Check a mover
Check any mover before you book
Every company that moves household goods across state lines has a USDOT number on the federal record. Here is how to look one up on FMCSA, what the lines mean, and the warning signs worth walking away from.
Our state-by-state carrier directory is still being compiled from the FMCSA record, so there are no company listings here yet. Everything on this page works for any mover today.
Four steps, about ten minutes
Do this for every mover you are comparing, before you pay a deposit.
Get the numbers in writing
Ask for the company’s legal name and its USDOT number, and for a move across state lines its MC number too. They belong on the written estimate. A mover that will not give them has answered your question.
Look the USDOT number up
Type it into the FMCSA Company Snapshot on SAFER. It is free, needs no account and takes about a minute. Search by name if you only have the brand, then match the number.
Match the record to the paperwork
The legal name, address and numbers on the snapshot should match the estimate. For an interstate move, the record should show authority to carry household goods and insurance filings on record.
Get the estimate in writing
Binding or non-binding, it should be written. On a non-binding estimate the mover cannot demand more than 110% of it at delivery; any rest is billed later. Ask for the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet.
What the snapshot tells you
The SAFER Company Snapshot is the federal record for a USDOT number. It is public and free. These are the lines that matter for a household move.
FMCSA’s own consumer guide, Protect Your Move, covers the same ground in more detail.
Read Protect Your Move on FMCSA (opens in a new tab)Six lines to read on the snapshot
Search by USDOT number, then read these six lines.
- Legal name and DBA
- The same company named on your estimate. A brand name is fine if the legal name behind it matches.
- USDOT status
- Active. “Inactive” or “not found” means stop and ask why before you pay anything.
- Operating authority
- For a move across state lines, authority that covers household goods. A broker can arrange a move but does not haul it, and must say so.
- Insurance on file
- Filings on record for a carrier. This is the company’s federal minimum, not coverage for your belongings.
- Out-of-service orders
- None. An out-of-service order is a reason to walk away.
- Safety rating
- Many carriers are simply unrated. That alone is not a warning sign, but a “conditional” or “unsatisfactory” rating is worth a question.
Red flags worth walking away from
One of these is a reason to slow down and ask for an answer in writing. Two is a reason to keep looking.
A price over the phone, sight unseen
A real estimate comes after the mover sees your home or a full inventory, by video or in person.
A large deposit before anything is written
Be wary of a big cash or wire deposit before you have the estimate, the legal name and the USDOT number in writing.
The name keeps changing
The company on the phone, the estimate and the snapshot should be the same one. A new name on the paperwork needs an explanation in writing.
No USDOT number on the estimate
“We’ll add it to the bill of lading later” is not good enough for an interstate move.
What the federal record can’t tell you
The snapshot answers “is this company registered to do this?”. These questions need the written estimate.
Your belongings’ coverage
Insurance on the snapshot is the company’s federal filing. Your shipment is covered by the valuation on the estimate: full value protection unless you choose released value in writing, which costs nothing extra but pays only 60 cents per pound per article.
Moves inside one state
A move that never crosses a state line can fall under state rules instead. Ask the mover which state agency licenses it and check there too.
Quality of service
A clean federal record means the company is registered, not that it is right for your move. Compare written estimates, dates and valuation before you choose.
Claims after delivery
On an interstate move you can file a written claim for loss or damage up to nine months after delivery. Note damage on the inventory at delivery before you sign.
Rather have written estimates come to you?
The 8 Top Movers moving team gets rates from the licensed movers in its network and brings back written estimates. Check each one the same way. You never pay us, and asking is never a booking.