#69 of the 100 largest licensed interstate movers
Planes Moving & Storage Review
Agent of United Van Lines based in Indianapolis, IN, founded in 1921, on the federal register since 2005. 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
- 1415648
- Fleet · drivers
- 41 · 56
- Safety rating
- Not rated
- Licensed
- 21 years
Is Planes Moving & Storage licensed for interstate moves?
Yes, on two levels. Planes Moving & Storage holds active interstate operating authority (MC551348, status active) on USDOT 1415648, 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 Planes Moving & Storage is an agent of United Van Lines, an interstate household move booked through it normally runs under the van line's authority (USDOT 77949), and that is the number you should expect on the bill of lading beside Planes 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 1415648 before you sign, and read the insurance and complaint pages there that we do not reproduce.
The federal record
Every line below is what Planes 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
- Planes Moving and Storage of Indianapolis Inc.
- USDOT number
- 1415648issued 2005
- Operating authority
- MC551348 · activeMC = motor carrier, FF = freight forwarder
- Operation
- Interstatecarrier_operation A on the filing
- Cargo declared
- Household goods, general freight
- Physical address
- 2635 Planes Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46219
- Phone on file
- (317) 895-1444
- Power units
- 41trucks and tractors on the MCS-150
- Drivers
- 56 (56 interstate)
- Annual miles filed
- 210,000 for 2025
- Safety rating
- Not ratedno compliance review completed
- Filing last updated
- 2026-04-06MCS-150 date
Who Planes Moving & Storage is
This registration is the Indianapolis branch of Planes Companies, which files a separate USDOT number per location; this one was issued in 2005. Planes itself started in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1921, became a United Van Lines agent and owner in 1981, and opened Columbus, Indianapolis and Dayton locations in the 1980s before moving its headquarters to West Chester, Ohio and adding Chicago in the 1990s. It describes itself as a third-generation, family-owned business; CEO John Planes served 20 years on the board of UniGroup. The company launched its GWS commercial-projects brand in 2004 and joined the FIDI international relocation network in 2019.
Structure
- Type
- Agent of United Van Lines
- Founded
- 1921 (105 years)
- Headquarters
- Indianapolis, IN
- Part of
- Planes Companies
- Ownership
- family-owned (third-generation; CEO John Planes is a third-generation owner)
- Footprint
- Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois
Services the company advertises
- local moving
- long-distance moving
- storage
- international
- commercial moving
- packing
On the record
- Planes started in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1921 with one man and one truck and describes itself as a third-generation, family-owned business. [source]
- In the 1980s Planes opened locations in Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dayton, Ohio; in the 1990s it moved into its current corporate headquarters in West Chester, Ohio and opened a Chicago location. [source]
- Planes became a United Van Lines agent/owner in 1981, according to the biography of CEO John Planes, who also served 20 years on the board of UniGroup. [source]
- The Indianapolis location is at 2635 Planes Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46219 (317-895-1444) and offers home, condo, apartment, senior, commercial, office and international moving. [source]
- Corporate headquarters is at 9823 Cincinnati Dayton Rd, West Chester, OH 45069. [source]
- Planes launched its GWS commercial-projects brand in 2004 and became a member of the FIDI international relocation network in 2019. [source]
Company facts are taken from Planes 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 Planes Moving & Storage compares
Planes Moving & Storage is the 69th largest of the 100 eligible carriers by registered fleet and the 19th largest of the 25 van-line agents among them. Its fleet is 1 percent of United Van Lines's, below the median of 55. It files more drivers than trucks (1.4 per power unit), which usually means crews of two or three ride with each truck.
| Planes Moving & Storage | Median of 100 | Largest (United Van Lines) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power units | 41 | 55 | 4,731 |
| Drivers | 56 | 52 | 3,424 |
| Licensed since | 2005 | 20 of 100 since 1974 | 1974 |
| Safety rating | Not rated | 55 of 100 Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
What a move with Planes Moving & Storage should cost
Planes 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 Indianapolis, IN
Planes Moving & Storage 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 Planes Moving & Storage and two other carriers. Three comparable numbers beat one, whoever is at the top of a list.
Before you book Planes 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 United Van Lines'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 United Van Lines 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 Planes 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 1415648, live.
Licensing & insurance ↗
The L&I system shows the authority history for docket MC551348, 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
- #28 Joyce Van LinesIndianapolis · 87 trucks · Satisfactory
- FE#34 Fastmover ExpressFishers · 80 trucks · Not rated
- #55 Safeway MovingHobart · 51 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
- BMS#20 BMS Moving & StorageSarasota, FL · 145 trucks · Not rated
Planes Moving & Storage FAQ
Is Planes Moving & Storage a licensed interstate moving company?
Yes, on two levels. Planes Moving & Storage holds active interstate operating authority (MC551348, status active) on USDOT 1415648, 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 Planes Moving & Storage is an agent of United Van Lines, an interstate household move booked through it normally runs under the van line's authority (USDOT 77949), and that is the number you should expect on the bill of lading beside Planes 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 Planes Moving & Storage's USDOT number?
1415648. Its operating authority docket is MC551348 and its legal name on the register is Planes Moving and Storage of Indianapolis 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 Planes Moving & Storage?
Planes Moving & Storage filed 41 power units and 56 drivers on its latest MCS-150, which makes it the 69th largest of the 100 eligible interstate household-goods carriers on the register and the 19th largest of the 25 van-line agents among them. The company itself reports Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois. The largest, United Van Lines, files 4,731 power units; the median for the 100 is 55.
Does Planes Moving & Storage have a good safety rating?
Planes 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 Planes Moving & Storage a van line, an agent or an independent mover?
An agent of United Van Lines. Planes 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 Planes Moving & Storage's people and United Van Lines's tariff, insurance and claims process.
How much does Planes Moving & Storage charge for a long-distance move?
Planes 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 Planes Moving & Storage and two other carriers and compare them against that range.
Who owns Planes Moving & Storage?
Planes Moving & Storage is part of Planes Companies. The company describes itself as family-owned (third-generation; CEO John Planes is a third-generation owner). It was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN; the USDOT number was issued in 2005.