Guides

Four things worth knowing before you book

Not a blog. These four pages cover what the federal record can and can’t tell you about a moving company, and what to do when something goes wrong. They don’t change often because the rules don’t.

• How to verify a mover before you book

  The five-minute check that catches most of what goes wrong: find the USDOT number, confirm the authority is active and for household goods, check insurance and complaints, and make sure the company on the paperwork is the company on the truck.

• What an out-of-service order means

  The most serious thing that can appear on a carrier’s record. What triggers one, what it legally prohibits, and why "the order was rescinded" is a meaningfully different situation.

• Reading a USDOT safety rating

  Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory — and "Not Rated", which is what most carriers are and the one people misread most often. What a rating actually measures, and what it doesn’t.

• If a mover is holding your goods hostage

  What federal law entitles you to, the 110% rule, and the exact federal hotline and complaint channel to use — plus the documents to have in front of you when you call.