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Atlas Van Lines is the best out of all the moving companies we’ve reviewed, earning high marks for its pricing policies, features and customer satisfaction. With its online move portal, virtual walkthroughs for estimates and ability to track shipments online, Atlas offers more modern, digital capabilities than many moving companies. It also doesn't charge upfront deposits or fees to pay with a credit card (though you’ll get a discount if you pay via e-check). Customers had fewer complaints about Atlas than most of the other companies we reviewed.
Atlas Van Lines is one of the largest moving companies in the U.S. and is headquartered in Evansville, IN. More than 430 Atlas agents own and operate the company’s equipment and warehouses. Atlas is a full-service mover, meaning it does more than drive the truck from point A to point B. Here are some of the company’s major offerings and what we think you should know.
Atlas loads, transports and unloads for cross-town, interstate and cross-country moves in all 50 states. For an extra fee, it will also pack and unpack, ship vehicles and provide storage.
The company does not require an upfront deposit or prepayment, and there is no fee to pay with a credit card (the company does offer a 1% discount if you pay by e-check through the customer portal). If you need help, you can contact customer service via phone, email, online form or the company’s portal.
Atlas does international moves, though you have to work with one of the firm’s sister companies, as well as third-party movers it may partner with.
Atlas Van Lines (Canada) handles moves in Canada.
Atlas International Movers is a freight forwarder, meaning that it partners with other international moving companies to move your goods. Atlas says it partners with 1,500 other companies in 17 countries.
Champion International Moving, Ltd. is also a freight forwarder, meaning that it also handles international moves of household goods, vehicles and pets; however, its clients are mostly corporate, according to Allied.
If your employer is arranging your move abroad, Cornerstone Relocation Group may handle the move.
In an international move, Atlas loads your packed items into special shipping containers that it then places into one or more steel shipping containers (if shipping by sea) or other transport containers (if shipping by air) and transports to the departure point. Once your things get to the international destination, customs processes the shipment and clears it for transfer to an international moving crew that Atlas selects. That crew then delivers and unpacks your items.
Many people who move may need some extra time to find or prepare their new homes, which is why movers that offer storage can be life-savers. Storage costs extra, though, so be sure to tell the mover what you need so you get an accurate quote.
Usually, there are two ways to go about managing storage with a mover:
Have the mover take some or all of your stuff to a storage unit that you’ve rented.
Have the mover store some or all of your stuff at one of its own warehouses.
Atlas can store shipments in the 300+ warehouses it uses around the country. The company can store cars, boats, motorcycles and RVs, and you can choose secure outdoor storage, climate-controlled storage or self-storage.
This can be one of the worst parts of the moving process, so if you can afford to pay extra for some help here, it’s worth considering.
When you have the movers pack, they’ll show up with all the boxes and packing materials, wrap and pack everything and then label the boxes. Unpacking involves opening the boxes, removing the packing materials, arranging your things according to your instructions and then taking away the packing materials and empty boxes.
The company sends over a team of people trained in packing. If you want, you can have them only pack or unpack some rooms or some things (which can cut costs).
Atlas can pack antiques, fragile items and similar stuff in special wooden crates for protection. The company won’t pack chemicals (which might include household cleaners) or hazardous materials.
Atlas ships cars and vehicles, which is useful if you can’t or don’t want to drive your car to your new home.
This company ships:
Cars.
Motorcycles.
ATVs.
Antique, collector, custom or hot-rod vehicles.
Campers and RVs.
Jet skis.
Snowmobiles.
To ship a car or truck, Atlas loads the car on an open trailer with split ramps andsecures it to the trailer. It disconnects the battery during transport.
To ship a motorcycle, Atlas drains the gas, pads it, removes protruding parts that could break off and secures it to prevent shipping.
Atlas can put your vehicle in secure indoor or outdoor storage until you’re ready for delivery.
Atlas Van Lines scored better than most in the customer ratings portion of our rubric. We evaluate customer service based on Better Business Bureau rating for the company and the number of complaints per 100 vehicles to the BBB and Department of Transportation. This company had a low complaint ratio relative to other companies we reviewed.
Like most moving companies, Atlas doesn’t provide price quotes online. And like most moving companies, the reason is that the quote depends on several custom factors, such as:
How much stuff you have.
What kind of stuff you have.
Where your stuff is going.
How accessible the locations are.
When you want to move.
Atlas provides two kinds of price quotes.
Nonbinding estimates give you an approximate cost. They can be great for getting a quick, ballpark sense of cost, but the downside is that they can change by a lot. The final cost comes when the mover weighs the shipment. However, the company can't charge more than 110% of the nonbinding estimate at the time of delivery.
Binding quotes guarantee you won’t be changed more than the estimate. They can be great for giving you certainty and peace of mind, but the downside is that the quote process might take longer and the mover can charge for a binding quote .
Getting a quote from Atlas typically starts with setting up an appointment for a walkthrough in your home so the company can see what you’re moving and how hard it will be to get out. What’s cool about Atlas, though, is that you can do this part virtually if you want.
Beware of websites that claim to tell you how much your move is going to cost. None of the full-service moving companies we reviewed provide price quotes online. Virtually every moving company requires contact with a salesperson and a visual survey of your belongings in order to provide a reliable cost estimate.
Atlas will pack and ship unusual things such as pianos, pool tables and swing sets. This is called “special-item” service. But it won’t pack and ship everything.
Will ship but won’t pack | Won’t pack or ship | |
|---|---|---|
Grandfather clocks | ✔️ | |
Handguns and ammunition | ✔️ | |
Hot tubs | ✔️ | |
Medicines | ✔️ | |
Perishable food | ✔️ | |
Propane tanks | ✔️ | |
Flammables and combustibles | ✔️ | |
Houseplants | ✔️ if over 150 miles or longer than 8 hours |
Atlas has a customer portal that you can log into to see all of your move information, including the location of your shipment and the delivery date. Atlas told us it can provide date-specific delivery days depending on availability.
Atlas customer portal, courtesy Atlas.
Moving companies are liable for loss or damage to your stuff during transportation. But the extent of that liability depends on which kind of liability coverage you choose. Federal law requires movers to offer you two liability options:
Released Value. This protection is free but only pays 60 cents per pound. So if the movers ruin your 300-pound couch, you only get $180.
Full Value Protection. Under this option, the mover is liable for the replacement value of items that it loses, damages or destroys. You have to pay extra for this option, but unless you explicitly choose the Released Value option, movers must automatically move your stuff under the Full Value Protection level of liability. In this scenario, if the movers ruin your 300-pound couch, they have to repair the couch or pay the replacement value of the couch.
Another option is to get third-party insurance for your move. Sometimes movers will sell you a policy. Your homeowners insurance might also provide some coverage.
Liability coverage isn’t the same thing as insurance, so state insurance laws don’t apply to the coverage.
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