Santa Cruz Movers for Moves To and From the Bay Area
Ontrack Moving® moves households in both directions between Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area. Santa Cruz moves are dispatched from our Hayward yard, and no broker sits between your quote and your crew.
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Who moves households between Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area?
As of October 2026, Ontrack Moving® moves households between Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area in both directions, on company-owned trucks dispatched from its Hayward yard. Ontrack Moving® is the carrier, not a broker: USDOT #2551548, California household goods license CAL-T190721, rated 4.9/5 from 2,847+ reviews.
To be plain about it: Ontrack Moving® has no office or yard in Santa Cruz County. Moves are dispatched from Hayward, and the trip to your first address and back is a trip charge, which shapes the schedule and the bill, and both are explained below. On FMCSA SAFER, Ontrack Moving® shows a DOT inspection record that exceeds the national average.
Santa Cruz Moving: Quick Facts
- Lane: Santa Cruz County to the Bay Area, or the Bay Area to Santa Cruz County
- Truck leaves from: 22950 Clawiter Rd, Hayward, CA 94545 (no yard or office in Santa Cruz County)
- Main road between them: State Route 17, which Caltrans calls an interregional route connecting the Central Coast with the Bay Area
- Carrier numbers: USDOT #2551548 | MC #889001 | CA CAL-T190721
- Curb space in the City of Santa Cruz: a Public Works permit, signs posted 72 hours ahead
- Phone: (888) 914-8787, weekdays 8am to 6pm, Saturdays 8am to 4:30pm, Sundays 9am to 4:30pm
What makes a Santa Cruz to Bay Area move different?
The road. Caltrans describes State Route 17 as an interregional route connecting the Central Coast with the Bay Area. From its southern end at Highway 1 in Santa Cruz it runs through Scotts Valley, and at the northern end of Scotts Valley it begins a winding ascent of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with lower speed limits at the sharp curves. Caltrans also notes that the largest share of weekday traffic is commuters headed from Santa Cruz County to Santa Clara and other Bay Area counties, and that the route also carries weekend and seasonal tourism traffic. Ontrack Moving® plans the Highway 17 leg around commute traffic, the same way we time loads on our Los Gatos and Campbell moves.
The town. The County describes itself as approximately 65 miles south of San Francisco and 35 miles southwest of Silicon Valley. It has four incorporated cities, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley and Capitola, while communities such as Aptos, Soquel, Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek sit outside them. Curb and parking rules come from whichever city, or the County, governs your street, so the right office to call depends on the address.
The house. The County's own description mentions redwood forests and mountainous areas. A home up a narrow road or a steep driveway needs a different truck plan than a flat street downtown, so describe the road and driveway at the estimate.
How do you plan a move to or from Santa Cruz?
Work back from move day. The City of Santa Cruz sign rule is the item with a fixed clock: signs go up 72 hours before the restriction or they cannot be enforced.
1. Walk us through both houses
Show us the rooms, stairs and parking at the Santa Cruz County end and at the Bay Area end, in person or by video. If the house sits up in the hills, say so and show us the road and the driveway. The written estimate that follows names the crew size and the billing method for your Santa Cruz move.
2. Reserve the curb if you need it
On a City of Santa Cruz street, temporary No Parking permits and signs come from Santa Cruz Public Works. For metered spaces the applicant also pays the meter revenue. In Capitola, Scotts Valley, Watsonville or an unincorporated community, ask the city or the County that governs your street.
3. Pick a start time around Highway 17
If an HOA or property manager runs either building, get its move hours, elevator booking and COI requirements in writing and pass them on when you book. Caltrans says the largest share of weekday Highway 17 traffic is commuters from Santa Cruz County to Santa Clara and other Bay Area counties, so ask us which start time keeps the truck out of that flow. The week of the move, check Caltrans QuickMap, which shows lane closures and road conditions.
4. Move day on the mountain road
The truck comes from Hayward, and that drive to your first address and back is the trip charge. Before anything is carried, the foreman has runners laid over the floors and Masonite over any tile or marble, with pads on door frames and banisters. Pieces are wrapped inside the house, loaded, driven to the other home, and anything taken apart is reassembled at the other end.
How does Ontrack Moving® bill a Santa Cruz move?
A Santa Cruz County to Bay Area move never leaves California, so it runs under our California household goods license. As of October 2026, Ontrack Moving® bills California moves under 100 miles by the hour against a minimum. Hourly rates begin here:
| Crew with truck | From | Hour minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers | $175/hr | 3 |
| 3 movers | $235/hr | 3 |
| 4 movers | $295/hr | 4 |
The drive is on the bill twice. Under California Maximum Rate Tariff 4, Item 36, hourly billable time is load time plus unload time plus two times the drive between the Santa Cruz County address and the Bay Area address. The separate run from Hayward to your first stop and back after unloading is the trip charge, not hourly time. Read more in our moving FAQ.
Treat those figures as where pricing begins, never as a ceiling. The walkthrough decides how many movers you need, materials are charged on their own line, and a City of Santa Cruz No Parking permit or sign fee is the City's charge, not ours.
Final charges will be based on actual labor time, materials used, access conditions, scope changes, waiting time, and any additional services requested or required to complete the move.
What should you ask a mover before a Santa Cruz move?
A mover with no yard in Santa Cruz County still has to get a truck over the mountain to you, so start with travel. Put the same four questions to us and to every other mover on your list.
Who moves households from Santa Cruz to another state?
As of October 2026, Ontrack Moving® (USDOT #2551548) takes Santa Cruz County households to Southern California and other Western US states on company-owned trucks. A Santa Cruz out-of-state move is surveyed first, in the house or over video, then priced on how much truck your inventory fills, how far it goes, the access at each end and the time of year. A flat rate is one option. Valuation options for your belongings are set out in your written estimate and in the FMCSA booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.
Heading for Arizona, Southern California or the Northwest? See Bay Area to Phoenix (yards in Hayward and Peoria), Bay Area to Los Angeles, Bay Area to Portland or Bay Area to Seattle, or start at long-distance moving. If you leave the Santa Cruz house before the new place is ready, storage at the Hayward yard holds the load until delivery.
Packing, pianos, art and the rest of what a Santa Cruz household brings are covered on our residential moving page.
Complex delivery to a college rental, careful crew
Nelson and team are rock stars! I cannot say enough good things about their dedication to providing good service (they were so careful and diligent), solid project management (it was a complex delivery from SF to Cal Poly SLO for my son's college rental w/us living out of state), great communication (text updates, we face-timed), and friendly too. My friend in SF that they picked up from was so pleased with how careful and friendly they were she plans to use them for her own storage / move coming up as well.
Verified on Google
Upstairs and down a narrow driveway, efficient and courteous movers
I used both the packing and moving service from Fremont to San Carlos. The whole process from setting up the appointment was extremely easy and the price was fair considering the new location was upstairs and down a narrow driveway. The movers Johnathan and Andres were extremely efficient, helpful, and above all polite, courteous, and understanding.
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Dublin to Fresno in a single day
Ceasar, Eduardo, and Victor were amazing. They moved us from Dublin to a two bedroom in Fresno in a single day. They went above and beyond especially in weather over 100 degrees and up three flights of stairs. I wouldn’t want any other team! I appreciate all their work immensely.
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Half an hour away, stairs handled quickly
We were moving from one town to another about half an hour away. The movers showed up, got everything in, and even took some stuff we though wasn't ready to go yet. They shrink-wrapped the loose stuff, and got everything down a set of stairs quickly and efficiently. It was super hot and they hardly ever stopped...
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Antiques, stairs and a narrow front door
It took five people five hours to move all of my things into the storage unit, and I was proud of us for being fast, young, jacked, and efficient. Carlos and Tony from OnTrack moved it all into my new place in an hour and a half. I had heavy antique furniture, delicate kitchenware, stairs, and a narrow front door entrance. Five stars.
Verified on Google
Narrow stairs with tight turns, would use again
Sam and his team did a great job with my move, which involved some pretty narrow stairs with tight turns. This is the second time I’ve used this company for a move and I’ll definitely recommend them to friends and use them in the future if I move again. They’re very prompt, communicative and professional.
Verified on Google
Santa Cruz moving questions
The Hayward dispatch, City of Santa Cruz curb permits, Highway 17 billing, mountain homes and licensing.
Movers on the Bay Area side of Highway 17
Ontrack Moving® serves the South Bay and the rest of the Bay Area from its Hayward yard.
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