The quick check before you book
Do these five things before you pay a deposit or sign anything.
- Get the USDOT number. Interstate movers must put it in every ad, written as "U.S. DOT No." plus the number (49 CFR 375.207). If the company won't give it to you, stop there.
- Look it up yourself. Enter the number in FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot and its mover search tool. Type those addresses in yourself instead of clicking a link the company sends.
- Find out who will actually move your things. The record shows whether the company is a carrier, a broker, or both.
- Get written estimates based on a survey of your belongings, in person or by video. FMCSA's Ready to Move? brochure suggests at least three.
- Check complaints and paperwork before moving day. Our moving checklist shows when to do each step.
Is my mover licensed? Reading the USDOT lookup
For a move across state lines, a company needs two things from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The first is a USDOT number, the ID FMCSA uses to track a company's safety record. A move counts as interstate even if it starts and ends in one state but passes through another (FMCSA). The second is operating authority: permission to haul other people's goods for pay across state lines, or to arrange that hauling. It usually shows up as an "MC" number (FMCSA).
What to check on the SAFER snapshot
| Field | Good sign | Stop and ask |
|---|---|---|
| USDOT Status | ACTIVE | INACTIVE (required registration update not filed) or OUT-OF-SERVICE |
| Operating Authority Status | AUTHORIZED FOR, listing "Motor Carrier of Household Goods" (or "Broker of Household Goods" for a broker) | NOT AUTHORIZED, OUT-OF-SERVICE, or only authority marked "Except Household Goods" |
| Out of Service Date | None | Any date |
| Carrier Operation and Cargo Carried | Interstate, with Household Goods checked | Intrastate only, or Household Goods not checked |
| Legal Name, DBA Name, Physical Address | Match the website, estimate, and truck | A different name, or no street address |
| MCS-150 Form Date | Within the last two years or so | More than two years old |
Per SAFER's help page, NOT AUTHORIZED means the USDOT number is active but the company has no operating authority, so it can't run an interstate for-hire move. The label doesn't apply to intrastate-only operations, so a purely local mover may show it legitimately. Carriers must update their registration every 24 months or risk deactivation (49 CFR 390.19). The snapshot's Licensing & Insurance link opens FMCSA's record of the company's authority and insurance filings.
Search by USDOT number, not name. Mover names often look alike, and the number points to one company.
What to check in FMCSA's mover search
The Search Movers & Complaint History tool covers interstate movers only. A registered company's page says FMCSA authorizes it to transport or arrange the transport of household goods. It also shows fleet size, any safety rating, and four years of complaint counts in categories such as estimates and final charges, weighing, hostage goods, and claim settlement. Bigger companies do more moves and draw more complaints, FMCSA notes, so weigh complaints against fleet size.
Mover or broker? Know who will show up
A mover owns trucks, employs crews, and takes responsibility for your goods. A broker owns no trucks and only arranges the move with a mover (FMCSA). Brokers are legal, but federal rules require them to:
- Register with FMCSA and show their street address, USDOT number, and MC number in ads and on their website (49 CFR 371.107).
- Tell you they won't transport your goods, and list the movers they use, with each one's USDOT and MC numbers (49 CFR 371.109).
- Use only FMCSA-authorized movers, and base any estimate on that mover's tariff and a survey done by that mover (49 CFR 371.113).
- Post their cancellation, deposit, and refund policies (49 CFR 371.117).
Ask which company's name and USDOT number will be on your bill of lading, and look that company up too. The bill of lading must list the USDOT numbers of the carriers on the job, when known (49 CFR 375.505).
Binding vs non-binding estimates (and not-to-exceed)
Interstate movers must give you a written estimate, signed by both of you, with a dated copy for you (49 CFR 375.401). It can change only before loading, and only if you both agree.
| Estimate type | What you pay at delivery | If the load is heavier | Fee to get one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-binding | Up to 110% of the estimate, plus services you add later and limited extra charges | You owe the tariff price for the actual weight; the excess is billed later | Not allowed |
| Binding | The estimate amount | Price holds unless you add items or services | Mover may charge |
| Binding not-to-exceed | The lower of the estimate or the actual charges | Price is capped at the estimate | Depends on the mover; get terms in writing |
If you add items to a binding move, the mover must, before loading, reaffirm the estimate, write a new one, or agree in writing to treat it as non-binding (49 CFR 375.403). Non-binding rules are in 375.405. Federal rules don't define "not-to-exceed." North Carolina's regulator describes it as a guaranteed maximum: if actual charges come in lower, you pay the lower amount (NCUC).
The 110% rule, with numbers
Say your non-binding estimate is $4,000 and the actual charges come to $5,000. With no added services, the mover must release your goods once you pay $4,400, then bill the remaining $600 after 30 days. At delivery it can also collect for services you requested after the bill of lading was issued, plus "impracticable operations" charges capped at 15% of the other charges due (49 CFR 375.407). A mover that won't unload after you pay what's required is holding your goods hostage, which federal law prohibits (Appendix A).
The survey rule and the old 50-mile exception
Estimates must be based on a physical survey of your belongings, on-site or virtual. Virtual means live or pre-recorded video that clearly shows what's going (49 CFR 375.103). Older guides say surveys were required only within 50 miles of the mover's location; a 2022 FMCSA rule dropped that limit. You can waive the survey, but only in writing, signed before loading.
Non-binding interstate estimates are based on the estimated weight or volume of what you ship. Settle what to sell before moving ahead of the survey, so those items aren't priced in. The sell-or-move calculator compares an item's moving cost with its value, and a PieceOut sale can clear the rest before move-out day.
Paperwork your mover must give you
- Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. Interstate movers must give you this FMCSA booklet and the "Ready to Move?" brochure with your written estimate (49 CFR 375.213). A web link can replace paper, but then you sign a dated receipt. Brokers must provide both too (49 CFR 371.111).
- Before you sign the bill of lading: the estimate, a notice that you can see the mover's tariff, a summary of its arbitration program, and its complaint process with a phone number.
- The bill of lading, 3 days ahead. You must get, sign, and date it at least 3 days before loading, and you can cancel without penalty for 3 days after signing (49 CFR 375.505). It must show the mover's name as registered with FMCSA and its physical address.
- No blank forms. A mover may not require you to sign a blank document. Only the actual weight (on a non-binding move) and charges that can't be known before loading may be left open.
- An inventory. The crew lists each item and its condition, and you both sign every page. Note any disagreement before you sign (Appendix A).
Valuation: what you get if something breaks
Valuation sets how much the mover owes if your things are lost or damaged. It isn't the same as a separate insurance policy, and the Surface Transportation Board (STB) regulates the levels.
| Option | Cost | What the mover owes |
|---|---|---|
| Full Value Protection (the default) | Costs extra; must be included in your first estimate | Repair, replace, or pay replacement cost, up to the declared value. With no declared value, the minimum is the higher of $6.00 per pound times shipment weight or $6,000, and movers may set it higher. List items worth over $100 per pound. |
| Released Value (waiver of Full Value Protection) | No extra charge | 60 cents per pound per item. A lost 40-pound TV worth $600 pays $24. |
You get released value only if you waive Full Value Protection in writing (Appendix A). Movers must offer a full value rate with no deductible; cheaper versions with a deductible are allowed (STB). The $6.00 and $6,000 minimums come from the STB's 2012 decision, which lets movers raise the per-pound figure each year for inflation.
Moving scams: red flags that mean walk away
Most of these come from FMCSA's red-flag list, the DOT Inspector General, and the FTC.
- A price given over the phone or online, sight unseen, or a promise to figure out the cost after loading.
- A demand for cash or a large deposit before the move, or payment only by cash, wire transfer, or money order.
- Pressure to pay a deposit today to "lock in the rate," or a stream of unsolicited calls and emails.
- Blank documents to sign, or no Rights and Responsibilities booklet.
- No local address or registration details on the website, a phone answered with just "Movers," or a generic email address.
- A company name on the estimate, truck, or bill of lading that differs from the USDOT record, with no clear explanation.
- A claim that their insurance covers everything.
- A claim of decades in business, with little online presence or reviews that span only a short period.
- A rental truck on moving day, a vague storage location, or a sudden claim that you have more stuff than estimated.
Local moves, claims, and complaints
If you're moving within one state
Requirements for in-state moves vary, so check with your state or local consumer affairs agency or attorney general (FMCSA). California's Bureau of Household Goods and Services, for example, licenses movers working within, into, or out of the state, and says in-state moving agreements should include a "Not to Exceed" price. North Carolina requires in-state movers to hold a state certificate. A move that crosses a state line inside one commercial zone, such as Brooklyn to Hackensack, N.J., also falls outside FMCSA's household goods rules (Appendix A). FMCSA keeps a state-by-state contact list, and our movers by city pages list local options.
If something goes wrong
- File a written claim with the mover within 9 months of delivery. It must acknowledge the claim within 30 days and give you a decision within 120 days, unless it tells you in writing that it needs an extension (Appendix A).
- Use the mover's arbitration program if you disagree. For claims of $10,000 or less, arbitration is binding if you request it, and the mover can't charge you more than half the cost to start it (49 CFR 375.211).
- File a complaint with FMCSA through the National Consumer Complaint Database or at 1-888-368-7238, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. FMCSA can't settle your claim, but a complaint can trigger an investigation (FMCSA). Have the USDOT and MC numbers, estimate, bill of lading, and inventory ready (FMCSA).
- Report fraud to the DOT Inspector General hotline at 1-800-424-9071 and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For an in-state move, contact your state agency.