Colonial Van Lines
Legal name: Colonial Van Lines Inc.
142 consumer complaints filed with FMCSA in the last four years — 27 for holding goods hostage
What we found
Checked Sep 3, 2026 · every line links to its source- SERIOUS142 consumer complaints filed with FMCSA in the last four years — 27 for holding goods hostage
FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database (via the Protect Your Move registry) — by year: 2023: 43 · 2024: 27 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 55 (registry data as of 07/31/2026). Categories: Estimates/Final Charges 60, Loss and Damage 56, Pickup and Delivery 53, Deceptive Business Practices 50, Weighing 44. Fleet on the registry: 25 trucks — 5.7 complaints per truck.
Hostage-goods complaints mean customers told FMCSA this company held their belongings until they paid more than the estimate.
Source: FMCSA Protect Your Move — complaint history · as of Sep 3, 2026
- SERIOUS1 closed FMCSA enforcement case against this carrier in the last six years
case TN-2023-3001-US1710, closed 08/03/2023. FMCSA enforcement record, six years as of 09/02/2026. The public record publishes the case number and closing date only — not the violation or the penalty.
FMCSA brought a formal enforcement action against this carrier and closed it. Ask the company what the case was for before you book.
Source: FMCSA SMS — enforcement cases · FMCSA enforcement report · as of Sep 3, 2026
- PROBLEMRatings disagree sharply between platforms
BBB 4.6★ (1184 reviews) vs Yelp 2.2★ (1405 reviews): a 2.4-star gap between platforms
When one platform is glowing and another is not, the difference is the story — read both.
Source: Google listing · Yelp listing · BBB listing · Trustpilot listing · as of Sep 3, 2026
- PROBLEM142 complaints closed with BBB in the last 3 years, 40 in the last 12 months (BBB shows 1184 customer reviews; FMCSA record: 25 trucks)
BBB complaint volume relative to the size of the business.
Source: BBB listing · as of Sep 3, 2026
- PROBLEM
- NOTESelf-declared: “top rated”, “number one”
“ncial information. Fortunately for you, Colonial Van Lines has been a top rated long distance moving company for over tw”. No source is given for any of these claims.
Source: company website · as of Sep 3, 2026
- ON RECORDThe five most recent FMCSA investigations on record — most recent 06/09/2026 (Non-Ratable Review)
06/09/2026 Non-Ratable Review; 04/11/2025 Non-Ratable Review; 04/10/2023 Non-Ratable Review; 02/11/2022 Non-Ratable Review; 05/01/2019 Non-Ratable Review. FMCSA publishes only the five most recent investigations, so there may be more.
Source: FMCSA SMS overview · as of Sep 3, 2026
- ON RECORDOwner of record: STEPHANIE LITTLE JOHN PELLITTERI (CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGERVP), ALDO DISORBO (PRESIDENT)
Company official(s) on the FMCSA registration for USDOT 1434373, COLONIAL VAN LINES INC.
Source: MOTUS · as of Sep 3, 2026
- ON RECORDOther locations under this brand in Pompano Beach, FL: “Colonial Van Lines Inc.”
BBB: “Colonial Van Lines Inc.” — BBB rating A+, not accredited, started 11/12/2009. BBB: “Colonial Van Lines Inc.” — not accredited, failure to deliver the services they promised, failure to perform under contract. These share this company's website, so they are the same brand's other locations — a branch, agent or franchise — rather than one company trading under two names. Linked by: BBB: phone (800) 356-1855 on both records; BBB: phone (800) 970-7498 on both records; BBB: website colonialvanlines.com on both records; BBB: address 1441 SW 29th Ave Ste 100, Pompano Beach, FL 33069-4820 matches 1441 SW 29th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL, 33069; BBB: address 1441 SW 29th Ave Ste 100, Pompano Beach, FL 33069-4820 matches 1441 SW 29TH AVE STE 100, POMPANO BEACH, FL 33069; BBB: lists colonialvanlines.com as its own page; BBB: Ms. Tracy DiSorbo — same surname as ALDO DISORBO.
Ask which company holds the operating authority and insurance for your move, and get it in writing.
Source: BBB profile — Colonial Van Lines Inc. · BBB profile — Colonial Van Lines Inc. · as of Sep 3, 2026
- CHECKS OUTActive federal household-goods authority (MC-681534)
FMCSA: ACTIVE; authorized for Motor Carrier of Property (Except Household Goods); Motor Carrier of Household Goods; insurance filings on file.
Source: SAFER snapshot · MOTUS · as of Sep 3, 2026
- CHECKS OUTBBB rating A+ (not accredited) — Pompano Beach profile
BBB complaints: 142 complaints in the last 3 years (40 closed in the last 12 months); types: Service or Repair Issues 64, Delivery Issues 23, Order Issues 21, Product Issues 17, Sales and Advertising Issues 9, Customer Service Issues 5, Billing Issues 3; status: 104 answered, 38 resolved.
Source: BBB profile · as of Sep 3, 2026
Other identities of this operator
Listings under another name, city or website that share this business's phone, address, website, people or an explicit cross-reference. A shared brand name alone is never enough to appear here.
- Colonial Van Lines Inc.Pompano Beach, FLON RECORDlink strength: strong
- BBB — Colonial Van Lines Inc.: BBB rating A+ · not accredited · started 11/12/2009
- BBB — Colonial Van Lines Inc.: not accredited · failure to deliver the services they promised · failure to perform under contract
How we linked them: BBB: phone (800) 356-1855 on both records · BBB: phone (800) 970-7498 on both records · BBB: website colonialvanlines.com on both records · BBB: address 1441 SW 29th Ave Ste 100, Pompano Beach, FL 33069-4820 matches 1441 SW 29th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL, 33069 · BBB: address 1441 SW 29th Ave Ste 100, Pompano Beach, FL 33069-4820 matches 1441 SW 29TH AVE STE 100, POMPANO BEACH, FL 33069 · BBB: lists colonialvanlines.com as its own page · BBB: Ms. Tracy DiSorbo — same surname as ALDO DISORBO
Changes on the public record
We re-read this company's FMCSA record — and its state licence where the state publishes one — every day. These are the changes we observed in the last 90 days.
- Aug 29, 2026MEDIUM1 new consumer complaint filed with FMCSA (136 → 137 in the last four years).
- Aug 27, 2026MEDIUM1 new consumer complaint filed with FMCSA (135 → 136 in the last four years).
- Aug 26, 2026MEDIUM2 new consumer complaints filed with FMCSA (133 → 135 in the last four years).
- Aug 25, 2026MEDIUM1 new consumer complaint filed with FMCSA (132 → 133 in the last four years).
- Aug 22, 2026MEDIUM1 new consumer complaint filed with FMCSA (131 → 132 in the last four years).
What kind of company is this?
Hauls goods under its own federal authority. The company you hire is the company that moves you.
Federally authorized to move household goods across state lines.
How long this company’s website has existed, from Internet Archive records. Very new websites are a common scam signal.
Fleet size reported in federal filings.
What we checked
- Federally licensed (FMCSA)Active federal authority on file with FMCSA (USDOT 1434373).
- Authorized to move household goodsFMCSA confirms household goods (HHG) carrier authority. This mover is allowed to move home contents.
- State household-goods licenceWe could not complete the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) lookup (checked Aug 12, 2026). This is a gap in our check, not a finding about the company.
- Insurance currently on fileOn-file coverage ($750,000) meets or exceeds federal requirement ($750,000).
- Reviews are consistent across sourcesStar ratings are within 0.7 stars of each other across 3 review sources.
- Operates under a single brand nameNo alternate marketing brand names found on the company website.
- Claimed fleet size matches verified recordsWebsite says over 90 trucks but FMCSA SAFER (power units) shows 25 power units (FMCSA), about 3.6× the verified value.
- Claimed employee count matches verified recordsWebsite says nearly 250 employees nationwide but FMCSA SAFER (drivers) shows 25 drivers (FMCSA), about 10× the verified value.
Other concerns we want to surface
- •10 medium-confidence identity matches awaiting review (advisory; does not block publishing)
- •State licensing still unverified
FMCSA regulatory snapshot
- Authority status
What does this mean?
"Authority" is the FMCSA permission to operate as a federal interstate carrier. NOT AUTHORIZED / INACTIVE means the carrier cannot legally accept interstate moves under federal rules. ACTIVE means they have permission to operate. - AUTHORIZED FOR: Motor Carrier of Property (Except Household Goods); Motor Carrier of Household Goods
- Carrier operation
- Interstate
- Authorized for HHG
What does this mean?
"HHG" stands for Household Goods, the federal category covering home moves. A carrier without HHG authority is not allowed to move home contents across state lines under federal law. - Yes
- Operating status
- ACTIVE
- Trucks
What does this mean?
FMCSA calls these "power units", meaning trucks, tractors, and other registered moving vehicles the carrier owns or leases. - 25
- Drivers
What does this mean?
Drivers the carrier has registered with FMCSA. This is the official number; some carriers operate with more drivers than registered. - 25
- Insurance status
- —
- Safety rating
- Satisfactory
- DOT complaints (FMCSA)
- 142 consumer complaints on fileBy year: 2023: 43 · 2024: 27 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 55 · registry data as of Jul 31, 2026 · FMCSA complaint historyEstimates/Final Charges (60)Loss and Damage (56)Pickup and Delivery (53)Deceptive Business Practices (50)Weighing (44)Shipment Documents (38)Claim Settlement (37)Hostage Goods (27)Operating Authority (11)Insurance (4)Other Commercial Complaints (2)Whistleblower Complaint (1)
- FMCSA enforcement & investigations
- 1 closed enforcement case(s) (six years): TN-2023-3001-US1710 2023-08-03 · SMS recordInvestigations: 2026-06-09 Non-Ratable Review; 2025-04-11 Non-Ratable Review; 2023-04-10 Non-Ratable Review; 2022-02-11 Non-Ratable Review; 2019-05-01 Non-Ratable Review
- Physical address
- 1441 SW 29TH AVE STE 100, POMPANO BEACH, FL 33069
- Operating authority dockets
- ActiveMC681534Motor Carrier of Property (Except Household Goods)ActiveMC681534Motor Carrier of Household Goods
A company can hold several federal dockets over its lifetime. Only an Active docket grants operating authority. An inactive one is history, not a violation.
State household-goods licence
In-state moves are governed by the state, not the FMCSA. This is what Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) shows as of Aug 12, 2026.
Reviews and complaints — every platform we check
Each platform is shown whether or not this company has a listing. “No listing found” means we searched by name and city and nothing matched — it is a fact, not a rating.
Not accredited
What the reviews show
30 reviews read across BBB, TrustpilotThe website says 4.1★ from 2,992 reviews. We could read 5,581 (Yelp 1405, BBB 1184, Trustpilot 2992); Google could not be counted, so this is not the company’s total.
- NOTABLEBBB 4.6★ (1184 reviews) vs Yelp 2.2★ (1405 reviews): a 2.4-star gap between platforms (all platforms, n=2589)
- NOTABLE142 complaints closed with BBB in the last 3 years, 40 in the last 12 months (BBB shows 1184 customer reviews; FMCSA record: 25 trucks) (BBB, n=142)
- WEAK7 of the 10 dated BBB reviews we read were posted on the same day (2026-08-28); BBB shows 1184 reviews in total for this business, so several on one day is within its pace (BBB, n=10)
- BBB · Tina D · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “We had used Colonial [REMOVED]for our long distance move from [REMOVED]back to [REMOVED]. The process was pretty seamless. The guys showed up at our in [REMOVED]and packed and wrapped all of our…” source
- BBB · frank p · 2026-08-28 · 1★: “Colonial van lines demanded that I put a [REMOVED]state to [REMOVED]. I had a scheduled audit with them on 8/26/26. The audit happens to occur on a day that is too late to make a cancellation. During…” source
- BBB · Tracy B · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Colonial Van Lines did a great job with our move! Everything went smoothly from getting a quote to moving into our new home. [REMOVED]was great and easy to communicate with throughout the process.” source
- BBB · Angelo P · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “I searched for 3 quotes and decided on colonial van lines based off of the sales [REMOVED]being open and honest about the move and the estimate. Only issue that became appare t was that I had to have…” source
- WEAK6 of the 20 dated Trustpilot reviews we read were posted on the same day (2026-08-28); Trustpilot shows 2992 reviews in total for this business, so several on one day is within its pace (Trustpilot, n=20)
- Trustpilot · TRACY BILLINGSLEY · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Colonial made our move smooth and easy! From getting a quote to unloading into our new home, the whole process was top-notch. Highly recommend.” source
- Trustpilot · Tim Bolton · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Customer follow up is outstanding and the driver and his team did a phenomenal job on both ends of the move. I would definitely recommend Colonial Vanlines.” source
- Trustpilot · Tom GEORGIA · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Excellent preset items to be moved excellent customer care to review selected items type weight and glass issues 5 star mover in 26 ft box truck GABRIELLE. Excellent packing care on pickup and…” source
- Trustpilot · Phil Raney · 2026-08-28 · 3★: “Physical movers were great on both ends, however delivery was 2 days late, per the 12 day window that we were given. Communication about the whereabouts of our possessions and ETA from customer…” source
- WEAK10 of the 20 Trustpilot reviewers whose review history is visible have written only this one review (Trustpilot, n=20)
- Trustpilot · customer · 2026-09-01 · 4★: “The customer service was very helpful and called to keep me up on everything. My cars got here quickly and there was a little wait for the furniture but it did come in and everything was good. Also I…” source
- Trustpilot · Howard Hemsley · 2026-09-01 · 5★: “We were moved by Colonial from Florida to Georgia for an almost 600 mile move. The crew picked up when they said, loaded us up, assisted with all our questions, and enerally were top notch.…” source
- Trustpilot · customer · 2026-09-01 · 5★: “I had every good experience from start to finish. It was really good. I'd use them again if I do another cross country move.” source
- Trustpilot · customer · 2026-08-31 · 5★: “The communication was excellent throughout the process. I knew what to expect and when things would happen. Everyone I interacted with was courteous, knowledgeable and professional. The pricing was…” source
- WEAK1 pair of reviews under different names across BBB and Trustpilot share near-identical wording (5-word phrase overlap 100%); both texts of each pair are cited (all platforms, n=1)
- BBB · Phil R · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “The communication was excellent throughout the process. I knew what to expect and when things would happen. Everyone I interacted with was courteous, knowledgeable and professional. The pricing was…” source
- Trustpilot · customer · 2026-08-31 · 5★: “The communication was excellent throughout the process. I knew what to expect and when things would happen. Everyone I interacted with was courteous, knowledgeable and professional. The pricing was…” source
- WEAK2 reviewer names appear on two platforms with 4★+ reviews within 30 days: 'Howard H' on BBB and Trustpilot the same day; 'Tracy B' on BBB and Trustpilot the same day (all platforms, n=2)
- BBB · Howard H · 2026-09-01 · 5★: “We were moved by Colonial from Florida to Georgia for an almost 600 mile move. The crew picked up when they said, loaded us up, assisted with all our questions, and enerally were top notch.…” source
- Trustpilot · Howard Hemsley · 2026-09-01 · 5★: “We were moved by Colonial from Florida to Georgia for an almost 600 mile move. The crew picked up when they said, loaded us up, assisted with all our questions, and enerally were top notch.…” source
- BBB · Tracy B · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Colonial Van Lines did a great job with our move! Everything went smoothly from getting a quote to moving into our new home. [REMOVED]was great and easy to communicate with throughout the process.” source
- Trustpilot · TRACY BILLINGSLEY · 2026-08-28 · 5★: “Colonial made our move smooth and easy! From getting a quote to unloading into our new home, the whole process was top-notch. Highly recommend.” source
- INFOThe website claims 4.1★ from 2992 reviews without naming a platform; the most any platform we could read shows is 2992 reviews (Trustpilot) — Google’s listing was found but showed no review count, so another platform may show more (all platforms, n=2992)
- INFOThe 10 dated BBB reviews we read span 7 days (2026-08-27 to 2026-09-02); the 5 closest together fall within 1 day (BBB, n=10)
- INFOThe 20 dated Trustpilot reviews we read span 8 days (2026-08-26 to 2026-09-02); the 5 closest together fall within 1 day (Trustpilot, n=20)
- INFO93% of the reviews we read are 1★ or 5★ (n=30; 24 five-star, 4 one-star) — the usual shape of review distributions, noted for context (all platforms, n=30)
- INFOYelp rating 2.2★ from 1405 reviews (Yelp, n=1405)
Verified customer experience reports
Structured accounts from customers who proved their move with a bill of lading or final invoice, a verified email, and a verified phone. No star ratings, no anonymous reviews, and nothing a company can pay to change — how this works.
No verified customer reports yet. Only customers who can document their move may submit one — that keeps the count honest, and it means it grows slowly.
Moved with Colonial Van Lines? — you will need your bill of lading or final invoice, and a phone that can receive a code.
Work at Colonial Van Lines? Claim this profile to respond publicly to reports. Claiming is free and never changes the records on this page.
The full verification report
The complete record below is compiled from official sources. Access requires a one-time fee, shown at checkout.
Last refreshed Sep 2, 2026. First published Sep 2, 2026. This report pulls from 436 pieces of information across federal, state, review, and identity sources, and is re-checked on a regular cadence. Every claim above links back to its original source.
NMB does not invent facts. When a section reads "—" or "this check has not run yet," that means we have not been able to verify the information from a primary source. It does not mean the answer is good or bad.
Spotted something off?