Local and long-distance movers for Cranford, New Jersey (07016), based five miles downriver in Rahway. Our own crews and trucks, no brokers.
Cranford is the closest Union County town to our yard. The Rahway River runs out of Cranford and down past our own town, and the river shapes more Cranford moves than anything else: elevated houses, lower levels that aren’t really basements, and a few streets where we plan the day differently.
Three things come up again and again: flood-zone houses, older houses with additions, and a couple of parking rules.
Cranford has more repeat-flood properties than any other town in Union County, and they’re concentrated along Riverside Drive, Edgar Avenue, Glenwood Road, Belmont Avenue, Richmond Avenue, Venetia Avenue and Balmiere Parkway. If you’re on one of those streets, two things change about your move.
Your lower level may not be a true basement. The township’s floodplain rules require the lowest floor to sit at or above the flood elevation, so a lot of what people call the basement in a flood-zone house is an at-grade enclosure with flood vents, allowed only for parking, access or storage. It’s easier to carry out of than a cellar. But whatever is down there has usually been stored assuming water, so we pack it that way, and we photograph anything with existing damage before it’s wrapped.
If your house has been elevated, the carry is up and down an outside staircase, often with a switchback, in whatever weather the day brings. It takes longer and it takes more hands on the heavy pieces. We price that in rather than discover it.
Cranford’s typical house dates from the early 1950s, and about a third of the town’s homes were built before 1940. Growth here is infill rather than new subdivisions, so plenty of 1920s and 1930s houses have a rear addition or a finished attic that was added decades later. That usually means a second, narrower staircase up to a converted third floor, and original stairs that were never meant for a sectional or a king box spring.
We walk the route out before the first piece moves, pad the banisters and door casings, and take apart upstairs whatever wouldn’t make the turn. Twenty minutes at the start, and no surprises at the landing.
Cranford limits trucks over four tons on the streets below, but the ordinance has an exception for pickups and deliveries to addresses on those streets. If you live on one, the truck can still come to your door. What it can’t do is cut through, so our route in and out may not be the one your GPS picks.
| Restricted for the full length | Restricted in part |
|---|---|
| Eastman Street | Brookside Place — Orchard St to the Garwood line |
| Elizabeth Avenue | Gallows Hill Road — Brookside Pl to the Westfield line |
| Forest Avenue | Walnut Avenue — South Ave south to Raritan Road |
| Holly Street | — |
| Lincoln Avenue East and West | — |
| North Union Avenue | — |
| Manor Avenue | — |
| Miln Street | — |
| Roger Avenue | — |
| Lexington Avenue | — |
The rule that does affect planning: vehicles over a half-ton carrying capacity can’t park on township streets between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. A loaded truck can’t sit outside overnight. On a two-day job it goes back to our yard in Rahway and comes back in the morning, five miles each way.
| The job | Volume | Crew | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condo or two-family unit, partial packing | 300–400 cu ft | 2–3 movers | About 3 hours |
| Older colonial, no packing | 500–800 cu ft | 3 movers | About 6 hours |
| Older colonial, full packing | 500–800 cu ft | 3 movers | About 9 hours |
| Elevated or flood-zone home, full packing | 500–800 cu ft | 3–4 movers | Add 1–2 hours for the outside carry |
Cranford’s houses run smaller than Westfield’s or Berkeley Heights’: the stock is older and denser, with a good share of two-family houses and a downtown apartment supply. What moves the number here is access, not square footage.
Most Cranford moves we quote stay in New Jersey, often next door: Westfield and Garwood to the west, Kenilworth and Roselle Park to the north and east, Clark to the south, and Springfield and Summit further up. New Jersey to Florida is the other route we run constantly, with our own crews at both ends: headquarters here and our Florida branch in Sunrise, just west of Fort Lauderdale. Our New Jersey movers page covers everything that applies statewide.
Local moves are billed by the hour, by crew size. A three-person crew with a truck is $190 an hour, a four-person crew is $225. There’s a four-hour minimum that includes travel time, so the smallest job comes to about $800.
Worked example: a three-person crew for a three-hour move is billed as four hours (three on site plus the travel hour), and four hours at $190 is $760. Packing materials, if we pack, are added on top.
A condo or a two-family unit in Cranford often lands near the minimum. From there the number goes up with access more than size: an elevated house with an outside stair carry adds an hour or two on its own.
Packing materials and crating are separate. You get the estimate in writing before move day, and if you want the number locked in, ask for a binding estimate. Our guide to binding and non-binding estimates explains what each one commits us to.
We have 590 Google reviews on our Rahway profile, averaging 4.4 stars. Four of them, quoted as written. The rest are on our testimonials page and on Google.
“Expedite movers were absolutely the best movers I ever had. They came and packed my entire 3 bedroom apartment in record time. I would highly recommend Yohan and his crew for anyone moving in the NJ area.”
Lara F. · Google review, Jan 2025“Sylvester, Donald and Elysee did 2 big moves for me in August and September across 2 cities in NJ. They were prompt, did a FABULOUS job and took great care of my furniture. They even assembled my dining table and 2 bedroom sets. I highly recommend these guys for any move big or small!”
Arif Q. · Google review, Sep 2025“Thanks you expedite for moving my father into his 55+ community. I would advise everyone in New Jersey to use expedite. Thanks again to Yohan dexter and elysse”
Jerry G. · Google review, Jan 2025“These guys did a great job moving us from New Jersey to State College Pa.”
Michael W. · Google review, Sep 2025Yes. The township ordinance limits through traffic on those streets, with an express exception for pickups and deliveries to addresses on them. A moving truck loading at your house is a delivery. We may approach from a different direction than you expect, and that’s all that changes.
It changes how we pack the lower level. Anything stored down there has probably been kept assuming it might get wet, so we pack it as if it has, and we photograph anything with existing damage before it’s wrapped. If the lower level is an at-grade enclosure with flood vents rather than a cellar, the carry out is usually easier.
Not a problem, but it’s a longer job. The carry goes up and down an outside staircase, often with a switchback, so we add crew and time rather than rush it. Send a photo of the stairs with your estimate request.
Local moves are $190 an hour for a three-person crew with a truck, with a four-hour minimum that includes travel time, so the smallest job is about $800. A condo or two-family unit often lands near that. An older colonial with full packing is a long day, and an elevated house adds an hour or two for the outside carry.
Two to three weeks is comfortable for most dates. For the last few days of a month, and for June through August, book as early as you can, because those dates fill first.
Yes. Expedite Moving, Inc. is registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Reg. #39PC00116900, and holds USDOT 2491702. If your building or your buyer’s attorney needs a certificate of insurance, ask us and we’ll send one before the day.
Tell us what is moving and where it is going. If the house is elevated or the access is tight, say so and we will come and look. The estimate is in writing before the day.
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