2024 North American Van Lines Review

We compared multiple companies over several years and analyzed more than 10,000 reviews to select North American Van Lines as one of the best moving companies.

Best moving company for customizable services
northamerican
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8
  • pro
    A la carte services
  • pro
    Shipment tracking
  • con
    Vague pricing info
Kurt Manwaring
Feb 15, 2023
bullet4 min read

Bottom line: North American Van Lines is one of the best moving companies. It lets you pick and choose your moving services, provides 24/7 customer service, and has GPS tracking.

pro
Pros
pro A la carte services
pro Extra insurance
pro GPS tracking
pro 24/7 customer service
pro 90-year company history
con
Cons
con Vague pricing info
con Sub-par website

See where North American Van Lines ranks on our list of the best moving companies.


North American Van Lines compared to other companies

North American Van Lines is our second-highest-rated moving company. It’s one of the only companies that doesn’t charge a deposit, and it also has discounts for seniors:

Company
Move.org rating
Deposit amount
Discounts
Learn more
4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9
25%Military, seniors
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8
NASeniors
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5
10%–50%NA
4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4
NASeniors
3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9
35%Disabled persons, military, seniors
3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6
33% or lessCollege students, military, seniors

North American Van Lines plans, pricing, and cost

A North American Van Lines representative will need to examine the details of your move to provide an estimate. Just be aware that you’ll probably need to set a formal appointment time for an in-home or virtual quote. We spoke with several North American Van Lines representatives and struggled to obtain general pricing info.

Things turn out good in the end, though. North American provides guaranteed written quotes. That means your move won’t ever cost more than you see on the invoice. We can get behind that.


Why we recommend North American Van Lines

Customizable moving services

Our favorite thing about North American Van Lines is that it lets you pick and choose the moving services you want. Many companies require you to pay a flat fee even if you use only a few of its moving services. That can result in spending thousands of extra dollars for things you might be willing to do yourself, like packing and furniture assembly. Similarly, you could end up paying for storage services you don’t need.

North American Van Lines gets rid of all that nonsense. You pay for the services you need—nothing more. It’s one of the best possible company features if you’re trying to move on a budget. That’s why North American is one of the best interstate moving companies.

GPS tracking

You can track the status of your belongings 24/7 when you move with North American. While the company’s website is generally sub-par, it has cutting-edge tracking capabilities. All you need is your last name, a six-digit tracking number, and an internet connection. Enter the requested information on the company website, and North American will instantly spit out the location of your household goods using WorldTrac® satellite technology. 

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Do car shipping companies offer GPS tracking?

It’s up to the drivers whether they leave the GPS on—and most don’t. We like Montway Auto Transport because it uses drivers that agree to shipment tracking.

24/7 customer service

GPS tracking isn’t the only feature North American Van Lines offers around the clock. The moving company also has 24/7 customer service. That’s unusual for companies in any industry, let alone professional movers. Many of the companies we review aren’t open on the weekends, let alone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We love how easy North American makes it to communicate during your move. If you track your belongings and have questions, you can call and talk to someone no matter the time of day. If there’s a hiccup on the day of delivery, just pick up the phone. It’s little wonder that North American Van Lines scores higher with customers than many of its competitors.

Want a moving company with 24/7 customer service?


Features and services

Local, long-distance, and international services

North American Van Lines movers can transport personal and corporate belongings almost anywhere in North America—and the world:

  • Local moves
  • Long-distance moves
  • International moves

Moving services and moving resources

North American also offers a variety of services and resources to help with different parts of your move:

  • Appliance installation
  • Fragile item packing
  • Full-service packing
  • Furniture assembly
  • Loading and unloading
  • Moving guides
  • Moving tips
  • Packing materials
  • Packing supplies
  • Self-packing assistance
  • Storage options
  • Valuation coverage
  • Vehicle transport

North American Van Lines at a glance

DescriptionNorth American Van Lines information
MC #107012
USDOT #
Moving broker, carrier, or hybridBroker
Average customer service rating (out of 5)
3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9
Years in business89
GPS tracking
bulletYes
Local and long-distance moving services
bulletYes

North American Van Lines international services

You can use North American Van Lines to move almost anywhere. The company has physical locations in nearly 180 countries. It can also move you to seven continents (some companies mainly serve the United States, Europe, and South America).

It does more than help you move, though. North American Van Lines publishes lists of international moving tips, country guides, and even instructions for dealing with customs and immigration. The company also has excellent moving coordinators that can help you with as many one-off questions as you need.

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#1 global moving service

North American Van Lines is more than a good international mover. Move.org awarded it the number one spot on a list of the best international moving companies.

North American Van Lines long-term review

North American Van Lines has been one of the nation’s top-tier movers on our lists for the past several years. The company boasts a nearly 90-year history and consistently offers more features and services than many competitors. However, we noticed that North American stopped offering free used moving boxes sometime between May and August 2022.

As North American rounds the corner towards 100 years in business, it holds the distinction of having pioneered several moving industry trends:

  • North American was the first company to use satellite technology to communicate with its drivers.
  • Similarly, North American Van Lines was the first long-distance mover to transport belongings on the Alaska Highway.
  • North American Van Lines was the first moving company to train its drivers using interactive driving simulators.
  • North American also pioneered the use of crane vans to move heavy equipment without the use of a loading dock.

Our recommendation

It’s tough to do better than North American Van Lines. The movers get the second-highest ratings in the industry and have boatloads of services to back them up. The best thing is that you can choose which ones you pay for. North American also tops our list of the best international moving companies. Our biggest frustration is that company reps are vague when discussing pricing, but that clears up once you place a reservation and work directly with a coordinator. North American Van Lines is one of the nation’s best moving companies.

Pick and choose the moving services you want


North American Van Lines professional mover FAQ

What storage options does North American Van Lines offer?

North American Van Lines offers short-term and long-term storage through its local agents. The company’s storage services are available in all 50 states.

Does North American Van Lines provide corporate relocation services?

North American Van Lines specializes in corporate relocation. The professional movers can help transport belongings for a single employee—or an entire company. North American even has corporate mobility guides that can help trim overall moving costs.

Does the North American Van Lines service area include Alaska and Hawaii?

North American Van Lines can handle interstate moves anywhere in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The company also offers an excellent moving experience to nearly 180 countries worldwide.


How we chose the best car shipping companies

Move.org calculates industry averages and identifies pricing trends by following a fourfold research approach:

  1. Compare quotes. We collected nearly 700 quotes from 10 different companies. The car shipping quotes included prices for a motorcycle, car, SUV, and truck across 11 distances on both open and enclosed transport.
  2. Mystery shopping. We contacted auto transport companies posing as customers to gather pricing data and learn how the brokers formulate their prices.
  3. Site visits. We invited several industry leaders to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, and explain what goes into their pricing. We then compared their answers to information we independently obtained to verify accuracy.
  4. Annual calendar. We repeat this process every year and save our data so that we can compare trends over time.

Kurt Manwaring
Written by
Kurt Manwaring
Kurt Manwaring brings nearly a decade’s worth of research experience as a business consultant to the Move.org team. He specializes in taking complicated issues (like moving) and presenting them in a way that everyone can understand. His writing has been featured in hundreds of publications, including USA Today, Martha Stewart Living, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Heavy, Slate, and Yahoo! Lifestyle. He brings a BS in sociology and an MPA (masters of public administration) to the Move team. He would love to hear about your moving experiences and questions at kurt@move.org.