New World Van Lines Review

NWVL is one of the larger independent operators open now in the moving industry. We’ve done extensive research into their business practices and moving reviews to bring you all of the relevant information about their transparency, pricing, moving services offered, and reputation.

Transparency

As a full-service, long-distance mover, NWVL’s offerings are fairly typical. Of course, with their standard package, clients receive the standard free quote, loading and unloading, released liability insurance, and full inventory lists (during longer moves). You will be assigned a personal move coordinator, who will stay in contact with you through your entire move. This goes a long way towards making your moving process as smooth as it can be. This is especially true for jobs where extra services are requested. NWVL provides full unpacking and junk removal help, and many other services to help clients get settled after they have been moved in at their new home.

Despite a few listing pages on nwvl.com, it can be difficult to get a bead on what specialty services this carrier offers. After combing through a number of reviews, it is clear that this company offers piano moving, auto relocation, and appliance moving. For the sake of the consumer, it would be far better to see this in writing on their website. As it stands, prospective clients need to schedule an estimate with a move coordinator to find these things out.

Filing damage claims or complaints appears to be standard as well. Although, many negative reviews point to the claims process with NWVL being unduly complicated. When dealing with professional movers on cross-country moves, clients need to be wary of bills of lading and inventory lists. You should always stick by your crew chief or driver as they check items off of their list at the unload. As a general rule, you should request your own copies of any such lists or contracts.

Pricing

Similar to your overall moving experience, pricing will vary between geographical areas. NWVL operates out of 16 different locations throughout the United States alone. Their price points at their home office in Illinois will be different from those in their other locations at Marietta, Georgia, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and so on.

Consumer reviews on NWVL point to the pricing being fair, and average within the moving industry. By all appearances, this moving company does not handle many local moves. Their specialties are corporate relocations, logistics management, and interstate moves within the United States. Their billing structure will reflect that. As such, you will not be paying a strict hourly rate for your move. Your cost will be calculated using a combination of shipment weight and move distance. These fees are known as linehaul costs.

Your movers will weigh their truck before moving day, then again after they load your belongings in order to determine an exact weight. The American Moving and Storage Association lists an average charge of $4,300 for a move of 1,200 miles. This assumes around 7,500 pounds of goods being moved, which equates to an average three-bedroom home.

Beyond this, market size and extra services will be the primary influences on your move. If you are moving from the Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York metro areas, you can expect to pay higher rates. For extra services, you will have to contact your local branch should you decide to go with NWVL. Service availability and pricing will vary between locations.

Services Offered

Long-Distance and International Moving

This is NWVL’s bread and butter. They branched out to cover the entire US in 1982, and expanded into international relocations in 1987. As such, they are licensed with the US DOT and the FMCSA to operate across state lines. Their large truck fleet has expanded since then as well. Now, for residential moves, they advertise “single crew service.” That is, the same crew will be at both ends of your move, no matter what. This company has also transitioned from using owner-operator truck drivers, in favor of their own employees and marked trucks, at least for residential moves.

As an international mover, NWVL serves as a broker as well as a carrier. Their office in Europe helps to coordinate overseas moves, but that single location means that they often need to contract services out to other companies. Depending on the company hired to complete your move, your moving experience could be impacted. NWVL is, however, an affiliate of FIDI – the Federation of International Movers – and is an Accredited International Mover. You can read about their various international partnerships here.

Logistics Management

This arm of NWVL was created in 2006 and named New World Transportation Systems (NWTS). This sub-corporation exists solely for specialized, long-distance corporate relocations. It is advertised as using primarily large trailers, and owner-operated trucks when needed.

Corporate Relocation

NWVL advertises special packing services for fragile or breakable items, which comes in handy for corporate moves. They claim to be able to pack any non-information-sensitive items away with ease, including (sometimes) costly office furniture, server racks, and any other office items.

Storage

Through each of its 16 locations in the United States, NWVL has privately owned storage facilities, totaling over 600,000 square feet. They offer full furniture protection, along with handling by professionals whenever you need it.

Extras

Like any moving company, NWVL is in the customer service industry. In addition to simply moving you from point A to point B, they offer a line of “VIP services.” This includes unpacking, furniture rearranging and assembly, and more. The stated goal of these extras is to make your new home feel lived-in as quickly as possible.

Reputation

When looking at customer reviews for this primarily long-distance moving company, it’s clear that there is little consistency between locations. Some reviews even point to NWVL using independent drivers for residential moves, which runs counter to the claim they make on their company history page: that they only use NWVL-owned trucks and company employees for moves. At least, according to Yelp reviews of the company, experiences with the company are either great or terrible. If booking with NWVL, prospective clients should do extensive research into the reputation of the particular branch they plan on using.