D
HOWARDS VANLINES INC
USDOT 4391903 • MC-1722990 • GARFILED, NJ
MoverAudit grade: D, based on federal records below
⚠ High risk: book with caution
Complaints by category, last 4 years
Estimates/Final Charges44
Deceptive Business Practices42
46 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 nameHOWARDS VANLINES INC
Address141 LANZA AVE, GARFILED, NJ 07026
Phone(888) 404-8382
Company officerAHMAD RIYAD ALOMARI
In business sinceApr 2025
Last FMCSA updateOct 2025
Fleet & authority
Power units (trucks)1
Drivers1
Operation classAuthorized For Hire
Carrier operationInterstate
Broker authorityn/a
Carrier authorityYes
Safety ratingNot rated
Prior revocationNo
MoverAudit risk score: 60/100
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
!46 hostage-goods complaints on federal record.
!155 federal complaints in the last 4 years.
✓Liability insurance on file with FMCSA, no recent cancellations.
✓USDOT registration is active.
✓Holds real carrier authority: they move goods themselves.
✓1 truck registered with FMCSA.
Complaint history, year by year
2026 147 complaints
Hostage Goods: 45
Estimates/Final Charges: 43
Deceptive Business Practices: 39
Pickup and Delivery: 39
Claim Settlement: 16
Loss and Damage: 7
Shipment Documents: 7
Operating Authority: 2
This year includes hostage-goods complaints: customers reported belongings withheld pending extra payment. That is the most serious category in the federal system.
2025 8 complaints
Deceptive Business Practices: 3
Claim Settlement: 2
Estimates/Final Charges: 1
Hostage Goods: 1
Pickup and Delivery: 1
Weighing: 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 inspections2 (1 OOS)
Driver inspections2 (1 OOS)
Crashes, last 3 years0
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
InsurerAdriatic Insurance Company
Policy effective sinceSep 2025
Cancellations, 3 yrs0
Stable coverage. Insurance is on file with FMCSA and no cancellations were recorded in the last 3 years.
Source: FMCSA Licensing & Insurance filings, refreshed nightly.
Recent roadside inspections
Apr 15, 2026 Full inspection, NJ
11 violations, 2 out-of-service
49 CFR 393.41-BNPB, OOS
49 CFR 393.51B-BFWS, OOS
49 CFR 396.17C-PI
49 CFR 393.95A4-EEUS
49 CFR 393.55B-B
49 CFR 393.9A-LHLI
+5 more
Nov 3, 2025 Walk-around, IL
5 violations, 1 out-of-service
49 CFR 395.8A-ELD (driver), OOS
49 CFR 390.21TA
49 CFR 393.95F: Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or impr…
49 CFR 393.9TS: Inoperative turn signal
49 CFR 392.60A: Unauthorized passenger on board CMV (driver)
Last 2 roadside inspections from FMCSA records (up to 3 years). "OOS" means the driver or vehicle was ordered out of service on the spot.
Authority history
No interstate authority actions on record. This company has never had operating authority granted, revoked or reinstated in the federal Licensing & Insurance system. Common for local, intrastate-only movers; if they quote you an interstate move, ask who actually holds the authority for it.
Shared identity check
Clean identity check. This company's address, phone number and officer do not match any other registered mover in our database. No sign of the "chameleon" pattern where a burned company re-registers under a fresh name.
Is Howards Vanlines INC reliable? Our read of the record
The federal record argues for real caution with Howards Vanlines INC: 46 hostage-goods complaints on federal record; 155 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 New Jersey with cleaner records doing the same routes; two of them are listed below.
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 New Jersey
About Howards Vanlines INC
Howards Vanlines INC is a federally licensed household goods carrier based in Garfiled, New Jersey, registered with FMCSA since April 2025. Federal filings show 1 power unit (trucks/tractors) and 1 driver.
Over the last four years, consumers filed 155 complaints against this company with the federal government. The most common complaint category is "Hostage Goods" (46 complaints): in plain terms, customers reported that the mover demanded extra money before releasing their belongings. Most seriously, 46 complaints fall under "Hostage Goods", meaning customers reported their belongings were withheld pending extra payment.
The complaint volume is trending upward: 8 complaints in 2025 grew to 147 in 2026. A rising curve like this usually matters more than the total, because it describes the company as it operates today.
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 4391903, 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 HOWARDS VANLINES INC
Is Howards Vanlines INC legit?
Howards Vanlines INC has an active USDOT registration (4391903). It has 155 federal complaints in the last 4 years. Review the categories above before booking.
Is Howards Vanlines INC a broker or a carrier?
A licensed carrier with 1 registered truck.
How many complaints does Howards Vanlines INC have?
155 federal complaints in the last 4 years, most in the "Hostage Goods" category. That includes 46 hostage-goods complaints, the most serious category. Complaints are filed by consumers with FMCSA and cannot be removed by the company.
Where is Howards Vanlines INC based?
141 Lanza Ave, Garfiled, NJ 07026. Phone on file: (888) 404-8382. Registered with FMCSA since April 2025.
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.