Guide

How to verify a mover before you book

Last updated 2026-08-04

Almost every moving horror story traces back to one of four things that are checkable in advance, for free, in about five minutes. Here is the whole check.

1. Get the USDOT number — and insist on it

Every company that moves household goods across state lines must have a USDOT number, and federal rules require it to appear in their advertising and on their estimates. It is the only identifier that doesn’t drift: brand names change, legal names differ from the name on the van, and several unrelated companies can share a similar name. The number doesn’t move.

2. Confirm the authority is active — and that it’s for household goods

Operating authority is the federal permission to haul for hire. Two things can go wrong, and they’re different:

• The authority isn’t active. It was revoked, surrendered, or lapsed. A company in this state is not legally permitted to operate as an interstate carrier. This is not a technicality — it usually also means their insurance filings have gone with it.
• The authority is active but not for household goods. A freight carrier is authorised to move pallets, not the contents of your home. Household goods authority is a distinct class with its own consumer protection rules attached to it.

Every company page on this site states both, with the date the record was pulled and a link to FMCSA’s own system to confirm it.

3. Check the insurance filings

Interstate household goods carriers must keep two filings on file with FMCSA: liability coverage (BIPD — bodily injury and property damage) and cargo insurance. A missing filing is a genuine red flag, and it’s the single most common reason a carrier here is marked Authorized — Flagged rather than fully authorized.

One honest caveat: a filing on record means the carrier filed proof of a policy, not that the policy is in force today. It’s a strong signal, not a guarantee — ask for a current certificate of insurance too.

4. Read the complaint history yourself

FMCSA runs a public complaint database with six years of history. Complaints are allegations, not findings — one complaint against a busy carrier means very little. A pattern is what matters, particularly complaints about estimates ballooning on loading day, or about goods being held.

Every company page here links to the exact database search for that USDOT number.

5. Make sure the company you checked is the company that shows up

This is where careful people still get caught. Many companies advertising moves are brokers: they sell the job and hand it to a carrier you’ve never heard of. Brokering is legal and disclosed brokers can be fine — but you checked the wrong company’s record if you didn’t ask.

• Ask directly: "Are you the carrier, or are you brokering this move?"
• If brokered, ask for the USDOT number of the carrier that will do the work, and check that one.
• Confirm the name on your estimate matches the name on the truck when it arrives.

Two documents that matter more than any review

• A written estimate. Binding, non-binding, or binding-not-to-exceed — know which you have. A verbal quote is worth nothing when the truck is loaded.
• Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. Federal rules require your mover to give you this booklet. FMCSA publishes it free. A mover who doesn’t provide it is already out of compliance.