America’s moving industry is much more complicated than it appears from the outside.

Consumers may recognize the names of national van lines, local moving companies, and heavily advertised franchises, but those businesses do not all operate the same way. Some are corporate van-line networks made up of hundreds of independently owned agents. Others are franchise systems in which local owners license a national brand. Still others are privately owned moving companies that have grown into major regional or national organizations while maintaining control of their own operations, facilities, employees, and identity.

This article focuses on that final category: America’s largest independent moving companies.

Determining which independent movers are actually the largest is not as simple as comparing annual revenue. Most of the companies in this category are privately held and do not publicly report their financial results. There is no official government ranking of independent moving companies, and federal motor-carrier records frequently divide large moving organizations among multiple subsidiaries, locations, and operating authorities.

For those reasons, this is not presented as a strict ranking from first to twelfth. Instead, it identifies 12 of the largest and most substantial independent moving companies operating in the United States based on publicly available evidence, including:

• FMCSA fleet and driver records
• Officially reported locations and service markets
• Warehouse and storage capacity
• Employee counts
• Annual move volume
• Company-disclosed revenue when available
• Acquisition activity
• Military, government, commercial, and corporate-relocation operations

The companies profiled here range from century-old family businesses to founder-led organizations that have developed into nationwide moving brands. Some remain completely unaffiliated with a van line. Others operate as large agents of United, Mayflower, Allied, Atlas, or Wheaton while continuing to be independently owned.

What Is an Independent Moving Company?

For the purposes of this article, an independent moving company is a moving-and-storage operator that controls its own business, management, facilities, employees, and brand.

An independent mover is not the same thing as a van line, although an independent company may be affiliated with one.

For example, Corrigan Moving Systems is an independently owned family business, but it is also a United Van Lines agent. Berger Transfer & Storage is independently owned but operates within the Allied Van Lines network. Olympia Moving & Storage is an independent company affiliated with Wheaton World Wide Moving.

The van line provides interstate transportation infrastructure, shipment coordination, national branding, and access to a larger agent network. The local or regional moving company may still own its warehouses, employ its own crews, operate its own trucks, and control its own business.

Franchise systems are structured differently. Companies such as TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving operate through local franchise owners who license a common business model, brand, marketing system, and operating platform.

Neither structure is inherently better or worse. However, the distinctions are important when attempting to identify the largest genuinely independent moving companies in the country.

How the Companies Were Selected

Because most private moving companies do not disclose revenue, size must be evaluated through several signals rather than a single number.

A company with 20 locations is not necessarily larger than one with 10 locations. One may concentrate on household moving, while another may operate major warehouses, logistics divisions, commercial-installation teams, government contracts, and international forwarding operations.

FMCSA data also requires careful interpretation. A single USDOT record may represent only one subsidiary or legal operating entity within a much larger organization. Companies such as Armstrong, Suddath, McCollister’s, Chipman, and DeWitt operate through structures that cannot be fully measured through one carrier record.

The following companies were selected because the available evidence places them among the most substantial privately controlled moving-and-storage operators in the United States.

Company	Founded	Headquarters	Public size indicator	Van-line affiliation
JK Moving Services	1982	Sterling, Virginia	More than 500,000 moves; 173 FMCSA power units	None publicly identified
The Armstrong Company	1957	Memphis, Tennessee	Operations across 34 U.S. markets	United and Mayflower affiliations
Suddath	1919	Jacksonville, Florida	18 locations; 38,000 military-family relocations annually	Atlas
Berger Transfer & Storage	1910	Minnesota	16 locations; 600-plus vans; nearly 24,000 families annually	Allied
Corrigan Moving Systems	1929	Dearborn, Michigan	Approximately 600 employees; 245 FMCSA power units	United
Hilldrup	1903	Stafford, Virginia	11 major markets; 297 FMCSA power units	UniGroup network ties
McCollister’s	1945	Burlington, New Jersey	10 full-service locations; more than 13 warehouses	United and Mayflower
Gentle Giant Moving Company	1980	Somerville, Massachusetts	More than 20 locations	None publicly identified
Chipman Relocation & Logistics	1939	San Francisco Bay Area	More than $75 million in annual revenue; 200-plus employees	United and Mayflower network
Olympia Moving & Storage	1993	Greater Boston, Massachusetts	Five major branches; thousands of moves annually	Wheaton
Good Greek Moving & Storage	Not consistently disclosed	Palm Beach County, Florida	More than 500 employees; 83 FMCSA power units	None publicly identified
DeWitt Move Worldwide	2002	San Diego, California	Moves involving more than 75 countries; Pacific sister-company network	None publicly identified

America’s Largest Independent Moving Companies

JK Moving Services

Founded: 1982
Headquarters: Sterling, Virginia
Ownership: Founder-led private company
Van-line affiliation: None publicly identified

JK Moving Services is one of the clearest examples of a large independently branded moving company operating without a traditional van-line identity.

The company was founded in 1982 by Chuck Kuhn, who started the business as a teenager in the basement of his parents’ home. From those beginnings, JK developed into a major residential, commercial, storage, logistics, and specialized-relocation company headquartered in Sterling, Virginia.

The company continues to be led by Kuhn, who serves as CEO. Its public leadership team has also included President David Cox and COO Chad Marston, reflecting JK’s transition from a founder-driven local mover into a professionally managed organization.

JK reports that it has completed more than 500,000 moves. Its FMCSA carrier record lists 173 power units and 165 drivers, giving it one of the more substantial individual carrier profiles among independently branded moving companies.

The company’s services extend well beyond ordinary residential moves. JK handles:

• Local and long-distance residential moving
• International relocation
• Office and commercial moving
• Technology and data-center projects
• Laboratory and biotechnology relocation
• Records and archive management
• Short- and long-term storage
• Facility and workplace relocation

Its concentration in Northern Virginia also places the company in one of the country’s most important markets for government agencies, technology companies, federal contractors, data centers, and institutional clients.

JK describes itself as the largest independently owned and operated moving company in North America. Because most private competitors do not release revenue, that statement cannot be independently tested through a complete public financial comparison. However, its fleet, reported move volume, facilities, specialized divisions, and national commercial capabilities clearly place it among the largest independent movers in the country with services like local moving and long distance moving.

The Armstrong Company

Founded: 1957
Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
Ownership: Multi-generational family ownership
Van-line affiliation: United and Mayflower affiliations across portions of its network

The Armstrong Company has grown from a small Memphis moving business into one of the largest family-controlled moving and logistics organizations in the United States.

Founded in 1957, Armstrong now operates across approximately 34 U.S. markets. Its services include household moving, corporate relocation, commercial moving, international transportation, storage, warehousing, installation, and supply-chain services.

Armstrong’s national footprint has expanded significantly through acquisitions and consolidation. Rather than growing only one branch at a time, the company has acquired established moving companies and incorporated them into a broader Armstrong organization.

Its recent expansion has included the acquisition of Humboldt Storage & Moving in the Boston market and Accent Moving, Storage & Logistics in Tulsa. The company also unified former Armstrong and Crown operations under the Armstrong name, creating a more consistent national brand.

The business remains closely connected to the families behind its development. In 2026, Armstrong announced a significant generational leadership transition. Todd Watson moved from CEO to co-chair of the board, Mark Pickens became co-chair, and longtime executive Will Abbay was appointed CEO.

The transition represented more than a change in executive titles. It illustrated how some of the largest independent moving companies are preparing for continued growth while maintaining family ownership.

Armstrong’s relationship with the major van lines varies by branch and market. A number of its operations are affiliated with United Van Lines, Mayflower Transit, or both. Former Crown operations have their own historical affiliations and operating structures.

That complexity makes Armstrong difficult to measure through a single FMCSA record. Its true size is better reflected in its 34-market footprint, acquisition activity, facilities, workforce, and range of services.

Armstrong does not publicly disclose consolidated annual revenue in the materials reviewed for this article. Nevertheless, its geographic reach and continued acquisition strategy make it one of the most significant privately controlled moving organizations in the country.

Suddath

Founded: 1919
Headquarters: Jacksonville, Florida
Ownership: Family-owned
Van-line affiliation: Atlas Van Lines

Suddath is one of the oldest and most diversified independent moving companies in the United States.

Founded in Jacksonville in 1919, the company has developed from a traditional household mover into a global relocation, commercial-services, military-moving, logistics, and workplace-solutions organization.

Suddath remains family-owned. Michael Brannigan serves as president and CEO.

The company publicly lists 18 U.S. locations, only 11 of which are currently operational with operations in major markets such as Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and multiple Florida cities.

Its work includes:

• Local and long-distance residential moving
• International moving
• Corporate employee relocation
• Military and government moving
• Office and workplace relocation
• Warehousing and storage
• Commercial installation and logistics

Military relocation is a particularly important part of Suddath’s business. The company reports assisting approximately 38,000 military members and their families each year.

Suddath has a long and somewhat unusual van-line history. It was associated with Atlas Van Lines from 1950 until 1981 and rejoined the Atlas agency network in 2024. The renewed affiliation gives Suddath access to Atlas’ national transportation network while allowing Suddath to retain its independent ownership and operating identity.

Like several other large moving organizations, Suddath operates through multiple legal entities and operating authorities. A single FMCSA carrier profile therefore does not capture the full scale of the enterprise.

The company has also expanded through acquisitions, including City Moving Systems, Horizon Moving Systems, and Swartz Moving & Storage. These transactions have increased its geographic reach and strengthened its position in household moving, corporate relocation, commercial services, and international logistics.

With more than a century in business, 18 locations, a major military-moving operation, and extensive international and commercial capabilities, Suddath remains one of America’s most substantial independent moving companies.

Berger Transfer & Storage

Founded: 1910
Headquarters: Minneapolis–St. Paul area, Minnesota
Ownership: Dircks family
Van-line affiliation: Allied Van Lines

Berger Transfer & Storage traces its history to 1910, when Carl Berger began moving household goods in Minneapolis with a horse and cart.

More than a century later, Berger has become one of the largest asset-based agents in the Allied Van Lines system. It remains owned and operated by the Dircks family.

Berger provides considerably more public operating data than many privately held moving companies. The company reports:

• 16 U.S. locations
• More than 600 vans
• Nearly 24,000 family moves annually
• 17 full-service warehouse facilities
• More than 1 million square feet of temperature-controlled storage

Those figures make Berger one of the easiest independent movers to identify as a large-scale national operator, even without publicly disclosed revenue.

The company provides residential moving, corporate relocation, government moving, warehousing, distribution, storage, and commercial services. Its Allied affiliation gives it access to a much larger interstate and international transportation network, but Berger continues to operate as an independently owned company with its own facilities, fleet, employees, and management.

Berger is particularly notable for its physical infrastructure. Moving companies can appear large based on marketing reach or service territory, but Berger’s 600-plus vans and more than 1 million square feet of storage demonstrate significant operating capacity.

The company has also received major recognition within the moving industry. It was named Allied Van Lines Agent of the Year for 2025 and received the American Trucking Associations Moving & Storage Conference Agent of the Year honor for 2026. Berger was also included in USA TODAY’s America’s Best Moving Companies recognition for 2026.

Awards do not establish exact financial size, but Berger’s fleet, warehouse footprint, annual move volume, and national branch network make it one of the strongest candidates for inclusion among the country’s largest independent movers.

Corrigan Moving Systems

Founded: 1929
Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan
Ownership: Corrigan family
Van-line affiliation: United Van Lines

Corrigan Moving Systems began in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1929, when Frank “The Chief” Corrigan started helping families relocate during the Great Depression.

The company has remained under Corrigan family ownership for four generations. Paul Corrigan has served as chairman and CEO, and Nathan Corrigan was promoted to president in 2024 as the business continued its generational leadership transition.

Corrigan reports approximately 600 employees and 14 physical locations across the Great Lakes and Midwest. Its operations extend through Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

FMCSA records for Corrigan Moving & Storage show 245 power units and 215 drivers. Those numbers represent one of the largest single carrier records among the companies included in this article.

Corrigan’s services include:

• Local and interstate household moving
• Corporate employee relocation
• International moving
• Office and industrial relocation
• Warehousing and storage
• Tradeshow and event logistics
• Commercial distribution
• Specialized transportation

The company operates as an agent for United Van Lines. This allows Corrigan to participate in a broad interstate and international system while retaining its independent ownership, regional management, warehouses, and workforce.

Corrigan has also invested in internal training through its Corrigan Academy program. Its newer Lightning Local operation is designed to support local and shorter-distance moving work within the company’s broader service area.

The company’s size is demonstrated through a combination of its workforce, fleet, warehouses, locations, and presence across several major Midwestern markets. Although it does not publicly disclose annual revenue, Corrigan clearly belongs in the upper tier of independently owned moving companies.

Hilldrup

Founded: 1903
Headquarters: Stafford, Virginia
Ownership: McDaniel family
Van-line affiliation: Long-standing UniGroup and van-line network ties

Hilldrup is one of the oldest family-controlled moving businesses in the United States.

The company was founded in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1903. Charles B. McDaniel, originally an employee of the company, purchased the business in 1940 and began the McDaniel family’s long period of ownership.

Today, Hilldrup is led by President and CEO Charles W. McDaniel. Its executive team has also included Jimmy Murray as executive vice president and CFO, John Warlick as executive vice president and managing director, and Russ Watson as executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

The company is headquartered in Stafford, Virginia, and operates in 10 additional major metropolitan markets across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Its service area includes locations in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Hilldrup provides:

• Residential moving
• Corporate relocation
• Workplace and office services
• Government and GSA relocation
• Logistics and warehousing
• Storage
• International moving support

FMCSA records list 297 power units and 245 drivers for Hilldrup Companies. That is one of the largest single motor-carrier profiles among the independent moving companies evaluated for this article.

Hilldrup has long-standing ties to the UniGroup system, which includes United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit. Charles W. McDaniel has also held a major leadership role within UniGroup, including serving as chairman of its board.

That relationship reflects Hilldrup’s importance within the national van-line system, but it does not mean that UniGroup owns Hilldrup. The company remains independently controlled by the McDaniel family.

Hilldrup’s strength comes from the combination of a substantial fleet, major-market coverage, government-moving capabilities, commercial services, and more than 120 years of continuous operation.

McCollister’s Transportation Group

Founded: 1945
Headquarters: Burlington, New Jersey
Ownership: Family-owned and privately held
Van-line affiliation: United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit

McCollister’s is more than a household moving company.

Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey, the family-owned company has developed into a diversified transportation, installation, warehousing, technical-services, and relocation organization.

Daniel H. McCollister II serves as president and chairman. The company continues to describe itself as family-owned and privately held.

McCollister’s reports 10 full-service locations across the United States and more than 13 operational warehouses. Its facilities are located in markets that include New Jersey, New York, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, Virginia, and Georgia.

Its residential moving operations are affiliated with United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, depending on the location. However, household moving represents only part of the company’s business.

McCollister’s also handles:

• Corporate and commercial relocation
• Military moving
• Data-center relocation
• Laboratory and medical-equipment transportation
• Office furniture installation
• ATM installation and deployment
• Aerospace logistics
• Automotive transportation
• Warehousing and distribution
• High-value technical equipment

This diversification distinguishes McCollister’s from movers that primarily serve residential customers. Technical transportation and installation work can require specialized equipment, trained teams, project management, and secure warehousing that go far beyond a traditional household move.

The company has continued to expand through acquisition. Its announced agreement to acquire A-Mrazek Moving Systems is another indication that McCollister’s intends to increase its geographic and operational reach.

Because its business is divided among multiple divisions, locations, and specialized operations, no single FMCSA record provides a complete picture of McCollister’s size. Its nationwide facilities, technical capabilities, warehouses, and van-line relationships provide a stronger measure of the total organization.

Gentle Giant Moving Company

Founded: 1980
Headquarters: Somerville, Massachusetts
Ownership: Founder-led private company
Van-line affiliation: None publicly identified

Gentle Giant Moving Company has built a nationally recognized moving brand without becoming a franchise or relying on the identity of a major van line.

Larry O’Toole founded the company in 1980 in the Boston area and remains publicly identified as its founder and senior leader.

Gentle Giant’s business model has historically emphasized athletic, highly trained moving crews and a premium customer-service experience. Over time, it expanded from a Boston-area mover into a company with more than 20 locations across the United States.

Its services include:

• Local moving
• Interstate moving
• Commercial moving
• Packing and unpacking
• Piano moving
• Specialty-item transportation
• Short- and long-term storage

The company has reported that referrals generate approximately 80% of its business. Although that figure does not directly measure size, it indicates that Gentle Giant’s growth has relied heavily on reputation and repeat customer relationships rather than only on mass lead generation.

Earlier company materials described growth from approximately 500 employees in 2010 to roughly 700 employees in 2020, while its office count increased from 12 to 20 during the same period. More recent public materials continue to describe a network of more than 20 locations, although an updated companywide employee count has not been publicly stated.

Gentle Giant is particularly notable because its expansion appears to have been largely organic. It has grown under one independently operated brand rather than assembling a network of independently owned franchise territories.

Its national location count, established brand, long operating history, and company-operated structure make it one of the largest pure-play independent moving companies in the United States.

Chipman Relocation & Logistics

Founded: 1939
Headquarters: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Ownership: Family-owned
Van-line affiliation: United and Mayflower network ties

Chipman Relocation & Logistics is one of the few major private moving companies to disclose a meaningful annual revenue figure.

The company reports annual revenue exceeding $75 million, more than 200 employees, and seven major service centers along the West Coast.

Founded in 1939, Chipman remains family-owned and operated. Justin Chipman was named CEO following a formal leadership transition, continuing the family’s role in the company’s management.

Chipman’s seven principal service markets include:

• Seattle
• Portland
• Sacramento
• Napa and Sonoma
• The San Francisco Bay Area
• Los Angeles and Orange County
• San Diego

The company’s headquarters function is based in the Bay Area, although different corporate and federal records reference Alameda and San Ramon addresses.

Chipman provides household moving, employee relocation, commercial moving, warehousing, logistics, distribution, and international relocation. It also reports maintaining a network of more than 750 preferred partners around the world.

The company is a Class A UniGroup shareholder and participates in the United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit networks. That relationship gives Chipman national and international transportation reach while the company maintains its own brand, facilities, workforce, and family ownership.

Chipman has also expanded through acquisition. In 2019, it acquired East Side Van & Storage and West Side Moving & Storage in Portland, strengthening its position in the Pacific Northwest.

More recently, UniGroup named Chipman its 2025 Member of the Year, and the company announced that it received a 2026 Mayflower President’s Quality Award.

Among the companies profiled here, Chipman provides one of the strongest combinations of verifiable financial scale, employee count, regional density, service-center coverage, acquisition activity, and national van-line participation.

Olympia Moving & Storage

Founded: 1993
Headquarters: Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Ownership: Privately held and founder-led
Van-line affiliation: Wheaton World Wide Moving

Olympia Moving & Storage was founded in 1993 by Michael Gilmartin and grew from a Boston-area moving company into a multi-market residential, commercial, storage, and logistics organization.

The company operates in five major markets:

• Boston
• Washington, D.C.
• Philadelphia
• Austin
• Tampa

Olympia has been affiliated with Wheaton World Wide Moving since 1996. Through Wheaton, the company can access a network of more than 350 interstate moving agents while continuing to operate under the Olympia name.

Its leadership team has included founder and CEO Michael Gilmartin, President Piet Gauchat, CFO Brian Wright, and Treasurer Jose Varon.

Olympia’s services extend beyond local residential moving. The company handles:

• Local and long-distance household moving
• International relocation
• Corporate relocation
• Commercial and office moving
• Furniture, fixtures, and equipment installation
• Warehousing
• Event logistics
• Storage
• Settling-in and destination services

The company reports moving thousands of families to or from locations throughout the United States each year.

Olympia has expanded geographically without developing into a franchise system. Its Tampa opening in 2024 represented an important move into the Southeast and added another major growth market to the company’s footprint.

The company has also received repeated recognition from Wheaton. It was named Wheaton’s Agent of the Month for May 2025, reportedly its twelfth monthly agent award, and has received previous Agent of the Year recognition.

Olympia is smaller in branch count than Armstrong, Gentle Giant, or Suddath, but its presence in five major metropolitan markets, Wheaton affiliation, commercial capabilities, and long-distance volume place it among the country’s larger independently owned moving companies.

Good Greek Moving & Storage

Founded: Public materials do not provide one consistent date
Headquarters: Palm Beach County, Florida
Ownership: Founder-owned
Van-line affiliation: None publicly identified

Good Greek Moving & Storage has become one of the most visible independently branded moving companies in Florida.

The company is led by founder, owner, and CEO Spero Georgedakis. Its regulated moving operation is associated with West Palm Beach, while recent company announcements have also referenced Jupiter. Palm Beach County is therefore the most accurate general description of its headquarters.

Good Greek’s public materials do not provide a single consistent founding year. Some company statements reference approximately 22 years in business, while other recent materials describe Georgedakis as having led the company for more than 27 years. Without consistent official documentation, assigning an exact founding year would be misleading.

The company reports operations in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach while offering long-distance and interstate service throughout the country.

Its services include:

• Residential moving
• Commercial moving
• Long-distance moving
• Packing
• Climate-controlled storage
• Business relocation
• Auto transportation

Good Greek reports employing more than 500 people. FMCSA records for SFAKIA LLC, the legal entity operating as Good Greek Moving & Storage, list 83 power units and 70 drivers.

Those figures make it a large independent operator, particularly within Florida.

The company has also expanded its physical and public presence. It was recognized among South Florida’s Top 100 Private Companies, participated in the American Trucking Associations’ Call on Washington, and signed a lease for a 61,288-square-foot warehouse in Broward County in late 2025.

Good Greek has invested heavily in sports partnerships and brand visibility, including a UFC partnership announced in 2026.

The company does not publicly disclose annual revenue, and its precise national ranking cannot be established. However, its employee count, Florida market coverage, fleet, warehouse expansion, and brand reach support its inclusion among the country’s largest independently branded moving companies.

DeWitt Move Worldwide

Founded: 2002
Headquarters: San Diego, California
Ownership: DeWitt family group
Van-line affiliation: None publicly identified

DeWitt Move Worldwide represents a different type of large independent moving organization.

Rather than building a dense network of continental U.S. branches or operating as an agent of a major domestic van line, DeWitt has developed a family-controlled network with particular strength in international, government, military, and Pacific-market transportation.

Richard DeWitt founded DeWitt Move Worldwide in San Diego in 2002. Public leadership references identify John Burrows as president, while longtime executive Jeff Nadeau has held senior company and industry roles.

The larger DeWitt family of companies includes:

• DeWitt Move Worldwide
• Royal Hawaiian Movers
• Approved Freight Forwarders
• DeWitt Guam
• Royal Alaskan Movers

Together, these organizations give the group substantial capabilities in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, the continental United States, and international markets.

DeWitt Move Worldwide reports handling moves to and from more than 75 countries each year. Its services include:

• Residential moving
• Corporate relocation
• Government and GSA moving
• Military relocation
• NGO transportation
• Vehicle shipping
• Laboratory moving
• Freight forwarding
• International logistics

DeWitt’s FMCSA profile looks different from the profiles of asset-heavy movers such as Hilldrup, Corrigan, or JK. Federal records identify the company primarily through household-goods freight-forwarder and broker authority rather than through a large tractor-and-driver count.

That distinction does not necessarily indicate a smaller organization. It reflects a different operating model in which international forwarding, partner coordination, ocean transportation, government contracts, and affiliated regional companies play a larger role.

DeWitt’s milestones include launching its Hawaii division in 2009, expanding government services in 2012, receiving EPA SmartWay certification, and announcing strong GSA CHAMP customer-satisfaction results for domestic and international moving.

Its position is strongest in specialized and difficult-to-serve markets, particularly Pacific, military, government, and international relocations.

What America’s Largest Independent Movers Have in Common

Although these companies differ substantially in size, geography, and business model, several themes appear throughout the group.

Family Ownership Still Matters

Many of the largest independent moving companies remain controlled by the families that founded or developed them.

Armstrong, Suddath, Berger, Corrigan, Hilldrup, McCollister’s, Chipman, and DeWitt all emphasize family ownership or multi-generational leadership. JK Moving, Gentle Giant, Olympia, and Good Greek remain closely associated with their founders.

This is unusual in an economy where many large service businesses have been consolidated by public companies or private-equity firms.

Long-term family ownership can allow a company to invest with a longer time horizon, preserve local relationships, and build a reputation across generations. It can also create succession challenges, which is why recent leadership transitions at Armstrong, Corrigan, and Chipman are significant.

Independent Does Not Mean Unaffiliated

A common misconception is that an independent mover cannot be part of a van-line system.

In reality, some of the largest independent movers are also among the most important agents within major van lines.

Berger is affiliated with Allied. Corrigan is a United agent. McCollister’s operates United and Mayflower locations. Chipman participates in the UniGroup network. Suddath is affiliated with Atlas. Olympia is a Wheaton agent.

These companies remain independently owned even though they use van-line networks for interstate transportation, shipment coordination, national capacity, and international support.

JK Moving, Gentle Giant, Good Greek, and DeWitt are closer to pure independent brands because the reviewed materials did not identify a traditional national van-line affiliation.

The Largest Movers Are No Longer Just Moving Companies

The largest independent movers have diversified well beyond loading furniture into trucks.

Many now operate:

• Commercial installation divisions
• Warehouses and distribution centers
• Corporate relocation programs
• International forwarding operations
• Laboratory and medical-equipment teams
• Technology and data-center relocation services
• Government and military divisions
• Records-management operations
• Furniture, fixtures, and equipment programs
• Final-mile and supply-chain services

This diversification provides revenue outside the traditional household moving season and allows these businesses to develop long-term relationships with corporations, government agencies, healthcare organizations, universities, and logistics customers.

Acquisitions Are Reshaping the Independent Sector

Several companies have expanded by acquiring other established moving businesses.

Armstrong has been one of the most active consolidators, adding companies and markets while bringing multiple operations under one brand. Suddath has completed several acquisitions. Chipman expanded in Portland through the purchase of two moving companies. McCollister’s announced an agreement to acquire A-Mrazek Moving Systems.

Acquisition allows a company to enter a market with an existing warehouse, workforce, customer base, licenses, and local reputation. It can be much faster than opening a new branch from the ground up.

This trend may eventually result in fewer mid-sized independent movers and a smaller number of much larger privately controlled groups.

Revenue Transparency Remains Limited

Chipman is the only company in this group whose official materials clearly disclose annual revenue exceeding a specific amount.

For the remaining companies, scale must be inferred from operational evidence:

• Armstrong operates in 34 U.S. markets.
• Berger reports more than 600 vans and nearly 24,000 family moves annually.
• Corrigan reports approximately 600 employees.
• Hilldrup has 297 power units listed in its FMCSA record.
• Good Greek reports more than 500 employees.
• Suddath assists approximately 38,000 military families each year.
• JK reports completing more than 500,000 moves.

These are strong indicators, but they do not create a precise revenue ranking.

That is why any article claiming to identify the exact largest private moving companies by sales should be viewed cautiously unless it has access to audited or directly disclosed financial information.

How Independent Movers Differ From Major Van Lines

A van line is a national transportation network that coordinates shipments through a system of agents, operating authorities, technology, interstate capacity, and shared branding.

Major U.S. van-line brands include:

United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit

United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit operate under UniGroup. Their networks include independently owned moving companies throughout the United States.

Some of the independent companies profiled in this article—including Corrigan, McCollister’s, Armstrong operations, and Chipman—participate in the United or Mayflower system.

Allied Van Lines

Allied operates through a broad agent network. Berger Transfer & Storage is one of its largest independently owned asset-based agents.

Atlas Van Lines

Atlas coordinates interstate and international moving through its agent network. Suddath rejoined Atlas in 2024 after an earlier decades-long association.

Wheaton World Wide Moving

Wheaton operates a national agent system supporting interstate moving and relocation. Olympia Moving & Storage has been affiliated with Wheaton since 1996.

A van line should not automatically be described as the same business as one of its agents. The van line and the local operating company may have separate ownership, management, facilities, employees, and legal responsibilities.

How Independent Movers Differ From Moving Franchises

Moving franchises use a shared brand and business model across territories owned by individual franchisees.

Two of the country’s most recognizable moving franchise systems are:

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has developed a large network of franchised moving operations. Individual franchise owners generally operate within assigned territories while using the company’s branding, systems, training, and marketing platform.

College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving

College HUNKS combines moving and junk-removal services through a national franchise model. Local franchise owners operate under the shared College HUNKS brand.

Franchise systems may collectively operate hundreds of locations, but they should not be compared directly with a single independently owned moving company. A franchise network’s total systemwide sales, trucks, or employees may be spread across many separate owners.

For that reason, franchise networks are not included in the 12 independent moving companies profiled above.

Which Independent Moving Company Is the Largest?

There is not enough public financial information to name one company as the definitive largest independent mover in every category.

The answer changes depending on the measurement being used.

JK Moving may be among the largest completely independent household-moving brands without a publicly identified van-line affiliation.

Armstrong appears to have one of the largest market footprints, with operations across 34 U.S. markets.

Berger reports one of the largest company fleets, with more than 600 vans.

Hilldrup has one of the largest single FMCSA carrier profiles, with 297 power units and 245 drivers.

Suddath has one of the most substantial military-moving operations, assisting approximately 38,000 military members and families annually.

Chipman provides the clearest public revenue evidence, reporting more than $75 million in annual revenue.

Corrigan and Good Greek each report workforces of approximately 500 or more people, while McCollister’s stands out for its specialized technical, data-center, installation, and logistics capabilities.

DeWitt is especially significant in Pacific, government, military, and international transportation.

The most accurate conclusion is that the United States has a group of large independent moving organizations, each leading in different areas, rather than one publicly verifiable company that can be ranked first across every measure.

The Future of Independent Moving Companies

Independent moving companies face pressure from several directions.

National franchise systems continue to expand. Van lines are slowly modernizing their technology and agent networks. New tech-based movers are popping up in strong metro areas. Moving brokers and lead-generation companies compete aggressively for consumers online. Software companies are becoming more involved in customer acquisition, pricing, payments, and operational data. Private-equity groups are also increasingly interested in fragmented home-service industries.

At the same time, the companies profiled here demonstrate why independent movers continue to survive and grow.

They own warehouses. They maintain fleets. They employ trained crews. They have long-standing corporate and government relationships. Many have spent decades developing reputations in their home markets. Several have survived economic recessions, housing downturns, wars, changes in transportation regulation, and major shifts in consumer behavior.

The strongest independent movers are no longer isolated local companies. They are sophisticated regional and national businesses with logistics operations, commercial divisions, international partnerships, and large physical networks.

That combination of local ownership and large-company capability may be their greatest competitive advantage.

Movers Near Me Largest Moving Companies

America’s independent moving industry cannot be measured through one simple revenue list.

Most of its largest companies are privately held. Many operate through multiple legal entities. Some participate in national van lines while retaining independent ownership. Others have expanded without a van-line or franchise affiliation.

Based on publicly available fleet records, locations, employee counts, warehouses, move volume, disclosed revenue, acquisition activity, and service capabilities, the companies that clearly belong in the upper tier include:

JK Moving Services, The Armstrong Company, Suddath, Berger Transfer & Storage, Corrigan Moving Systems, Hilldrup, McCollister’s Transportation Group, Gentle Giant Moving Company, Chipman Relocation & Logistics, Olympia Moving & Storage, Good Greek Moving & Storage, and DeWitt Move Worldwide.

They are not identical businesses, and this should not be treated as an exact revenue ranking. Collectively, however, they represent some of the largest, longest-established, and most operationally significant independent moving companies in the United States in 2026.

Research note: This article was developed using FMCSA SAFER records, official company websites, leadership and location pages, company announcements, acquisition releases, van-line materials, and reputable moving-industry sources. Because most of the companies are privately held, revenue and consolidated enterprise data are not publicly available in many cases. Undisclosed figures have not been estimated.