Before you hire a moving company, ask for its USDOT and state license numbers, whether the estimate is binding or non-binding, how its deposit works, and who will actually move your things. Then ask about extra fees, cancellation, full-value protection, delivery delays and claims, and ask for its full legal name and USDOT number on every page of the estimate.
You are going to talk to two or three movers before you book one. The conversations all start to sound the same. They are all polite, they all say yes to whatever you ask, and then one of them quotes you 30% under the others and you wonder why.
This is the list we tell our friends to ask. Any reputable mover can answer every one of these in 30 seconds. Anyone who hedges, deflects, or "will get back to you" on the basics is telling you something.
1. What is your USDOT number, and your state license number?
For interstate (long-distance / out-of-state) moves, every legitimate mover has a USDOT number assigned by the FMCSA. Look it up at fmcsa.dot.gov before you book. The lookup will tell you the mover's safety rating, complaint history, and whether their authority is active.
For local intrastate moves, ask for the state license number. Most states publish a public database. If they cannot give you a license number, the conversation ends there.
2. Is this a binding or non-binding estimate?
A binding estimate locks the price based on the inventory you give them. A non-binding estimate is, in practice, a guess that the mover is allowed to revise upward when they show up.
For long-distance moves, federal regulations require the mover to provide a binding estimate if you ask. Always ask. Get it in writing, signed by an authorized rep. If the mover only offers non-binding, ask why — there are legitimate reasons (very unusual shipment, weight uncertainty) but it should be the exception, not the default.
3. How does your deposit work?
Reputable movers either take no deposit or take a small deposit (typically under 10% of the estimate, often $100–$500 flat) to hold your date.
Anyone asking for 30%+ upfront is running a different business. A common scam is a deposit of $1,500+ that becomes unrecoverable once your stuff is on their truck. If the deposit is more than a couple of percent of the estimate, ask in writing what happens to it if you cancel — and what happens to it if they cancel.
4. What is your claims process?
If something gets damaged or lost, you want to know exactly how that gets handled before you sign anything. A good answer sounds like:
"You file a written claim within 9 months of delivery. We respond within 30 days. For interstate moves, Full Value Protection applies automatically; released value (60 cents per pound) is the free basic option you only get by signing a written waiver choosing it — and for in-state moves, valuation rules depend on your state."
A bad answer sounds like "we never have claims" or "we handle it case by case." Every mover has claims. The ones who say they do not are either new or not telling the truth.
5. Who is actually moving my stuff — your crew, or subcontractors?
This is the one most people forget to ask. Many movers — especially long-distance "carriers" — broker your shipment out to a different company. You hire Company A. Company B shows up. Your warranty is with Company A. Company A points at Company B. Company B disappears.
Ask explicitly: "Will the crew on move day be employees of your company, or contractors?" And "Will the truck transporting my shipment be yours, or another carrier's?" Get the answer in writing. A licensed mover who runs their own crew and trucks will tell you so plainly.
6. What additional fees might apply that are not in this estimate?
This is where the sneaky margin lives. The five most common surprise fees:
- Long carry fee — when the truck can't park within 75 feet of the door
- Stair carry fee — per flight, often per item
- Elevator fee — yes, even when the building has an elevator
- Shuttle fee — when the truck is too big for the destination street and they have to transfer everything to a smaller vehicle
- Bulky item fee — for piano, pool table, safe, motorcycle, large appliance
Ask the mover to walk through each of these for your specific situation and confirm in writing whether each applies. A binding estimate that does not address these is incomplete.
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7. What does your cancellation policy look like?
Two specifics: What if I cancel? and What if you cancel on me?
A reasonable mover will let you cancel up to 7–10 days before move day and refund the deposit. The "what if you cancel" question matters more than people think — if a mover bumps your date because a bigger job came in, what happens to your timing, and are they on the hook for the cost of you scrambling to find another mover at last minute?
Get the cancellation terms in writing. Read them. The phrase you are watching for is "non-refundable" — that should not appear next to anything resembling a normal deposit amount.
8. Do you offer full-value protection, and what is the deductible?
For long-distance moves, this is the only realistic coverage. Released value protection (the free option, available only if you sign a written waiver choosing it) pays 60 cents per pound per item — meaningless for anything you actually care about. Full value protection is paid coverage where the mover is on the hook for the replacement value of damaged or lost items.
Ask:
- What is the per-pound declared value? (Federal minimum is $6.00/lb for FVP.)
- What is the deductible? (Common options: $0, $250, $500.)
- How do you settle claims — repair, replace, or cash?
For local moves, ask whether they carry any cargo coverage beyond the state default. Many of the better ones do, and they will tell you the per-pound figure.
9. How do you handle delivery delays?
For long-distance moves, the truck rarely arrives the same day it leaves. There is usually a delivery window — anywhere from 1 day to 14 days depending on distance and route consolidation.
Ask:
- What is the delivery window for my route?
- What happens if you miss it?
- Do you provide per-diem reimbursement for hotel and food if I'm waiting?
Reputable movers offer delay claims — typically $100–$200 per day if delivery runs past the agreed window. Anyone shrugging at this question is telling you what the experience will be.
10. Can you put your full legal company name, USDOT, and primary phone number on every page of the estimate?
This sounds picky. It is not. A surprising number of disreputable movers operate under multiple DBA names and rotate them when complaints pile up. The legal name and USDOT on the paperwork is what the federal complaint database will be filed under.
If everything on your quote matches everything in the FMCSA database — same legal name, same USDOT, same phone — you are dealing with a trackable, accountable business. If the legal name on the contract is different from the name on the website, that is a warning sign worth asking about.
The red flags, all in one place
Beyond the questions above, here are the patterns that should make you walk away:
- Quote came in 30%+ under other quotes for the same job. That is not a deal — that is a bait price that will get revised on move day.
- Mover wants 30%+ deposit, especially via Zelle, Cash App, or wire transfer.
- Mover refuses to provide a binding estimate for a long-distance move.
- Mover cannot or will not give you a USDOT number for an interstate move.
- Mover will not put their full legal name on the contract.
- Mover uses high-pressure tactics ("price only good today," "we are filling up fast") to rush the booking.
- Reviews on the verified review platforms are heavy on one-star complaints about price changes on move day. Read the negative reviews, not the positive ones — the patterns are what matter.
Want a shortlist of movers that already pass all 10 of these questions? Robert, our moving concierge, reads your situation and matches you to movers in your area whose paperwork actually holds up. Browse the directory by city, or describe your move and Robert will pick three.
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