01
Verify the right authority
Confirm the company name, carrier status, authority, and complaint resources that apply to your move—not merely the logo on a truck.
Plan with confidence
The essentials before moving day
A good mover still needs a clear scope, the right authority, and a well-documented plan. Use these checks before you sign.
Moving checklist
02
Get the estimate in writing
Make sure the inventory, services, valuation choice, access conditions, travel charges, and estimate type are documented before moving day.
03
Plan the physical access
Confirm parking, elevator reservations, certificates of insurance, gate access, stairs, long carries, loading windows, and building rules.
04
Keep your move file
Save the estimate, order for service, bill of lading, inventory, photos, receipts, and claim instructions in one accessible place.
Moving across state lines
Use the federal consumer tools.
Search the mover's USDOT record, authority, and complaint information. Review federal guidance before accepting an interstate estimate or signing moving documents.
Moving within one state
Check the state rule.
Local-moving oversight varies by state. Look for the current transportation, public-utilities, licensing, or consumer-protection authority responsible for movers where the work occurs. Confirm required registration, insurance, tariffs or written estimates, and the state complaint process.
Pause before paying
Common warning signs
- A company will not provide its legal name or authority number.
- The website appears to sell or broker the move without clearly saying so.
- The estimate is unusually low but excludes a meaningful inventory review.
- You are asked to sign incomplete documents or pay a large amount in cash.
- The truck, paperwork, and company name do not match without explanation.