Questions to Ask Movers Before You Hire One (With the Rule Behind Each)
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Questions to ask each mover before you hire one
Ask every company the same questions, in the same order, and write down the answers. For interstate moves. Ticks are saved in this browser only.
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Who you are hiring
FMCSA treats movers and brokers as different businesses, and the booklet defines a broker as a company that arranges transportation by a registered mover. Knowing which one you have tells you who is responsible for your goods.
Source: FMCSA, Protect Your Move
49 CFR 375.207(b) requires advertisements to show the company name as it appears on its USDOT assignment and the USDOT number. Search both in FMCSA's database.
375.505(b)(2) requires the bill of lading to list the name, address, phone and USDOT number of other carriers who will take part, when known.
375.505(b)(1) requires the bill of lading to carry the registered name and physical address. 375.213(b)(4) requires a main phone number in the complaint-handling summary.
The estimate
375.401(a) requires a physical survey unless you waive it in writing before loading. The booklet says the survey may be virtual.
375.401(b) requires the estimate to indicate which it is. A binding one guarantees the total for the quantities and services shown. A non-binding one is what the mover believes the cost will be.
375.401(b)(1) allows a charge for a written binding estimate, and 375.401(b)(2) forbids a charge for a non-binding one.
375.405(b)(6) requires the face of a non-binding estimate to describe the entire shipment and all services. A binding estimate applies only to the services it specifically identifies.
375.401(f) says the mover must determine charges for accessorial services before preparing the bill of lading. If it did not, it must deliver and bill after 30 days.
375.401(e) requires a written explanation of the formula and a statement that final charges will be based on actual weight and services.
On a non-binding estimate the estimate must state you will not be required to pay more than 110 percent of it at delivery (375.405(b)(5)). The bill of lading must state the maximum amount to be demanded at delivery (375.505(b)(11)).
Paperwork and payment
375.213(a) requires both with the written estimate, as copies or website links.
375.213(b)(2) requires notice that you may examine the applicable tariff sections or have copies sent.
375.401(c) and 375.217 require the mover to specify the form of payment on both documents and honor it at delivery.
375.505(g)(3) says a mover may not require a blank document to be signed. The booklet names the only gaps allowed: the actual weight and unforeseen charges.
375.505(h) requires it to be signed and dated by you at least 3 days before loading, with a 3-day period to rescind without penalty.
Pickup, weight and delivery
375.505(b)(6) and (7) require agreed dates or periods on the bill of lading. The booklet says not to agree to as soon as possible.
375.605 requires notice of a delay by phone, in person, fax, e-mail, overnight courier or certified mail, at the mover's expense. The booklet suggests asking what arrangements to expect.
375.507 and 375.513 require weighing on a certified scale and your right to observe, and 375.517 lets you demand a reweigh at origin before unloading.
375.503 requires an itemized inventory, with a number on each article, and a copy to you before or at loading.
Liability and problems
The booklet says the initial estimate must include full value protection unless you waive it in writing, and that charges for it must be in the tariff.
The booklet explains that the released-value option is 60 cents per pound per article. Ask in writing before you choose it.
The booklet says you have 9 months from delivery to file a claim in writing. The mover then has 30 days to acknowledge it and 120 days to give you a disposition, with possible 60-day extensions that it must tell you about in writing.
375.211 and 375.213(b)(3) require an arbitration program and a summary handed to you before the bill of lading is executed.
In short: Ask each mover the same set of questions and write the answers down. Every question here is tied to a federal requirement for interstate household goods carriers, so a vague answer tells you something.
A phone call with a mover can feel like a sales conversation in which you are the only one with something to lose. This list gives you the other side of the script. The questions are the ones that federal rules for interstate household goods carriers already answer, which makes them easy to ask and hard to dodge. A company that follows those rules has an answer ready for every line. A company that answers with "don't worry about that" has given you information.
How to use it
Print the list or keep it open next to a notepad, and ask the same questions of each company you are considering. Write the answer under the company name, with the date and who you spoke to. Then tick the line. Comparing answers across two or three companies is far more useful than comparing prices alone, because the price depends on answers like which services are included and whether the estimate is binding.
Each question has a short reason underneath. The reasons cite sections of Part 375 and the rights booklet that every interstate mover must give you. Those rules apply to interstate moves by household goods carriers. For a move within one state, ask your state's consumer protection office whether any state rules apply, because the answers may rest on different law. Before you call, look each company up with the steps in how to check a mover's USDOT number.
Worked example: comparing two quotes
Imagine two companies each send a written estimate for the same three-bedroom move. The totals are close. Before choosing, you call each with the questions in the estimate section.
Company one says its estimate is binding, that it charges a fee for that, and that it covers the packing and the stairs at your new apartment. Company two says its estimate is non-binding, cannot say how stairs are handled, and when you ask what the most you could be asked to pay at delivery is, offers only a general reassurance.
You now know more than the totals told you. The first company can state what it will charge, and section 375.401(b) allows a fee for a binding estimate, so the fee is not a warning sign. The second company's answer on the delivery limit is the weak one: the non-binding estimate has to state, on its face, that the most you could be made to pay at delivery is 110 percent of the estimate, and the bill of lading has to state the maximum amount to be demanded. Ask for those two figures in writing before you decide.
What changes the answer
The type of estimate changes more than anything else on this list. With a binding estimate, the questions about weighing matter less, since weight does not change the charge. With a non-binding estimate, the weighing and delivery-limit questions become the central ones. Binding vs non-binding estimates walks through both in more detail. The size and complexity of your move changes how many extras are involved, so the accessorial services question deserves more time if you have flights of stairs, an elevator reservation or a long walk from the truck. The liability questions matter most if you own anything fragile or valuable, and released value vs full value protection explains what each option pays.
Also watch for questions that get a different answer when you ask a second time. Differences between what a salesperson says and what the paperwork says are worth resolving in writing before you sign.
When to stop and get help
If a company will not tell you its USDOT number or the legal name it operates under, stop. If it will not provide a written estimate, stop. If you are being asked to sign pages that are incomplete, the federal rules say a mover may not require you to sign a blank document, so ask for a completed one. For a dispute over an existing contract, FMCSA says it cannot resolve claims, so a lawyer or the mover's arbitration program are the routes. This page explains rules and is not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Do local movers have to answer these the same way?
These federal rules cover interstate moves. A mover who does only local work may be governed by state rules instead. The questions are still useful to ask, but the legal basis for the answers may differ.
Is it rude to ask for the tariff?
No. Section 375.213(b)(2) requires the mover to give you notice that you may examine the applicable tariff sections or have copies sent to you.
Should I ask all of this in one call?
Not necessarily. Many of these answers belong in the estimate and the other documents you will receive. Use the call to spot gaps, then check the paperwork for the answer in writing.