Sterling Van Lines Review

If you’ve never moved before, the process of hiring a moving company can seem like an impossible task. We understand that moving outside of the Los Angeles area (or even within the area) can be scary—which is why we’ve created an in-depth review of Sterling Van Lines’ services and specialties. In this article you will learn about Sterling Van Lines’:

• Transparency
• Pricing
• Services
• Reputation

We’ve researched dozens of long-distance movers and evaluated their transparency, customer reviews and reputation, pricing and services, and even their industry and legal licensing to help you find and identify the best long-distance movers in the country.  Here’s what we found.

Transparency

The best movers know that keeping regulatory and service information front-and-center on their website is essential in supporting customer trust. Sterling Van Lines, Inc. goes above and beyond other long-distance moving companies by providing potential customers with a wealth of information both online and over the phone.

Long-distance moving companies know that the cornerstone of regulation within the moving industry is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Companies operating in California are required by law to register with the FMCSA before they can complete long-distance moving services. You can ensure that a company is registered with the FMCSA by asking for its USDOT number (a unique identifier assigned to each moving company) or MC Number and verifying it with the FMCSA’s Company Snapshot tool.

Sterling Van Lines lists its regulatory information clearly on the front page of its website, alongside its address and phone number. When we looked up Sterling Van Lines in the FMCSA’s database, we found that all information was in line with what we were told when we gave a phone call to a Sterling representative as well as what is represented on the company’s website. This includes the company’s physical address, mailing address, and phone number.

Our customer service representative was well-informed and educated on the moving experience, services provided, and areas where the company is authorized to complete a move. Though the representative informed us that we would need to receive an in-person consultation before the company could issue a binding or non-binding estimate for local moving costs, she was able to tell us more about the factors that play into moving costs and pricing. She also invited us to get a free moving quote online by telling the company a little more about our upcoming move and that a quote professional would schedule a visit. This was a refreshing change of pace, like other moving companies we’ve reviewed employed customer service representatives who could not answer basic questions or who claimed they would call us back—only to never return our phone call.

Sterling Van Lines is also straightforward when it comes to its staff members, specifying that moving professionals will arrive at the home in uniform. This can be a major point of stress-relief for movers (especially those with children), as it eliminates the possibility that the homeowner may allow a “mover” into their home that’s actually planning on making them the victim of a moving scam. Sterling Van Lines also offers a complete FAQ that you can use to learn more about the company’s history in the Los Angeles area, how moving charges are assessed, and more.

One area where Sterling Van Lines can improve its transparency is when it comes to its cancellation and refund policies. Unlike some other moving companies that we have reviewed, we were unable to find any information on Sterling Van Lines’ cancellation policies and restrictions online. Despite this, we commend Sterling Van Lines for its commitment to keeping movers informed on which services come with an additional fee, as well as their rights and responsibilities when they move.

Cost

The specific cost of your move will vary depending on your unique moving process. Sterling Van Lines offers a range of moving services, and moving companies know that they must follow strict weight regulations when completing interstate moves. Thankfully, you can get a free moving quote by submitting a bit of personal information on your move through sterlingvanlines.com.

Let’s take a look at what a few previous customers paid for their move from Sterling Van Lines in the past.

You can pay for your services from Sterling Van Lines using cash, money orders, or credit cards.

As you can see, pricing from Sterling Van Lines is about in line with other moving services operating throughout the Los Angeles Area. However, getting the best price on your move is often a matter of comparing multiple moving services. For a truly stress-free move, we recommend requesting quotes from at least 3 competing moving services before you choose which company you want to work with.

Services 

Sterling Van Lines is a full-service moving company licensed as a carrier. This means that the company owns all of its own moving vehicles and that its team plays a direct role in moving your things to your new home. Working with a carrier is usually a better idea than working through a moving broker, who may arrange services for your move that are less than ideal for your unique needs. Sterling Van Lines claims that its specialty is small moves throughout the Los Angeles area—but the company confirms that it can take care of any size move, no matter how large or small.

Sterling Van Lines provides an impressive range of pick-up and drop-off services that you can use to customize your move and make it to your new space with less stress. The company currently offers the following specialties and services.

• Local moves within California: Sterling Van Lines specializes in providing California residents with local moving services. Sterling Van Lines’ basic moving processes include wrapping (not full-service packing) as well as loading and unloading. This can be useful if you’re looking for a move for something fragile or you don’t want to go through the body stress associated with tons of heavy lifting.
• Long-distance moving: In addition to local moves, Sterling Van Lines also offers full-service for long-distance moves as well. The company is properly bonded and licensed to perform full-service moves throughout the continental 48 United States. For example, the company can fully move you from Los Angeles to San Francisco or they can move only a small amount of your things from San Antonio to New York City depending on your needs.
• Piano moving services: Most people who own a piano decide to sell it or donate it before their move because these instruments are so large and fragile. Another area where Sterling Van Lines specializes is in its piano moving services. The company is fully equipped to handle everything from minor keyboard moves to moving a full grand piano. Sterling Van Lines includes a detailed explanation of how their team takes apart the piano in order to prepare it for shipment.
• Estate moves: Clearing out an estate can be a major task because most moving companies have shipment minimums. This means that if you’re dividing up an estate and you want to send items to different parts of the country, you may end up overpaying for each moving service due to these weight minimums. Sterling Van Lines has 30 years’ worth of experience tackling estate moves, and the company has lowered minimums for anyone in need of an estate move.
• Other specialty moving services: There are a wide range of items that you might require specialized moving services for. For example, if you need to transport a piece of artwork, you may require a temperature-controlled storage unit to ensure that the item makes it to its new home in the same condition it left in. Sterling Van Lines offers specialized moving services for antiques, artwork, furniture, and additional fragile items you may need to move.

Reputation

Sterling Van Lines has 30 years of experience providing moving services from their location in Bell Gardens and has been awarded an A+ grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). This is the highest possible grade and indicates that Sterling Van Lines’ team has maintained a high level of advertising and operating integrity, which can help you feel more secure in working with their team. Sterling Van Lines has also been awarded BBB accreditation, which is a further testament to their level of responsiveness to customer concerns and complaints. 

While awards are nice, they don’t provide you with the full picture of how a company truly operates. Let’s take a look at what a few previous Sterling Van Lines customers had to say about their moving experience with Sterling’s team.  

Reputation for Value

Reviews on Sterling Van Lines’ reputation for offering consistent pricing are mostly positive. While some customers found affordable rates with Sterling, a few sparse complaints did mention that the company didn’t offer the most affordable rates in the area. However, reviews of Sterling Van Lines’ pricing and commission structure are overall very positive.

I was assured Sterling could accommodate me and completed the application and provided a credit card. Since I didn’t hear from them in the next 24 hours, and time was short I called and spoke to a person named Tony. He said he would try to accommodate but no promises. I called again on Thursday and told me he felt I was impatient and I was to go somewhere else and he would tear up my contract… Friends of my wife suggested we try [scheduling a move with U-Haul]… They came the next day, packed up the crate and the cost was one third of Sterling costs. — Wally D., Yelp, 06/03/2019, 1 star.

I had gotten a couple of estimates from some brokers and the pressure from them was incredible…Sterling Vanlines was recommended to us by a local mover in San Diego.  They were so helpful, kind and patient with us.  They quoted me a price which was actually lower than the brokers.  Pick up was early as was delivery. — Jean J., Yelp, 04/29/2020, 5 stars. 

Reputation for Efficiency

According to previous customer testimonials, efficiency is one of the areas where Sterling Van Lines shines the brightest. Most reviews of the company’s efficiencies highlight last-minute availability, consistent communication, and deliveries that arrived earlier than originally anticipated.

We started moving my wife’s piano using another mover, Jeff’s moving and storage. They were horrible and as unprofessional as you can imagine…Tyler [of Sterling Van Lines] did a great job scheduling and keeping us informed about the move. He was most patient when I had to make arrangements to have the piano “taken” away from Jeff’s. The piano arrived a week early after an 18″ snow and the truck guys were super in getting it to us. It is a long down hill driveway. They set it up and the next day my wife was able to play it. — Yelp user “Beast Driver T.,” Yelp, 01/31/2019, 5 stars.

I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and had a local moving company put all my stuff in a storage unit.  Sterling then went and got all my stuff from the unit and brought it to me in California.  I got everything one month after my actual move, which was reasonable.  They did lose one thing (which was a cheap pegboard that I didn’t miss at all) that I don’t even really credit to being their fault. — Carrie R., Yelp, 02/16/2016, 4 stars. 

Reputation for Handling With Care

When you’re moving something as fragile as a piano, moving can be a tricky process. Reviews of Sterling Van Lines’ reputation for handling items are overall very positive, with few customers claiming that their shipment arrived with broken items.

Absolutely amazing from start to finish. Fast response when I first called, and easy to get ahold of through out the move. They made sure that I had contact with the scheduler, subcontractor and delivery service. Everything arrived just as I loaded and I paid EXACTLY what I was told I would pay. No damages, no hidden charges. — Mike P., Yelp, 12/04/2018, 5 stars.

This is the first time we’ve hired movers and didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, we knew a family who used Sterling Van Lines and they loved them. After speaking with Roy (who took my call while on vacation) everything was set for Sterling to help us with our move. Hiring Sterling was the best decision we could have made. The pricing was great, they showed up on time, they handled our furniture with care, they were professional and personable. — Steve B., Yelp, 09/14/2018, 5 stars. 

Reputation for Reliability

Moving can be a scary process—especially if you’re moving to a new state or city. Thankfully, customers who have worked with Sterling Van Lines in the past report that the company is consistent in its reliability, with team members providing a solid experience from start to finish.

Mark was the driver taking the 60-year-old table from my late mother’s house in Atascadero CA to our home in NW Arkansas. He was really wonderful at communication — letting me know updates as he crossed the country — accommodating our need to accept delivery before flying out to Ecuador. He was wonderful the whole time. Worked tirelessly to excavate our items from the huge truck and brought each into the house in great condition. Very happy with our Sterling experience. — Brian H., Yelp, 07/23/2021, 5 stars.

It is extremely rare today to find a company that promises that they will do something, then they actually do it. Sterling Van Lines is one of these companies. I recently had a need to move a single item [of] furniture from a location in Central Florida to Central Georgia. From one contact to delivery the process took six days, including a weekend. Everyone I dealt with, from the telephone receptionist to the delivery personnel were friendly, caring, and professional. — Frank A., Yelp, 02/06/2021, 5 stars.