What Are Van Lines and Should You Use Them For Moving?
Published by Chris Townsend
It can be difficult to understand all the terminology in the moving industry if you’re not a part of it. One of the terms that is often confused by people seeking moving services is “van lines.” What are van lines and how do they differ from other types of moving companies? Those are the questions we seek to answer in this post, hopefully providing some clarity to the people that may encounter them, as well as explain why you may—or may not—want to use them when you need to hire moving help.
What Are Van Lines?
If you’ve looked for a moving company any time recently, you’ve no doubt come across several that call themselves van lines. What that means, however, may not be as clear. Van lines are a viable moving service just like any other, but the way they operate is slightly different than what you may picture when you think of a moving company. Essentially, van lines are a network of carriers that coordinate moves among each other to accomplish a moving job. What this means for anyone hiring a van line to help move is that they are likely dealing with several different, independent but affiliated moving services to do one job. Still confused? Let’s dig a little deeper into what they actually do.
What Do Van Lines Do?
Companies that operate as van lines can provide moving services just like any other company, but the catch is that they only handle long distance out of state (interstate) moves in most cases. They may be able to book a mover to help you with a local move, but they are not involved in the actual move themselves, much like how a broker operates. Since van lines operate using a coordinated network of moving trucks, your belongings may be loaded onto several trucks during the course of your move. Effectively, van lines are a group of independent moving services that are connected under the banner of a company name, but not as integrated together as the name might imply. For example, if you’re moving across the country, one truck may take your belongings through two or three states, another may handle the next few states, and so on until it reaches the destination.
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Are Van Lines Better Than Other Types of Moving Companies?
Van lines are not necessarily any better or worse than other types of moving companies, though many people prefer to eliminate the possibility of their furniture being loaded and unloaded onto different trucks throughout the course of a move. This is understandable since you’re led to believe that all trucks operating under one company name are the property of, and under the control of one centralized company. That can obviously have some drawbacks if you need to clarify when a delivery is expected to be made, or if you have to file a claim against a mover for damaged property.
what is van lines
