#28 of the 100 largest licensed interstate movers
Joyce Van Lines Review
Independent carrier based in Indianapolis, Indiana, founded in 1981, on the federal register since 1984. 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
- 247771
- Fleet · drivers
- 87 · 53
- Safety rating
- Satisfactory
- Licensed
- 42 years
Is Joyce Van Lines licensed for interstate moves?
Yes. Joyce Van Lines holds active interstate operating authority (MC169755, status active) on USDOT 247771, declares household goods as cargo, and carries a Satisfactory safety rating from a compliance review the FMCSA completed in 1997.
As an independent carrier, Joyce Van Lines is the company that quotes, loads, drives and delivers under its own number. The USDOT on your bill of lading should be 247771; 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 247771 before you sign, and read the insurance and complaint pages there that we do not reproduce.
The federal record
Every line below is what Joyce 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
- Joyce Van Lines Inc.
- USDOT number
- 247771issued 1984
- Operating authority
- MC169755 · activeMC = motor carrier, FF = freight forwarder
- Operation
- Interstatecarrier_operation A on the filing
- Cargo declared
- Household goods, general freight
- Physical address
- 2525 N Shadeland Ave Unit 50 Ste A-3, Indianapolis, IN 46219
- Phone on file
- (317) 788-9210
- Power units
- 87trucks and tractors on the MCS-150
- Drivers
- 53 (53 interstate)
- Annual miles filed
- 2,161,864 for 2025
- Safety rating
- Satisfactoryreview completed 1997-03-12
- Filing last updated
- 2026-01-13MCS-150 date
Who Joyce Van Lines is
William H. Joyce established Joyce Moving & Storage, Inc. in 1981, leasing a warehouse on Canal Street in Stamford, Connecticut and starting with two trucks. Joyce Van Lines, Inc. was incorporated in Indianapolis, Indiana, the address on the federal filing, in response to deregulation and the consolidation of conventional van line services; the company states that all shipments are handled and moved by its own personnel and vehicles. It went on to open moving and storage companies in Connecticut, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Indiana, Texas and California, and today lists four locations: Oxford, Connecticut, site of a 70,000 square foot service center, Indianapolis, Redlands, California, and Fort Myers, Florida.
Structure
- Type
- Independent carrier
- Founded
- 1981 (45 years)
- Headquarters
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Footprint
- four major locations across the United States
Services the company advertises
- local moving
- long-distance moving
- corporate relocation
- military moves
- commercial moving
- labor only
- storage
On the record
- Joyce Moving & Storage, Inc. was established in 1981 by William H. Joyce, beginning as a small local business leasing a warehouse on Canal Street in Stamford, CT, and starting operations with two trucks. [source]
- The company purchased its first warehouse and office facility at 52 Dyke Lane, Stamford, CT, and later built a custom 70,000 square foot service center in Oxford, CT. [source]
- Joyce Van Lines, Inc. was incorporated in Indianapolis, Indiana, in response to deregulation in the moving industry and the consolidation of conventional van line services. [source]
- It expanded by opening full-service moving and storage companies in Connecticut, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Indiana, Texas and California, and purchased a 54,700 square foot climate-controlled warehouse in Ft. Myers, Florida. [source]
- Its four locations are Oxford, CT (195 Christian Street), Indianapolis, IN (2525 N. Shadeland Avenue), Redlands, CA (1785 Industrial Park Avenue) and Fort Myers, FL (2890 Cargo Street). [source]
- The company states that all shipments are handled and moved by Joyce personnel and vehicles. [source]
Company facts are taken from Joyce 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 Joyce Van Lines compares
Joyce Van Lines is the 28th largest of the 100 eligible carriers by registered fleet and the 14th largest of the 67 independent carriers among them. Its fleet is 2 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.
| Joyce Van Lines | Median of 100 | Largest (United Van Lines) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power units | 87 | 55 | 4,731 |
| Drivers | 53 | 52 | 3,424 |
| Licensed since | 1984 | 20 of 100 since 1974 | 1974 |
| Safety rating | Satisfactory | 55 of 100 Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
What a move with Joyce Van Lines should cost
Joyce 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 Indianapolis, IN
Joyce Van Lines is based in Indianapolis; these are the busiest interstate corridors out of the city, each with distance, drive time and a cost range for every home size.
| Route | Distance | 3 bedrooms, movers |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis to San Francisco, CA | about 2,267 miles | $11,732 – $15,642 |
| Indianapolis to Oakland, CA | about 2,258 miles | $11,685 – $15,580 |
| Indianapolis to San Jose, CA | about 2,245 miles | $11,618 – $15,491 |
| Indianapolis to Fremont, CA | about 2,244 miles | $11,613 – $15,484 |
| Indianapolis to Eugene, OR | about 2,222 miles | $11,499 – $15,332 |
| Indianapolis to Olympia, WA | about 2,206 miles | $11,416 – $15,221 |
Price your own route with the moving cost calculator, then get a surveyed, binding not-to-exceed estimate from Joyce Van Lines and two other carriers. Three comparable numbers beat one, whoever is at the top of a list.
Before you book Joyce 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 247771 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 Joyce 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 247771, live.
Licensing & insurance ↗
The L&I system shows the authority history for docket MC169755, 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 Indiana
Every active household-goods carrier based in Indiana on the register, largest first, with the same fields.
Compare with other large carriers
Also based in Indiana
- #2 Atlas Van LinesEvansville · 2,731 trucks · Satisfactory
- #3 North American Van LinesFort Wayne · 1,333 trucks · Satisfactory
- #4 Allied Van LinesFort Wayne · 1,056 trucks · Satisfactory
- #6 Wheaton World Wide MovingIndianapolis · 767 trucks · Satisfactory
- FE#34 Fastmover ExpressFishers · 80 trucks · Not rated
- #55 Safeway MovingHobart · 51 trucks · Not rated
- #69 Planes Moving & StorageIndianapolis · 41 trucks · Not rated
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
Joyce Van Lines FAQ
Is Joyce Van Lines a licensed interstate moving company?
Yes. Joyce Van Lines holds active interstate operating authority (MC169755, status active) on USDOT 247771, declares household goods as cargo, and carries a Satisfactory safety rating from a compliance review the FMCSA completed in 1997. As an independent carrier, Joyce Van Lines is the company that quotes, loads, drives and delivers under its own number. The USDOT on your bill of lading should be 247771; a different number means another carrier has been brought in, which is something to ask about before loading day rather than after.
What is Joyce Van Lines's USDOT number?
247771. Its operating authority docket is MC169755 and its legal name on the register is Joyce 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 Joyce Van Lines?
Joyce Van Lines filed 87 power units and 53 drivers on its latest MCS-150, which makes it the 28th largest of the 100 eligible interstate household-goods carriers on the register and the 14th largest of the 67 independent carriers among them. The company itself reports four major locations across the United States. The largest, United Van Lines, files 4,731 power units; the median for the 100 is 55.
Does Joyce Van Lines have a good safety rating?
Joyce Van Lines holds a Satisfactory rating, the best of the three the FMCSA assigns, from a compliance review completed on 1997-03-12. 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 Joyce Van Lines a van line, an agent or an independent mover?
An independent carrier. Joyce 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 Joyce Van Lines charge for a long-distance move?
Joyce 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 Joyce Van Lines and two other carriers and compare them against that range.