The core difference in Moving Hub vs International Van Lines is who physically handles your belongings. Moving Hub is a direct carrier: its own employees pack, load and drive its own trucks, with one named coordinator from booking to delivery. International Van Lines (IVL) holds federal household goods carrier authority but also works with partner moving companies, so confirm who will perform your move before paying a deposit.
Key Takeaways:
- IVL is an FMCSA-registered household goods carrier that also uses partner carriers, so who moves you can depend on your route.
- Moving Hub issues a written binding estimate within 24 hours of a confirmed inventory.
- Moving Hub takes a 10% deposit. U.S. News reports IVL quotes ask for 35% at booking.
- IVL covers international, Alaska and Hawaii moves. Moving Hub works within the 48 contiguous states.
How the Two Compare
| Moving Hub | International Van Lines | |
| Who performs the move | Moving Hub employees and trucks | IVL crews or partner companies |
| Service area | 48 contiguous states | All 50 states plus international |
| Deposit | 10% at booking, balance at delivery | 35% at booking, 50% of remainder at pickup (per U.S. News) |
| Your contact | One named move coordinator | Ask who owns your file once assigned |
You can check IVL’s registration on its FMCSA SAFER snapshot, which lists it as an active household goods carrier.
Pricing: What Your Quote Is Built On
Moving Hub builds every quote from a live video or in-home survey. Items are logged room by room, cubic footage is converted to weight, mileage is added, and access issues like stairs or parking limits are priced up front. See our long-distance moving services for the full scope.
IVL’s published disclosure says brokered moves are priced on the performing carrier’s tariff. Ask IVL whose tariff your estimate uses and whether it is binding. Our guide to what a binding estimate should include gives you a yardstick.
Packing and Load-Day Changes
Our own crew packs on loading day or at a separate appointment for larger homes, priced by labor, materials and scope. Anything added on load day is documented and confirmed in writing before the work starts. Details are in our guide to moving packing services.
With IVL, ask whether packers will be IVL employees or a partner’s crew. Note the FMCSA’s liability guidance: damage inside boxes you pack yourself can be harder to claim.
Claims and Moving Company Accountability
Federal rules give you nine months from delivery to file a written claim. Released Value, the free option, pays just 60 cents per pound per article. Full Value Protection covers repair or replacement at extra cost.
With Moving Hub, claims go straight to our claims team. With IVL, check whose name appears on your bill of lading as the carrier, because that company handles your claim.
When IVL Is the Better Fit
For overseas moves, Alaska, Hawaii or bundled vehicle shipping, IVL offers services Moving Hub does not focus on. Moving Hub handles domestic residential and commercial moves within the contiguous U.S.
Questions to Ask Both Companies
In Brendan Thomas’s experience, people compare headline prices without comparing what each quote includes. Ask both long-distance movers these questions in writing:
- Whose crew will pack, load and deliver?
- Whose name is on the bill of lading?
- Is the estimate binding, and what can change it?
- Which valuation option is included?
- Will my shipment change trucks or companies in transit?
Our Allied Van Lines comparison and United Van Lines comparison cover the same questions for other van lines.
Frequently Asked Questions for Moving Hub vs International Van Lines
Is International Van Lines a broker or a carrier?
Both. FMCSA lists IVL as a carrier, and its published materials include a broker disclosure. Ask which role applies to your route.
Who is responsible for my move with IVL?
The carrier named on your bill of lading holds liability for loss and damage.
Is Moving Hub cheaper than International Van Lines?
It depends on inventory, distance and packing. Compare two written estimates built on the same inventory.
Does Moving Hub use subcontractors?
No for moving crews. A vetted partner may handle custom crating or some storage, and you are told in advance.
How do I check if a mover is a carrier or broker?
Search its USDOT number on FMCSA’s SAFER system and check the authority listed.
Compare Your Quote Line for Line
Holding an IVL estimate? Send us the same inventory and we will return a written binding estimate within 24 hours of confirming it, so you can see where the two differ.
Get your free long-distance moving quote or call (754) 327-7816, Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 8 PM.
Moving Hub is a licensed direct carrier, not a broker. USDOT #3699092 | MC #1293570
About The Author
Brendan Thomas | Senior Moving Consultant, Moving Hub
Brendan Thomas has spent 10 years in the moving industry, working hands-on across local and long-distance relocations before joining the Moving Hub team. He has coordinated hundreds of residential and intrastate moves, dealt with the real problems that show up on moving day, and knows where costs can go wrong for families who book without the right information. Brendan writes from the floor up, not from a desk removed from the work. When he breaks down pricing, hidden fees, or the difference between a carrier and a broker, it comes from a decade of doing this job, not simply researching it.
