Hiring a mover: licenses, estimates, valuation and the bill of lading

Check a mover by its USDOT and MC numbers or state license, compare binding and non-binding estimates, choose valuation in writing and read the bill of lading before loading.

Checking the mover: USDOT, MC, license, carrier or broker Understand

Which rules protect you depends first on where the goods go. The federal rules in this chapter, 49 CFR Part 375, apply to a household goods motor carrier "only when" it moves an individual's goods in interstate commerce (49 CFR Part 375, eCFR). That means a move between states, and also a move between two places in one state that passes through another state (49 CFR 390.5). They do not cover a container you load and unload yourself, a move your employer pays for, or a move across a state line inside one city's commercial zone; Moving services compared sets out that test. A move that stays inside one state is under that state's rules where the state has them. Everything below marked federal is for interstate moves; the state rows are examples. Ask the authority

USDOT and MC numbers

A USDOT number is the registration number the U.S. Department of Transportation assigns to a company that operates commercial vehicles in interstate commerce. An MC number is the docket number for a company's operating authority, the permission to carry or arrange the carriage of goods for pay; a broker has one too. Every interstate mover's advertisement has to carry its registered name and its USDOT number in the form "U.S. DOT No." (49 CFR 375.207), and FMCSA's tips say to avoid movers and brokers whose ads leave it out (FMCSA, Tips for a Successful Move).

FMCSA's mover search tool takes a name, a USDOT number or an MC number and shows the company's headquarters, registration status, the type of authority it holds (carrier, broker or freight forwarder), its complaint history and sometimes a safety rating (FMCSA, Search for a Registered Mover). Three things about reading it:

• Registered is not the same as authorized. FMCSA's FAQ says a company "may be registered but not authorized" to move household goods, and brokers do not receive the "authorized" designation (FMCSA, Protect Your Move FAQ). Look for active household goods authority as a carrier.
• The search is not an endorsement. FMCSA says it and DOT do not endorse any company on the basis of these data, and that a missing safety rating does not by itself mean an unsafe operation.
• The search covers interstate movers only. A local mover will not appear, which says nothing about it either way. Use the state lookup below.

Write the USDOT number, the MC number, the authority type and the date you looked on the quotes sheet. The number on the truck that arrives on moving day should match; the moving-day sheet in Moving day has a line for it.

Carrier or broker

A carrier (in the regulation, a household goods motor carrier) owns or operates the trucks, employs the crew and is responsible for your goods while it has them. A broker arranges the move and hands it to a carrier. FMCSA's comparison puts it plainly: a broker "does not own trucks" and is "not authorized to transport goods" (FMCSA, Movers vs. Brokers). Using a broker is legal. What changes is who you are dealing with, and the federal broker rules say what a broker has to hand over (49 CFR Part 371, subpart B):

• a list of every carrier it uses, with each one's USDOT and MC numbers, and a statement that the broker is not a carrier;
• its physical address, USDOT and MC numbers in its ads, with a statement that it will not transport the goods;
• its cancellation, deposit and refund policies;
• an estimate only when a carrier has agreed in writing to adopt it, based on that carrier's tariff and on a survey done by that carrier (49 CFR 375.409).

So the question to ask any company that quotes you is: "Who will carry my goods, and what are its USDOT and MC numbers?" Then look that carrier up as well. A broker that cannot name a carrier cannot give you an estimate under these rules. States can go further: Florida, as an example, bars moving brokers from giving any estimate for a move within Florida and requires every broker document to state at the top that the broker "is not a mover" (Florida Statutes chapter 507).

A move inside one state: the state license

For an in-state move, any license comes from the state, and FMCSA notes that for in-state moves the requirements vary. FTC's advice for in-state moves is to ask your state's consumer protection office (FTC, Avoid scams when you hire a moving company). The five states below are examples of what a lookup can look like; your own state's regulator or consumer office is the route for yours. Ask the authority

Red flags, and the booklet you should receive

FMCSA, the FTC and the Better Business Bureau describe the same warning signs. Each is a reason to ask more questions before you book. Agency guidance

• No survey: a price given by phone or online "sight unseen", or a cost to be set "after loading" (FMCSA, Spot the Red Flags).
• A demand for cash or a large deposit. No federal rule caps deposits; FMCSA and the FTC both list a large one as a warning sign, and California's BHGS adds deposits by electronic transfer.
• Paperwork with blank spaces to sign. The FTC says not to hire a company that asks for it.
• No local address, registration or insurance information on the website, a phone answered only as "Movers", or a claim that all goods are covered by the company's insurance.
• No USDOT number in the ads, and no booklet.

The FTC adds one more habit: search the company's name with the words "complaint" or "scam" before you book. For case examples of how a low quote turned into a much higher bill after loading, see the BBB's 2020 mover study, read for its cases rather than its summary of the rules.

The booklet. With the written estimate, an interstate mover gives you two FMCSA publications, as paper copies or links: "Ready to Move?" and Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (49 CFR 375.213). Before the bill of lading, it also gives you a notice that you can see its tariff, a summary of its arbitration program and its complaint procedure. The current booklet is FMCSA's October 2022 revision (Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (PDF)). Tick "booklet received" on the quotes sheet for each mover. California, as an example, gives in-state customers a $100 refund if the mover does not make sure they have the state's own booklet.

Estimates: binding, non-binding and what you pay at delivery

An interstate mover "must conduct a physical survey" of your goods and give you a written estimate based on it (49 CFR 375.401). A survey is the mover's look at what you are moving. Since the 2022 rule it can be on-site or virtual; a virtual survey uses live or recorded video that lets the mover clearly identify the goods (Federal Register, April 26, 2022 rule). You can waive the survey only in writing, signed before loading. A price given over the phone is not an estimate: the federal text calls a mover's verbal quote "not an official estimate."

The estimate has to say whether it is binding or non-binding. That one word decides how the final price is set. Regulation

A binding estimate is a fixed price for listed goods and services. A non-binding estimate is the mover's forecast of a bill that will be computed from the shipment's real weight. A mover may estimate by volume and convert to weight, but then it must explain the conversion formula in writing.

The delivery-day amount: the 110 percent rule

The most misread number in moving is "110 percent." It does not cap the bill. It caps what the mover can require from you on delivery day before it must hand over your goods. The regulation sets that amount for a non-binding estimate as three parts added together (49 CFR 375.703; the statute is 49 U.S.C. 13707):

1. 110 percent of the original non-binding estimate;
2. charges for services you asked for after the bill of lading was issued;
3. charges for impracticable operations, up to 15 percent of all the other charges due at delivery. These are services the mover's tariff allows when the move is not possible as planned, such as the truck being unable to reach the door; the tariff says what counts.

A move paid in full at delivery is called collect on delivery (COD). For a binding estimate the amount is the same, with 100 percent in place of 110. Anything above that amount is billed after 30 days, and you still owe it. The delivery-day check does this arithmetic on your own figures. It does not say whether a charge is owed; that is a question for your paperwork and, in a dispute, for arbitration or a court.

When a mover finds after the bill of lading that it needs to perform a service you did not ask for, you get at least one hour to decide, and those charges come after 30 days rather than at delivery. Services you request after the bill of lading need a new signed estimate.

Accessorial charges: stairs, elevators, long carries

Accessorial charges are the charges for services beyond loading, driving and unloading: carrying goods up or down stairs (a flight charge), using an elevator, a long carry when the truck cannot park near the door, or a shuttle, a smaller vehicle used where the large truck cannot reach. The regulation puts the burden on the mover: it determines these charges before the bill of lading, and if it fails to ask about them, it "must deliver the goods and bill the shipper after 30 days" (49 CFR 375.401). So tell every mover about stairs, elevators, parking and long walks at both ends, in writing, during the survey. If the mover reasonably expects an accessorial service is needed and you refuse it, the mover has to refuse the shipment and note why (49 CFR 375.505). California, as an example, defines its long carry as a truck that cannot park within 75 feet of the door.

Payment

The form of payment is fixed on the estimate and repeated on the bill of lading, and the mover has to accept it at delivery unless you agree in writing to change it (49 CFR 375.217). If the mover takes cards, it delivers only when it can get authorization, so check your card's limit before delivery day. A card payment counts the same as cash, and the regulation lets a mover treat a chargeback as an "involuntary extension" of credit. After delivery, the mover presents its invoice for any balance within 15 days, excluding weekends and federal holidays, and the credit period of 7 days is extended automatically to 30 calendar days, with a service charge of 1 percent of the invoice, at least $20, for each 30-day extension (49 CFR 375.807).

"Not to exceed" is a state term. Federal rules define two estimate types. California requires a "Not to Exceed Price" on every in-state moving agreement, and its written estimates are binding on the mover. Texas defines a "not-to-exceed" proposal that lets the mover charge less than the maximum but not more. If an interstate mover offers a "not to exceed" price, ask which of the two federal types it is and get that word on the estimate. Ask the authority

Valuation: what the mover pays if something is lost or broken

Valuation is the level of the mover's liability for your goods: how much it owes you if something is lost or damaged in its care. It is not insurance. The Insurance Information Institute says mover liability "is not technically insurance" and is not governed by state insurance laws (Triple-I, Getting the right insurance coverage for moving). On an interstate move there are two levels, set by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in its released-rates decision of January 2012, RR 999 (Amendment No. 5), still the newest one on November 2, 2026 (STB, RR 999 decision (PDF)). The STB's own plain-language page explains both (STB, Lost or Damaged Items).

Full value protection is the default federal level: the mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods, up to the value you declare. A declared value is the total you state for the whole shipment; it caps what the mover can owe, and the $6.00 a pound or $6,000 floor applies when you declare less or nothing. A deductible is the part of a loss you bear before the mover pays. Released value is the lower level: at most 60 cents a pound for each article, whatever the article was worth. The STB's examples are a 20-pound flat-screen TV, which would recover $12.00, and a 10-pound marble statue, $6.00.

Two points keep full value protection from being read as "new for old." First, the mover chooses how to settle: repair, replacement or cash. Second, the federal claims rule tells household goods carriers to start from the replacement cost and "apply a depreciation factor" to reach the current actual value (49 CFR 370.9(b)). The statute says "replacement value"; the claims rule adds depreciation; neither says how large the factor is. Ask each mover, in writing, how it values a claim under the level you choose. Ask the authority

Extraordinary-value items

An article of extraordinary value is one worth more than $100 a pound: jewelry, a watch, a small painting, often a laptop. Under full value protection, the mover can limit its liability for such an article to $100 a pound unless you listed it in writing; listed, it is covered up to the declared value (49 CFR 375.203). The STB describes a declaration form a mover can attach to the bill of lading for the list. The STB's page also suggests carrying high-value and sentimental items yourself, which is the route in Your inventory. Weigh each candidate on a bathroom scale and divide its value by its weight; the valuation check flags any article over $100 a pound.

Insurance: the mover's and your own

A mover can sell or arrange liability insurance only when you have chosen released value; it must issue a written policy at the time of sale, and if it fails to, the mover becomes fully liable for loss or damage claims (49 CFR 375.303). Disputes with that insurer are outside the mover rules. Your own homeowners or renters policy is a separate question. Triple-I says those policies cover belongings in transit but "will not pay" for damage done while the movers are handling or packing them, and describes trip transit coverage and floaters as add-ons. Call your insurer before you choose a level and ask three things: whether your policy covers goods in transit, what deductible applies, and whether a transit policy or a floater for high-value items is available. Ask the authority

The bill of lading, the inventory and the weighing

The bill of lading is "both the receipt and the contract" for an interstate move. Since June 2022, the mover has to give it to you, and you sign and date it, at least 3 days before loading; you then have 3 days to rescind it "without any penalty" (49 CFR 375.505). A Saturday loading means a bill of lading by Wednesday. Changes made on moving day through a new estimate do not restart the 3 days. The same 2022 rule deleted the federal order for service, the separate form that used to come before the bill of lading; its contents moved into the bill of lading. FMCSA's own Tips page still describes a partially completed copy handed over on moving day, and New York still uses an order for service for in-state moves, so you may meet both descriptions. For an interstate move, the regulation is the one to go by. Regulation

What to read on it

The regulation lists 17 items the bill of lading must carry. Read it against your estimate, line by line, with the quotes sheet beside you:

Two rules protect you while you sign. The mover may not require you to sign a blank document; an incomplete one may be signed only when what is missing is not known until loading, such as the actual weight. And the bill of lading is signed again at destination, with a dated copy for you. Keep it until delivery, payment and any claim are settled; it is the document Damage, delays and disputes starts from.

The inventory

The mover's inventory is a written, itemized list of "every carton and every uncartoned item," each with a matching number on a tag or label (49 CFR 375.503). It is prepared before or at loading, and you can observe and verify it. Both of you sign it, and you get a copy with the bill of lading. At delivery you can check each item and its condition and write missing and damaged items on it, and you get a copy of those notes. Your own box register sits beside the mover's inventory; it does not replace it. Write the mover's inventory number next to your own box number as each box is tagged.

The weighing

On a non-binding move priced by weight, the mover weighs the truck on a certified scale. On an origin weigh, it weighs the empty truck first (the tare weight) and the loaded truck after (the gross weight); the difference is the net weight of your goods. A back weigh does the same at destination, loaded first, empty after. Pads, dollies and ramps stay aboard for both weighings, and the driver and crew get off the truck. Shipments of 3,000 pounds or less may go on a platform or warehouse scale. Regulation

• You may watch every weighing. The mover tells you where and when and gives you a reasonable chance to be there (49 CFR 375.513). Not attending counts as waiving that right.
• You may ask for a reweigh on an origin-weighed shipment, after you are told the billing weight and before unloading. The charges follow the reweigh.
• Each weighing has a weight ticket, signed by the weigh master, with the scale's name and location, the date, the weights, the vehicle number, your last name and the bill of lading number. True copies come with the bill.
• On a collect-on-delivery move, you can ask to be told the actual weight and charges at least one full day before delivery, not counting weekends and federal holidays.

Dates, delays and storage

The mover delivers on the agreed date or within the period on the bill of lading. When it cannot, it has to tell you as soon as the delay is apparent, at its own expense, give new dates with your needs in mind, and keep a written record, which you can ask to have sent to you (49 CFR 375.605). If you have a gap between homes, ask how storage-in-transit is charged: that is storage the mover arranges during the move, while it stays liable for the goods. Before it becomes permanent storage, the mover owes you at least 10 days' written notice. Damage, delays and disputes covers what to do when the truck is late.

See it: the Brandts' three quotes and Walter's license check See it

Company C first. A price by phone with no survey is not an estimate under the federal rules, and when the Brandts ask who would carry their goods, Company C says it is a broker and names no carrier. A broker has to give a list of its carriers with their USDOT and MC numbers, and can estimate only under a carrier's written agreement after that carrier's survey. The Brandts drop it and mark the row "dropped" on the sheet.

Mover A against Mover B. The two movers surveyed the same house and estimated weights 1,200 pounds apart, so the two prices are not yet for the same goods. The binding $9,850 holds for the goods Mover A listed, whatever they weigh. Mover B's $7,400 is a forecast; its bill follows the scale. Under the Brandts' assumption, Mover B at Mover A's 8,200 pounds would come to about $8,670. If the shipment weighs 8,400 pounds and the charges come to $8,880 with no added services, the delivery-day check gives:

Under these assumptions, Mover B's total of $8,880 is still $970 below Mover A's binding $9,850, but only potentially: the weight is the fact that settles it, and if the stairs turn out not to be in Mover B's estimate, they are an accessorial charge on top. The Brandts write both open questions to Mover B and put its answers in the notes column. Which mover to hire is their decision; the sheet shows them what each price depends on.

Valuation. They choose full value protection with a declared value of $60,000 and a $500 deductible (fictional pricing in each mover's tariff), rather than released value. In the valuation check, the federal minimum at 8,200 pounds is $49,200 ($6.00 times 8,200), and at 8,400 pounds $50,400, so their $60,000 declared value is above the floor either way and becomes the cap. Under released value, a 40-pound table worth $1,200 would recover at most $24 (60 cents times 40). Anything they find worth more than $100 a pound goes on the mover's extraordinary-value list or into the car.

The bill of lading. With loading on Monday, June 21, the chosen mover's bill of lading has to reach them, signed and dated, by Friday, June 18. Elena reads it against the estimate with the table above beside her and checks the valuation line before signing.

• FMCSA, Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (PDF): the booklet an interstate mover must give you, in the agency's plain language.
• FMCSA, Movers vs. Brokers: a one-page comparison of who owns the trucks and who answers for the goods.
• STB, Lost or Damaged Items: the two valuation levels, deductibles and high-value items, from the board that sets them.
• FMCSA mover search: the lookup itself, by name, USDOT or MC number.

Practice: two estimates, side by side Practice

Minimum: two movers looked up and entered on the quotes sheet with their estimate type and a valuation choice; or, with no movers yet, the Brandts' three quotes worked through on the sheet and in the delivery-day check. Time: about an hour, plus the surveys and 30 minutes with the bill of lading when it comes. Materials: the written estimates, the quotes sheet (or paper), the delivery-day check and valuation check, a phone for one call to your insurer, and the paperwork decoder for any term you meet.

1. Look up every company. FMCSA's search for an interstate move, your state's lookup for an in-state one. Write the numbers, the authority type and the date. If a company is a broker, ask for its carrier list and look up the carrier too.
2. Book the surveys. Tell each mover, in writing, about stairs, elevators, parking and long walks at both ends, and about anything worth more than $100 a pound.
3. Enter each estimate. Amount, binding or non-binding, survey type, estimated weight, deposit, dates, valuation offered and the extra charges listed. Mark a phone price for what it is: estimate type "not stated", survey "none".
4. Put the estimates on the same goods. Compare the estimated weights. Where they differ by more than a few hundred pounds, ask each mover what it counted, and work the non-binding estimate at the higher weight in the delivery-day check.
5. Choose valuation in writing. Enter your shipment weight in the valuation check, decide on a declared value and deductible, and call your insurer with the three questions from insurance. Write the choice on the sheet.
6. Read the bill of lading. When it arrives, at least 3 days before loading, check it against the table in what to read on it. Ask about anything blank other than the weight.

Your move Your move

Check your work Check your work

Criteria

• Does every company on your quotes sheet have its USDOT and MC numbers (or state license) looked up, with the authority type and the date?
• For any broker, do you have its carrier list and the carrier's own lookup?
• Is each estimate written, after a survey, and marked binding or non-binding?
• Are the estimates on comparable weights, or is the difference written down with each mover's answer?
• For a non-binding estimate, do you know the most you can be asked for at delivery and that the rest comes after 30 days?
• Is your valuation level written on the sheet, with any declared value and deductible, and have you asked your insurer what your policy covers?
• Did the bill of lading arrive at least 3 days before loading, and did you check it against the estimate before signing?

Worked example

The Brandts' quotes sheet has three rows. Mover A and Mover B are looked up and marked carriers, with estimate type, survey type, weight and the booklet ticked; Company C is marked broker, no survey, dropped. The weight gap is written in the notes with the arithmetic at 8,200 and 8,400 pounds, and the stairs question for Mover B is open with the date they asked. Valuation is written: full value protection, $60,000 declared, $500 deductible. It passes. It does not say which mover is the better choice, or whether Mover B's final weight will match its estimate; the scale settles the second, and the Brandts decide the first. Walter's row passes the license check for the same reason: the license number, its status and the date are written, with his state's regulator named as the source.

Common mistakes

• Comparing a phone price with written estimates. A verbal quote is not an estimate. Put it in the notes and ask for a survey.
• Reading 110 percent as a price cap. It caps what is due at delivery. The rest of a non-binding bill arrives after 30 days.
• Comparing totals across different weights. A non-binding estimate on a lower weight looks cheaper until the scale speaks.
• Leaving stairs or parking unsaid. Tell every mover in writing during the survey, so accessorial charges are on the estimate.
• Reading full value protection as new for old. The mover chooses how to settle, deductibles apply, and the claims rule applies depreciation.
• Signing the bill of lading on moving day without reading it. It is due 3 days ahead so you can read it. Ask for it if it has not come.
• Treating an example state's rule as yours. Look up your own state's.

What is still unresolved

Which mover to hire, and whether a price is fair, is your decision; the quotes sheet only puts the facts side by side. Whether a particular move is interstate under the federal test is in Moving services compared, and a doubtful case goes to FMCSA or your state regulator. What happens on loading day, from the inventory to the weighing, is in Moving day. What the valuation you chose pays after a loss, and how to claim it, is in Damage, delays and disputes. What your own insurance covers is your insurer's answer.

Knowledge check and scenario

Checklist

• The quotes sheet has two movers looked up by USDOT and MC number, or by state license, with the date.
• Each estimate is in writing after a survey, marked binding or non-binding, with its estimated weight.
• I know the most I can be asked for at delivery, from the delivery-day check.
• My valuation level, declared value and deductible are chosen in writing and noted on the sheet.
• The chosen mover's bill of lading came at least 3 days before loading, and I read it against the estimate.
• I asked for the tariff sections on accessorial charges and valuation. (Go deeper; optional)
• I read my own state's in-state rules and wrote down the page and the date. (Go deeper; optional)