Houston, TX long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas has 158 federally registered household goods carriers filed at a Houston address that hold granted operating authority, and 15 of the entries published here are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. The IRS county outflow file for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 33,107 households leaving Fort Bend County, Harris County, Montgomery County and Waller County for another state across 322 published destination counties. The largest published out-of-state destination reached from Houston in that data is Los Angeles County, CA, 1,565 road miles away. Any move that crosses a state line is regulated federally rather than by Texas, so the carrier must hold granted federal household goods authority whatever state it is registered in.
Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
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Where do people moving out of Houston actually go, and how far is it?
Destinations are the largest out-of-state county destinations published in the IRS county outflow file for filing years 2022 to 2023, ordered by the number of households in that file. Households are tax returns, never people. Road distance and drive time are measured between the two centres by road, not in a straight line. The delivery window is the shared distance banding this site applies to every published lane and is not a delivery promise from any carrier.
| Destination | Households 2022 to 2023 | Road miles | Drive time | Typical delivery window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | 1,305 | 1,565 | 26.9 hours | 5 to 11 days |
| Cook County, IL | 1,037 | 1,076 | 19.5 hours | 4 to 8 days |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 881 | 1,202 | 20.4 hours | 4 to 8 days |
IRS county outflow file, 2022 to 2023OSRM road routingOSM Nominatim geocodingData as of 2023-12-31
Which Houston registrants are filed as interstate operations?
These are the Houston entries published on the parent city page whose federal record carries granted household goods authority and a carrier operation classification of interstate. The order is the agency's own registration date, earliest first. Fleet size is self-reported on the MCS-150 form, so it is not used as an ordering key and no score is applied.
| Registrant | USDOT | Docket | Power units filed |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHNNIE T. MELIA MOVING & STORAGE | 436264 | MC303554 | 8 |
| A BETTER TRIPP MOVING & STORAGE COMPANY | 679167 | MC316547 | 6 |
| LEWIS VAN LINES | 874201 | MC383195 | 1 |
| A-ROCKET MOVING &STORAGE INC | 993024 | MC372836 | 8 |
| ALL MY SONS MOVING & STORAGE OF HOUSTON LLC | 1296282 | MC501473 | 15 |
| CLASSIC MOVES INC | 1545279 | MC574531 | 5 |
| AMERICAN KNIGHTS MOVING & STORAGE INC | 1565984 | MC580469 | 11 |
| DANIEL'S MOVERS INC | 1801114 | MC654978 | 7 |
| 3 MEN MOVERS | 1914113 | MC685878 | 95 |
| AMERICAN KNIGHTS MOVING | 1977907 | MC940017 | 20 |
| GERSON MOVERS | 2208910 | MC1362086 | 2 |
| LTD MOVING LLC | 2258404 | MC771054 | 8 |
| MAJOR VAN LINES INC | 2359316 | MC796948 | 6 |
| BLUE OX MOVING & STORAGE | 2378720 | MC843814 | 7 |
| PRESTIGE MOVING SERVICES | 2452465 | MC1132457 | 1 |
Source: FMCSA motor carrier census and operating authority datasets. Census as of 2026-08-15, authority as of 2026-08-16.
What does a long-distance move out of Houston cost?
These are editorial estimates for a full-service interstate move by household size. They are not quotes, not transacted prices and not measured in Houston. The published road distances above are the reason the range is wide: a 300 mile move and a 2,000 mile move price differently at the same household size.
| Household size | Estimated interstate total |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,540–$4,020 |
| 1 Bedroom | $2,100–$5,226 |
| 2 Bedroom | $2,800–$6,700 |
| 3 Bedroom | $4,060–$10,385 |
| 4 Bedroom | $5,460–$14,405 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $6,720–$18,090 |
Estimated range · Statewide estimate — Estimated full-service interstate total for a 1 bedroom household on a typical 1,000-mile lane. Packing, valuation, storage, and shuttle fees are extra. Editorial estimate, not a measured transaction price. Reviewed May 2026. Last reviewed May 2026. Methodology
Who regulates a long-distance move out of Houston?
A move from Houston across a state line is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which sets the written estimate requirements, the valuation choices and the complaint route. Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division regulates moves that stay inside Texas and does not govern the interstate leg.
How do you verify a Houston long-distance carrier before signing?
Houston has 158 registrants at a local address with granted household goods authority; 15 file an interstate carrier-operation classification and 143 do not. That gap is why a reader should match the estimate to an exact USDOT record rather than treat every locally filed household goods registrant as an interstate carrier.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division requires a TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration for moves that stay inside Texas. A move crossing the state line is checked separately through the carrier's federal USDOT record and granted household goods authority.
- Ask which USDOT number will appear on the bill of lading for the move out of Houston, then match that number to the legal or trade name on the written estimate.
- Confirm that exact record shows granted household goods authority. 15 of 158 locally filed authorised registrants carry an interstate operation classification.
- Check the current authority status close to pickup. A census registration, a local listing or a state filing does not keep federal household goods authority active.
- For the pickup-side state check, follow the Texas rule above; it is separate from the federal authority required for the interstate leg.