#20 of the 100 largest licensed interstate movers
BMS Moving & Storage Review
Agent of Mayflower Transit based in Sarasota, FL, founded in 1936, on the federal register since 1997. This is a review of the public record, what the company is and what a move with it should cost. We collect no customer reviews, have not used the company, and it has not paid to be here.
- USDOT
- 716970
- Fleet · drivers
- 145 · 125
- Safety rating
- Not rated
- Licensed
- 29 years
Is BMS Moving & Storage licensed for interstate moves?
Yes, on two levels. BMS Moving & Storage holds active interstate operating authority (MC224537, status active) on USDOT 716970, declares household goods as cargo, and has not been assigned a safety rating, which means no compliance review has been completed; that is the position of most carriers on the register and is not a mark against it.
Because BMS Moving & Storage is an agent of Mayflower Transit, an interstate household move booked through it normally runs under the van line's authority (USDOT 125563), and that is the number you should expect on the bill of lading beside BMS Moving & Storage's name. Check both records: the agent's for who is handling your goods, the van line's for whose insurance, tariff and claims department stand behind the move.
Record pulled 2026-09-24. The register changes daily: confirm on the SAFER snapshot for USDOT 716970 before you sign, and read the insurance and complaint pages there that we do not reproduce.
The federal record
Every line below is what BMS Moving & Storage filed with the FMCSA, unedited. Power units and drivers are self-reported on the MCS-150 form the carrier must update at least every two years; the safety rating is assigned by the FMCSA after a compliance review and stays until the next one.
- Legal name
- Bekins A-1 Movers Inc.
- Doing business as
- BMS Moving & Storage
- USDOT number
- 716970issued 1997
- Operating authority
- MC224537 · activeMC = motor carrier, FF = freight forwarder
- Operation
- Interstatecarrier_operation A on the filing
- Cargo declared
- Household goods
- Physical address
- 7357 Merchant Court, Sarasota, FL 34240
- Phone on file
- (925) 813-0717
- Power units
- 145trucks and tractors on the MCS-150
- Drivers
- 125 (102 interstate)
- Annual miles filed
- 1,076,056 for 2025
- Safety rating
- Not ratedno compliance review completed
- Filing last updated
- 2026-05-12MCS-150 date
Who BMS Moving & Storage is
BMS began in 1936 when two brothers started a coal and ice delivery business in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; it is still family-owned and operated, now from Sarasota, Florida. The legal name on the federal filing, Bekins A-1 Movers, records an older van-line affiliation; the company presents itself today as a Mayflower Transit agent. Seventeen locations across California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, Washington DC, North Carolina and Pennsylvania handle local, long-distance, military and international moves.
Structure
- Type
- Agent of Mayflower Transit
- Founded
- 1936 (90 years)
- Headquarters
- Sarasota, FL
- Ownership
- family-owned and operated
- Footprint
- 17 locations across the United States
Services the company advertises
- long-distance moving
- local moving
- international
- military moves
- commercial/office moving
- storage
On the record
- Began in 1936 when two brothers started a coal and ice delivery business in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. [source]
- Legal name is Bekins A-1 Movers Inc, doing business as BMS Moving & Storage; FMCSA lists 145 power units. [source]
- Locations span CA, FL, AZ, NV, VA, DC, NC and PA, including two Sarasota-area offices. [source]
Company facts are taken from BMS Moving & Storage's own website and public filings as of 2026-09-24; the sources are linked. Nothing here is a judgement of service quality, and the logo is shown only to identify the company.
How BMS Moving & Storage compares
BMS Moving & Storage is the 20th largest of the 100 eligible carriers by registered fleet and the 6th largest of the 25 van-line agents among them. Its fleet is 3 percent of United Van Lines's, above the median of 55. Drivers and trucks are roughly matched on the filing.
| BMS Moving & Storage | Median of 100 | Largest (United Van Lines) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power units | 145 | 55 | 4,731 |
| Drivers | 125 | 52 | 3,424 |
| Licensed since | 1997 | 20 of 100 since 1974 | 1974 |
| Safety rating | Not rated | 55 of 100 Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
What a move with BMS Moving & Storage should cost
BMS Moving & Storage does not publish prices, and no large carrier does: an interstate quote is built from the weight of your shipment, the distance, the date and how the survey was done. What we can give you is the range a quote should land in, from our published model, so that a number well outside it reads as what it is. Full-service movers, transport only.
| Distance | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 miles | $2,250 – $3,000 | $2,588 – $3,450 | $2,925 – $3,900 |
| 1,000 miles | $4,500 – $6,000 | $5,175 – $6,900 | $5,850 – $7,800 |
| 2,000 miles | $9,000 – $12,000 | $10,350 – $13,800 | $11,700 – $15,600 |
| 2,800 miles | $12,600 – $16,800 | $14,490 – $19,320 | $16,380 – $21,840 |
Priced routes out of Miami, FL
BMS Moving & Storage is based in Sarasota; these are the busiest interstate corridors out of Miami, the nearest metro we price, each with distance, drive time and a cost range for every home size.
| Route | Distance | 3 bedrooms, movers |
|---|---|---|
| Miami to Fairbanks, AK | 4,848 miles | $25,088 – $33,451 |
| Miami to Seattle, WA | 3,340 miles | $17,284 – $23,046 |
| Miami to San Francisco, CA | 3,044 miles | $15,753 – $21,004 |
| Miami to Los Angeles, CA | 2,736 miles | $14,159 – $18,878 |
| Miami to Colorado Springs, CO | 2,040 miles | $10,557 – $14,076 |
| Miami to Las Cruces, NM | 1,978 miles | $10,236 – $13,648 |
Price your own route with the moving cost calculator, then get a surveyed, binding not-to-exceed estimate from BMS Moving & Storage and two other carriers. Three comparable numbers beat one, whoever is at the top of a list.
Before you book BMS Moving & Storage: six questions
Ask these on the first call. The answers matter more than the ranking, and an established carrier answers all six without hesitation.
- Will this move run under Mayflower Transit's authority or your own, and which USDOT number goes on my bill of lading?
- Will your own crew load and drive, or will the shipment be handed to another Mayflower Transit agent at the far end?
- Is the estimate binding, non-binding or binding not-to-exceed, and was it based on a video or in-home survey?
- What is the delivery window in writing, and what do you pay if you miss it?
- What does full-value protection cost on my shipment, and what is the deductible?
- If something goes wrong, do I deal with you or with the van line's claims department?
Then run the six checks in how to check a moving company, and read the nine red flags so you recognise the ones that do not apply here.
Verify BMS Moving & Storage yourself
Two minutes on the federal sites tells you more than any ranking. Each link opens the official record; none of them is ours.
SAFER company snapshot ↗
Authority status, cargo, insurance on file, inspections, crashes and the safety rating for USDOT 716970, live.
Licensing & insurance ↗
The L&I system shows the authority history for docket MC224537, the insurance carrier and the BOC-3 process agent.
Protect Your Move ↗
The FMCSA's mover search and complaint history, plus your rights and responsibilities booklet, which the carrier must give you.
Licensed movers in Florida
Every active household-goods carrier based in Florida on the register, largest first, with the same fields.
Compare with other large carriers
Also based in Florida
- #30 Good Greek Moving & StorageWest Palm Beach · 83 trucks · Satisfactory
- #33 American Van LinesPompano Beach · 81 trucks · Satisfactory
- #56 First Class Moving SystemsTampa · 50 trucks · Not rated
- #59 The Armstrong CompanyPompano Beach · 46 trucks · Not rated
- #83 BLVD MovingPompano Beach · 35 trucks · Not rated
- #90 Good Greek Moving & StoragePlant City · 34 trucks · Not rated
- #95 Safebound Moving & StorageWest Palm Beach · 33 trucks · Not rated
Other large agents on the list
- #8 Coleman American Moving ServicesMidland City, AL · 332 trucks · Satisfactory
- #9 HilldrupStafford, VA · 297 trucks · Satisfactory
- #10 Corrigan Moving SystemsDearborn, MI · 245 trucks · Satisfactory
- #14 Coleman Worldwide MovingMidland City, AL · 191 trucks · Not rated
- JFM#19 John Fayard Moving & WarehousingGulfport, MS · 166 trucks · Not rated
- #22 Scobey Moving & StorageSan Antonio, TX · 123 trucks · Not rated
BMS Moving & Storage FAQ
Is BMS Moving & Storage a licensed interstate moving company?
Yes, on two levels. BMS Moving & Storage holds active interstate operating authority (MC224537, status active) on USDOT 716970, declares household goods as cargo, and has not been assigned a safety rating, which means no compliance review has been completed; that is the position of most carriers on the register and is not a mark against it. Because BMS Moving & Storage is an agent of Mayflower Transit, an interstate household move booked through it normally runs under the van line's authority (USDOT 125563), and that is the number you should expect on the bill of lading beside BMS Moving & Storage's name. Check both records: the agent's for who is handling your goods, the van line's for whose insurance, tariff and claims department stand behind the move.
What is BMS Moving & Storage's USDOT number?
716970. Its operating authority docket is MC224537 and its legal name on the register is Bekins A-1 Movers Inc.. Look the number up on the FMCSA's SAFER system to see authority status, insurance on file, the safety rating and the inspection and crash record; the record on this page was pulled on 2026-09-24.
How big is BMS Moving & Storage?
BMS Moving & Storage filed 145 power units and 125 drivers on its latest MCS-150, which makes it the 20th largest of the 100 eligible interstate household-goods carriers on the register and the 6th largest of the 25 van-line agents among them. The company itself reports 17 locations across the United States. The largest, United Van Lines, files 4,731 power units; the median for the 100 is 55.
Does BMS Moving & Storage have a good safety rating?
BMS Moving & Storage is unrated: the FMCSA has not completed a compliance review of it. That is the position of most carriers on the register and is not a negative mark; the ratings to avoid are Conditional and Unsatisfactory, and carriers holding either are excluded from our list. The inspection and crash figures on SAFER show the current picture.
Is BMS Moving & Storage a van line, an agent or an independent mover?
An agent of Mayflower Transit. BMS Moving & Storage owns its own trucks and crews and holds its own registration, but its interstate household moves run under the van line's authority, so you get BMS Moving & Storage's people and Mayflower Transit's tariff, insurance and claims process.
How much does BMS Moving & Storage charge for a long-distance move?
BMS Moving & Storage does not publish a rate card and we do not hold its quotes; every long-distance price is set by weight, distance, date and the survey. From our published model a three-bedroom home over 1,000 miles should quote near $5,175 – $6,900 for full-service movers, transport only, and $14,490 – $19,320 over 2,800 miles. Get a surveyed, binding not-to-exceed estimate from BMS Moving & Storage and two other carriers and compare them against that range.
Who owns BMS Moving & Storage?
The company describes itself as family-owned and operated. It was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Sarasota, FL; the USDOT number was issued in 1997.