Home › Services › Long-distance and interstate
Long distance movers in Washington, for moves past the 55-mile line and out of state.
Long distance movers in Washington work under two different sets of rules, and which one applies to you depends on how far your shipment travels. Caravan Moving LLC handles both: more than 55 miles inside the state, priced by weight and distance, and out of state under our own federal operating authority, MC 1781177. We are the carrier on the job, so your things ride one 24-foot truck with one crew from the first box to the last.
The 55-mile line
Which rules your move falls under.
Washington counts the distance your shipment travels, from the address it leaves to the address it arrives at. How far that is from our base in Rochester doesn't decide which side of the line you're on.
55 miles or less: by the hour
A move of 55 miles or less is priced by the hour under Washington Tariff 15-C, with the miles counted pickup to delivery. Olympia to Tacoma is about 30 miles and Tacoma to Seattle about 35, so those usually stay on the clock.
Over 55 miles in Washington: weight and distance
Past the line the state prices by what your shipment weighs and how far it goes. Seattle to Olympia is about 60 miles, so it usually lands just over, depending on the exact addresses.
Out of state: federal rules
The Washington UTC doesn't regulate moves between states and tells consumers to check an interstate mover with the FMCSA instead. Those moves run under our federal operating authority, MC 1781177. Olympia to Portland is only about 115 miles and still counts as interstate.
Where your number comes from
Whichever rules apply, the figure comes from a free written estimate after we have seen your things. How pricing works covers binding and non-binding estimates, and what a supplemental estimate is for if the job grows.
Your things stay on our truck the whole way.
A lot of long-distance quotes come from brokers. The FMCSA describes a broker as a company that arranges your move and sells it on to a moving company, usually with no trucks or movers of its own, so the first time you meet the company actually carrying your things can be on moving day.
Caravan is the carrier. We are registered as U.S. DOT No. 4476646 and hold our own interstate operating authority, MC 1781177, both checkable in about a minute. We run one 24-foot box truck with a hydraulic lift gate and have no warehouse, so nothing is set down in storage or shifted onto a second truck along the way. The people who load your things are the people who unload them.
- No broker in the middle and no hand-off to another company
- Blankets, straps and dollies come with the truck
- Gun safes, refrigerators and washers ride up level on the lift gate
- Packing for the whole house or just the kitchen
- Unpacked and placed at the other end if you want the full service
- Office and commercial moves over the line as well as households
- Loading only when you are driving a rental truck or container yourself
- Valuation options explained before you sign, and you choose
Where the truck loads
Long distance movers in Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle.
We work all three from our base in Rochester, about 20 miles south of Olympia, and the crew travels to you.
Leaving Olympia
Tacoma is about 30 miles and stays on the clock. Seattle is about 60 miles and usually crosses the line into weight and distance. Portland is about 115 miles and crosses the state line as well, so it runs under federal rules. More on movers in Olympia.
Leaving Tacoma
Olympia and Seattle are about 30 to 35 miles away and usually stay hourly. Spokane is far past the line, so it goes by weight and distance, and Portland crosses into Oregon, so it is interstate. More on movers in Tacoma.
Leaving Seattle
Spokane is about 280 miles along I-90, well past the line and priced by weight and distance. Portland or anywhere else out of state is interstate. A move down to Olympia sits close to the line, so the exact addresses decide it. More on movers in Seattle.
Moves that end here
The same rules read in reverse. A shipment coming from Spokane, or from another state, into Olympia, Lacey or Rochester is measured the same way, and we are still the carrier at both ends of it.
From first call to delivery
How a long-distance move runs.
You call, a person answers
Where from, where to and roughly when. We will tell you which set of rules your move falls under before anything else.
We look at your things
State law requires a visual inspection before we quote, and federal rules base an interstate estimate on a survey of the goods, done on site or virtually by live or pre-recorded video. For a Washington move, a number over the phone isn't a legal estimate. If some of it isn't making the trip, say so at the walkthrough, because on a weight-priced move that changes the figure. Junk and debris removal is quoted separately, with the price agreed before anything is loaded.
Free written estimate
In writing, before any work starts, and yours to keep. An interstate estimate comes with the two FMCSA publications federal rules require, “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and “Ready to Move?”
The bill of lading
Valuation options are explained and you choose. On an interstate move the bill of lading also shows the agreed date or period for pickup and for delivery, with the estimate and the inventory attached.
Delivery and walkthrough
The same crew unloads. You walk the rooms and the truck with them before close-out, and any damage is noted on the bill of lading and inventory.
Long-distance questions
What people ask before a long move.
How much do long distance movers cost?
Inside Washington a move over 55 miles is priced by weight and distance under Tariff 15-C, and an out-of-state move follows federal rules instead. Either way the real figure comes from a free written estimate after we have seen your things. How pricing works explains binding and non-binding estimates.
How is the 55 miles measured?
It is the distance your shipment travels, from the address it leaves to the address it arrives at, and it is not measured from our base in Rochester. At 55 miles or less the move is priced by the hour. Past that line, Washington prices it by weight and distance.
Is Seattle to Olympia a long distance move?
Usually, by a little. It is about 60 miles, so most Seattle to Olympia moves land just over the 55-mile line and are priced by weight and distance, depending on the exact addresses.
Are you a broker or a moving company?
A moving company. Caravan Moving LLC is registered as U.S. DOT No. 4476646 with its own interstate operating authority, MC 1781177, and every move it carries goes on its own truck with its own crew. You can check those numbers before you call.
Are you out of state movers, or Washington only?
Both. Moves inside Washington run under UTC Household Goods Permit THG072095, and out-of-state moves run under our own federal operating authority, MC 1781177, and FMCSA rules. Either way your things stay on our truck with the same crew.
Can you pack for a long distance move?
Yes, the whole house or just the kitchen, and on Washington moves packing materials are never billed as a separate line. Jewellery, cash and irreplaceable documents travel with you rather than on the truck. See packing services.
Moving past the 55-mile line
Find out which rules apply before you book.
Call with where you're starting and where you're going, and we'll tell you which side of the line you're on. The estimate comes in writing, free, after we've seen your things.
WA UTC Permit THG072095 · USDOT 4476646 · MC 1781177