Residential Moving Services

A local move is any move within the same metro area or within the same state that stays under roughly 50 miles, and Central Van Lines runs local moves out of every office we operate. Our movers arrive with padding, dollies, and the right size truck for the job, and most local moves are completed in a single day. We handle loading, unloading, and furniture placement in the rooms you choose. If you need packing, we bring boxes, tape, and paper and pack the house before the truck is loaded, and for households downsizing or relocating a parent, our senior moving services handle the transition at a comfortable pace.

A long-distance move crosses state lines or covers more than 100 miles within the same state, and Central Van Lines coordinates these long-distance relocations through our nationwide carrier network. Your shipment is tracked from pickup to delivery, and you receive a binding or not-to-exceed estimate before we load. Long-distance moves require more planning than local ones, so we schedule a pre-move survey, build an inventory, and give you a delivery window. Our movers wrap and pad furniture, build custom crating for fragile items when needed, and load the truck to prevent shifting during transit.

Interstate moves are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Central Van Lines holds the required operating authority and insurance to move household goods between states. Every interstate shipment is covered under our carrier liability and includes a full inventory at pickup and delivery. We file all required documentation, maintain our DOT registration, and carry the insurance minimums required by federal law. For high-value or oversized belongings that need extra protection on a cross-country haul, our specialty moving crews build custom crating, and you receive a written estimate, a bill of lading, and an inventory sheet before your shipment leaves.

Moving outside the United States adds customs paperwork, ocean or air freight coordination, and destination-country regulations. Central Van Lines arranges international shipments through our global moving network, which reaches more than 40 countries, preparing the customs documentation, coordinating the container packing, and arranging delivery at the destination. Your belongings are inventoried, wrapped, and loaded into a shipping container or air freight crate depending on the shipment size and your timeline. When a vehicle is part of the relocation, our auto shipping service coordinates its transport alongside the household shipment.

Sometimes your new home is not ready when your old lease ends, and Central Van Lines operates climate-controlled warehouse storage at our facilities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Your belongings are inventoried, wrapped in padding, and stored in wooden vault containers inside a secure warehouse, on a short-term or long-term basis. When you are ready for delivery, we pull your containers, load them onto a truck, and deliver to your new address, so there is no need to rent a separate storage unit or handle your belongings twice.