About Hutchcraft Van Service, Inc.

Two brothers, a 1926 Hudson automobile and a readiness to move anything from a single chair to University of Illinois college students’ baggage to delivery items for Sears, Roebuck & Co. marked the beginning of Hutchcraft Van Service, Inc. back in 1946.

Today, the company launched by Orin and Gerald Hutchcraft has grown to serve Central Illinois, Western Indiana, providing regional and international moving and storage services.

We have been a United Van Lines agent since 1953 and currently operate a large fleet of more than 50 vehicles handling moves across the continental United States and Canada. For well over 40 years, we’ve been managing local corporate accounts, and pride ourselves in being among the best long distance moving companies around.

We are also charter members of the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association, a statewide not-for-profit trade association that helps ensure licensing and quality in the movers you choose.

 

Hutchcraft Van Service, Inc. Timeline

A family owned business since 1947, we think of our service as “our family moving your family for over 60 years.” See the timeline below to get a glimpse at the course of events that has brought us to where we are today, providing comprehensive moving and storage services to families everywhere.

World War II – 18-year-old Orin C. Hutchcraft performs duty in Europe while younger brother Gerald learns the ropes working with a local moving company in Champaign, Illinois.

1946 – The brothers use Orin’s accumulated service pay to purchase a 1926 Hudson automobile modified with a truck bed. The brothers haul baggage for U of I students to and from the railroad station.

1947 – Company founded. Hutchcraft Van Service, Inc. begins making deliveries for Sears, Roebuck & Co. and moving household goods for local families. This is post-war America: families are growing and society is moving and changing quickly. More moving and storage services are needed.

1953 – The brothers become agents for United Van Lines, a relatively new carrier designed to meet a national, growing demand.

1964 – Company moves to first of its current two locations: North Lincoln Avenue near newly constructed Interstate 74.

1968 – Company is growing quickly: the warehouse is expanded to double its original size.

1970s – Orin III and daughter-in-law Kathy along with brothers Gerald Jr. and Jim take various positions as the second generation in the Hutchcraft family business. Hutchcraft becomes known for quality and service. With its top-notch facilities, equipment and personnel, the company is a model United Van Lines agency.

1987 – Orin and Gerald retire, and their sons take on the new challenges of this industry, including office and industrial relocation, electronic and special products shipping, record storage, and international relocation.

1992 – Orin Sr.’s demand for quality earns recognition from his peers in the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association, establishing the Orin C. Hutchcraft Quality Service Award in 1992, recognizing “dedication and superior service above and beyond the call of duty.”

Today – With a fleet of more than 50 vehicles, including such specialized equipment as trailers and trucks fitted with heavy-duty lifts and gates, Hutchcraft Van Service, Inc. continues to be family owned and operated, and continues the tradition of quality into the new millennium, offering reliable Illinois warehousing and moving solutions to our customers.