#21 of the 100 largest licensed interstate movers
Budd Van Lines Review
Independent carrier based in Somerset, NJ, founded in 1975, on the federal register since 1974. 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
- 185771
- Fleet · drivers
- 124 · 102
- Safety rating
- Satisfactory
- Licensed
- 50+ years
Is Budd Van Lines licensed for interstate moves?
Yes. Budd Van Lines holds active interstate operating authority (MC152533, status active) on USDOT 185771, declares household goods as cargo, and carries a Satisfactory safety rating from a compliance review the FMCSA completed in 2016.
As an independent carrier, Budd Van Lines is the company that quotes, loads, drives and delivers under its own number. The USDOT on your bill of lading should be 185771; a different number means another carrier has been brought in, which is something to ask about before loading day rather than after.
Record pulled 2026-09-24. The register changes daily: confirm on the SAFER snapshot for USDOT 185771 before you sign, and read the insurance and complaint pages there that we do not reproduce.
The federal record
Every line below is what Budd Van Lines 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
- Budd Van Lines Inc.
- USDOT number
- 185771issued 1974
- Operating authority
- MC152533 · activeMC = motor carrier, FF = freight forwarder
- Operation
- Interstatecarrier_operation A on the filing
- Cargo declared
- Household goods, general freight
- Physical address
- 24 Schoolhouse Road, Somerset, NJ 08873
- Phone on file
- (732) 627-0600
- Power units
- 124trucks and tractors on the MCS-150
- Drivers
- 102 (102 interstate)
- Annual miles filed
- 4,053,674 for 2025
- Safety rating
- Satisfactoryreview completed 2016-02-17
- Filing last updated
- 2026-01-27MCS-150 date
Who Budd Van Lines is
Dave Budd founded the company in 1975 with one truck, and it remains family-owned and operated from Somerset, New Jersey with six regional service centres. It is an independent carrier under its own authority, specialising in corporate relocation, and holds a patent on a 'Load it Once' system designed to keep a shipment on one truck from origin to destination; it has also absorbed Merchants Moving and Storage. Long-distance residential, commercial, international and car shipping round out the services.
Structure
- Type
- Independent carrier
- Founded
- 1975 (51 years)
- Headquarters
- Somerset, NJ
- Ownership
- family-owned and operated
- Footprint
- 6 regional service centers
Services the company advertises
- corporate relocation
- long-distance residential moving
- commercial moving
- international
- car shipping
- storage
On the record
Company facts are taken from Budd Van Lines'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 Budd Van Lines compares
Budd Van Lines is the 21st largest of the 100 eligible carriers by registered fleet and the 8th largest of the 67 independent carriers among them. Its fleet is 3 percent of United Van Lines's, above the median of 55. It files more trucks than drivers, which is common where part of the fleet is seasonal or used for local and short-haul work.
| Budd Van Lines | Median of 100 | Largest (United Van Lines) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power units | 124 | 55 | 4,731 |
| Drivers | 102 | 52 | 3,424 |
| Licensed since | 1974 | 20 of 100 since 1974 | 1974 |
| Safety rating | Satisfactory | 55 of 100 Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
What a move with Budd Van Lines should cost
Budd Van Lines 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 Newark, NJ
Budd Van Lines is based in Somerset; these are the busiest interstate corridors out of Newark, the nearest metro we price, each with distance, drive time and a cost range for every home size.
| Route | Distance | 3 bedrooms, movers |
|---|---|---|
| Newark to Atlanta, GA | 877 miles | $4,538 – $6,051 |
| Newark to San Francisco, CA | about 2,980 miles | $15,421 – $20,562 |
| Newark to Oakland, CA | about 2,972 miles | $15,380 – $20,507 |
| Newark to San Jose, CA | about 2,962 miles | $15,328 – $20,438 |
| Newark to Fremont, CA | about 2,960 miles | $15,318 – $20,424 |
| Newark to Stockton, CA | about 2,909 miles | $15,054 – $20,072 |
Price your own route with the moving cost calculator, then get a surveyed, binding not-to-exceed estimate from Budd Van Lines and two other carriers. Three comparable numbers beat one, whoever is at the top of a list.
Before you book Budd Van Lines: 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 your own employees load, drive and deliver, or is the far end subcontracted?
- Will my shipment be consolidated with other households, and how does that change the delivery window?
- 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?
- Is USDOT 185771 the number that will appear on my bill of lading?
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 Budd Van Lines 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 185771, live.
Licensing & insurance ↗
The L&I system shows the authority history for docket MC152533, 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 New Jersey
Every active household-goods carrier based in New Jersey on the register, largest first, with the same fields.
Compare with other large carriers
Also based in New Jersey
Other independent carriers on the list
- #7 Piece of Cake Moving & StorageNew York, NY · 340 trucks · Satisfactory
- #11 Ford Storage & Moving CompanyOmaha, NE · 240 trucks · Satisfactory
- #12 Covan World-Wide MovingMidland City, AL · 208 trucks · Satisfactory
- #13 New World Van LinesChicago, IL · 204 trucks · Satisfactory
- #15 Roadway MovingNew York, NY · 190 trucks · Not rated
- #16 Apple MovingAustin, TX · 185 trucks · Not rated
Budd Van Lines FAQ
Is Budd Van Lines a licensed interstate moving company?
Yes. Budd Van Lines holds active interstate operating authority (MC152533, status active) on USDOT 185771, declares household goods as cargo, and carries a Satisfactory safety rating from a compliance review the FMCSA completed in 2016. As an independent carrier, Budd Van Lines is the company that quotes, loads, drives and delivers under its own number. The USDOT on your bill of lading should be 185771; a different number means another carrier has been brought in, which is something to ask about before loading day rather than after.
What is Budd Van Lines's USDOT number?
185771. Its operating authority docket is MC152533 and its legal name on the register is Budd Van Lines 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 Budd Van Lines?
Budd Van Lines filed 124 power units and 102 drivers on its latest MCS-150, which makes it the 21st largest of the 100 eligible interstate household-goods carriers on the register and the 8th largest of the 67 independent carriers among them. The company itself reports 6 regional service centers. The largest, United Van Lines, files 4,731 power units; the median for the 100 is 55.
Does Budd Van Lines have a good safety rating?
Budd Van Lines holds a Satisfactory rating, the best of the three the FMCSA assigns, from a compliance review completed on 2016-02-17. A rating reflects the carrier's compliance at the time of the review and does not change until another review is done, so read it alongside the current inspection and crash figures on SAFER.
Is Budd Van Lines a van line, an agent or an independent mover?
An independent carrier. Budd Van Lines moves households under its own authority with its own trucks and crews rather than through a van-line network, so the company you book is the company that turns up. Ask how it handles the far end of a long move: its own crew, a partner carrier, or consolidation with other shipments.
How much does Budd Van Lines charge for a long-distance move?
Budd Van Lines 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 Budd Van Lines and two other carriers and compare them against that range.
Who owns Budd Van Lines?
The company describes itself as family-owned and operated. It was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Somerset, NJ; the USDOT number was issued in 1974.