
| North American Van Lines | Accredited, A+ | Carrier |
| United Van Lines | Not accredited | Carrier |
Now you’ll have a much easier way to sift through all those Google results, as you can clearly see who’s a carrier and who’s accredited with the BBB.
Want to see how long it takes for a specific mover to resolve a claim? Search the company by name or USDOT number in FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database. It shows real complaint history from the past 6 years, including cases where a mover failed to acknowledge, process, or settle a claim within the 120-day federal window.
Is National Van Lines Considered to Be Among the Best Long Distance Moving Companies?
To put it simply, yes! National Van Lines stands out because it combines accreditation, carrier status and experience with interstate moving services. We’re an accredited carrier that is also:
- Rated above average in the GSA Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) for household goods relocation, averaged over the past 10 years. For 2025–2026 we scored a CSI of 105.86, above the required baseline.
- Rated A+ by the BBB, with accreditation maintained for over 20 years.
- Employee-owned, which means the people managing your move have a direct stake in getting it right.
- Focused on genuinely excellent customer service through how we train and professionally grow our dedicated MovePro coordinator team.
“Being employee-owned changes how we think about accountability here at National Van Lines. From our MovePro team, to operations, all the way up to the top of the company, we all have a direct stake in getting it right every time.”
– Mark Doyle, President, National Van Lines
Get Your Long Distance Moving Quote From National Van Lines
You now know what “best rated” really means, and you have four criteria you can examine for any mover in about 10 minutes. This puts you in a much stronger position than relying on a star rating alone ever could.
Ready to see what a verified, accountable long distance move actually looks like? Call 800-323-1962 or get your free moving quote from National Van Lines today, and move with a team that’s as dedicated to your move as you are.