C
STANFORD VAN LINES INC
USDOT 3978928 • MC-1489155 • THORNTON, IL
MoverAudit grade: C, based on federal records below
⚠ High risk: book with caution
Complaints by category, last 4 years
Estimates/Final Charges12
Deceptive Business Practices4
3 hostage-goods complaints on federal record. Hostage complaints mean movers demanded extra money before releasing belongings. Treat this as a serious warning sign.
Company details
Legal nameSTANFORD VAN LINES INC
Address17600 N WILLIAMS ST, THORNTON, IL 60476-1287
Phone(201) 968-8454
Company officerMariia Filonok
In business sinceNov 2022
Last FMCSA updateJun 2025
Fleet & authority
Power units (trucks)4
Drivers3 (1 CDL)
Operation classAuthorized For Hire
Carrier operationInterstate
Broker authorityn/a
Carrier authorityn/a
Safety ratingNot rated
Prior revocationYes
MoverAudit risk score: 36/100
Computed from objective federal flags only: broker-only registration, fleet size, complaint volume and severity, hostage-goods reports and past revocations. Lower is safer. This is a summary of public records, not a review.
Complaints vs. other checked movers
Red flags & green flags
!3 hostage-goods complaints on federal record.
!22 federal complaints in the last 4 years.
!Operating authority was revoked at least once (see authority history below).
!4 insurance policy cancellations in the last 3 years.
!Shares an address, phone or officer with 1 mover that have complaints or revoked authority (see identity check below).
✓USDOT registration is active.
✓4 trucks registered with FMCSA.
Complaint history, year by year
2026 13 complaints
Estimates/Final Charges: 9
Pickup and Delivery: 3
Claim Settlement: 1
Deceptive Business Practices: 1
Loss and Damage: 1
2025 9 complaints
Pickup and Delivery: 6
Deceptive Business Practices: 3
Estimates/Final Charges: 3
Hostage Goods: 3
Weighing: 3
Claim Settlement: 2
Shipment Documents: 2
Loss and Damage: 1
This year includes hostage-goods complaints: customers reported belongings withheld pending extra payment. That is the most serious category in the federal system.
Roadside safety & insurance
Roadside safety record
Vehicle out-of-service rate, this company vs. national average:
Vehicle inspections14 (3 OOS)
Driver inspections27 (2 OOS)
Crashes, last 3 years1
FMCSA safety ratingNot rated
FMCSA safety categories (SMS BASICs), last 24 months:
Unsafe DrivingClean, no violations on record
Hours-of-Service ComplianceClean, no violations on record
Driver FitnessClean, no violations on record
Controlled Substances / AlcoholClean, no violations on record
Vehicle MaintenanceClean, no violations on record
Insurance on file
Liability insuranceOn file
InsurerWesco Insurance Company
Policy effective sinceFeb 2026
Cancellations, 3 yrs4
4 insurance cancellations in the last 3 years, most recently Aug 2025. Repeated cancellations often mean unpaid premiums or dropped coverage, ask this company to show you a current certificate of insurance before booking.
Source: FMCSA Licensing & Insurance filings, refreshed nightly.
Authority history
Mar 10, 2025 Discontinued revocation
Common: involuntary revocation -> discontinued revocation
Sep 18, 2023 Revoked
Motor property common carrier: granted -> revoked
Sep 18, 2023 Revoked
Household goods common carrier: granted -> revoked
Shared identity check
Caution: this company shares its address, phone number or officer with 1 mover that have complaints or revoked authority. This is the pattern behind "chameleon" carriers: a burned company re-registering under a fresh name. It can also be an innocent shared office, read the linked reports and judge.
Is Stanford Van Lines INC reliable? Our read of the record
The federal record argues for real caution with Stanford Van Lines INC: 3 hostage-goods complaints on federal record; 22 federal complaints in the last 4 years. These are not opinions or reviews: each one is a fact filed in the federal system, and hostage-goods complaints in particular describe intent, not accidents.
If you already have a quote from this company, do not send a deposit before reading the complaint categories above. There are movers in Illinois with cleaner records doing the same routes; two of them are listed below.
One caveat regardless of the rest: this company shares an address, phone number or officer with 1 other registered mover that carry complaints or lost authority. Sometimes that is an innocent office building; sometimes it is how a burned identity gets recycled. The identity check section above lists exactly who they are, look before you book.
This assessment is generated from the public federal records shown on this page: registration, fleet, complaints, inspections, insurance and authority filings. It is a summary of records, not a review or an accusation.
Carriers to compare in Illinois
About Stanford Van Lines INC
Stanford Van Lines INC is a federally registered mover based in Thornton, Illinois, registered with FMCSA since November 2022. Federal filings show 4 power units (trucks/tractors) and 3 drivers.
Over the last four years, consumers filed 22 complaints against this company with the federal government. The most common complaint category is "Estimates/Final Charges" (12 complaints): in plain terms, customers reported that the final bill did not match the estimate they were given. Most seriously, 3 complaints fall under "Hostage Goods", meaning customers reported their belongings were withheld pending extra payment.
How to read this report
The grade and risk score at the top are calculated by MoverAudit from objective federal flags: whether the company is a broker or a carrier, how many trucks it operates, the volume and severity of complaints, hostage-goods reports, and past authority revocations. They are not official government ratings, and they are not reviews: every input is a public federal record shown on this page.
The complaint categories come from the FMCSA household goods complaint system. A single bad move can generate complaints in several categories at once, so the category sum can exceed the total. Pay the most attention to "Hostage Goods" and "Deceptive Business Practices": those describe intent, not accidents. "Loss and Damage" at low volume is normal friction for a carrier doing thousands of moves; the same number at a tiny company is not.
The fleet numbers matter more than they look. A company advertising nationwide service with zero or one registered truck is not doing that work itself: your move will be handled by someone you have not vetted. Compare the fleet size to the promises in your quote.
If you are considering this company, use this report as a starting point, not a verdict. Get the estimate in writing and check whether it is binding, confirm the USDOT number on their paperwork matches 3978928, and if a different company shows up on moving day, stop and check that company here before a single box goes on the truck.
Questions about STANFORD VAN LINES INC
Is Stanford Van Lines INC legit?
Stanford Van Lines INC has an active USDOT registration (3978928). It has 22 federal complaints in the last 4 years. Review the categories above before booking.
Is Stanford Van Lines INC a broker or a carrier?
Federal records do not show interstate household goods authority for this company. Ask them directly who holds the authority for your move.
How many complaints does Stanford Van Lines INC have?
22 federal complaints in the last 4 years, most in the "Estimates/Final Charges" category. That includes 3 hostage-goods complaints, the most serious category. Complaints are filed by consumers with FMCSA and cannot be removed by the company.
Where is Stanford Van Lines INC based?
17600 N Williams St, Thornton, IL 60476-1287. Phone on file: (201) 968-8454. Registered with FMCSA since November 2022.
Sources: FMCSA Motor Carrier Census (registration, fleet), FMCSA Household Goods Complaint History via NCCDB (complaints, checked Jul 17, 2026). MoverAudit summarizes public federal records; it does not accuse any company of wrongdoing. Verify details at protectyourmove.gov.