North American Van Lines — NYC Moving Company Review

What to Know About North American Van Lines

North American Van Lines is a legacy brand in American moving, operating since 1933 with a vast national network. For cross-country and international moves, their infrastructure — tracking systems, warehousing network, customs expertise — is genuinely hard to replicate. Military families and corporate transferees have relied on them for decades. However, the reality of how NAVL operates in NYC is important to understand: they use local agents (subcontractors) for the actual move, meaning your experience depends entirely on which local company shows up. This broker model creates communication gaps and inconsistent quality. For a simple NYC local move, you're paying national carrier overhead for what amounts to a local agent doing the work. The value proposition breaks down entirely for moves within the five boroughs. Save NAVL for when you're leaving New York entirely. For local NYC moves, Movd connects you directly with the crew that will do the work — no middlemen, no broker markup, and a flat fee that doesn't change. Hiring any moving company directly means you vet the crew, negotiate the price, and pay them yourself on move day. Booking through Movd instead is a protected transaction: your price is approved up front from your full inventory, and your payment is held by Movd until after your move.