Your rights on an interstate move under FMCSA rules

A written estimate is required before the truck is loaded

An interstate household-goods mover has to give you a written estimate before your goods are loaded. That is not a courtesy. It is a consumer protection in 49 CFR Part 375, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules for household-goods carriers. The estimate is the document you will use on moving day if the price changes, so read it before you sign and keep a copy that you can photograph.

The estimate must describe the shipment well enough that you can tell what is included. Ask which rooms were surveyed, whether the quote is binding or non-binding, and which valuation option is selected. A number given only by text, with no written estimate, is not the document Part 375 requires. If the company will not put the price in writing before loading, do not let the crew take the truck. You can compare the paper with the guide on how to read a moving estimate: how to read a moving estimate.

FMCSA publishes the same rule in plain language on its Protect Your Move site at Protect Your Move. The regulation text itself is on the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations at eCFR. Those two sites are the sources for this page. A broker is not the carrier. If a company arranges the move but another company hauls it, the paperwork should say who the carrier is before loading day.

Binding estimates, non-binding estimates, and the 110 percent rule

A binding estimate is a set price for the goods and services listed. The carrier cannot raise it later because the job took longer, unless you add services that were not on the estimate. A non-binding estimate is the carrier's best guess. It can change, but not without a limit at delivery.

On a non-binding interstate estimate the mover may not require you to pay more than 110 percent of the original written estimate before giving you your goods. That is the 110 percent rule. You pay that amount to get the shipment. Any balance above 110 percent is billed later, after you have your goods and time to dispute the extra. Do not sign a blank delivery receipt and do not pay an inflated cash demand to "release" the truck. The rule is there so a low quote cannot become a hostage load.

Write down whether the estimate you signed is binding or non-binding. If the crew says the price changed because of stairs, long carries, or shuttle service, check whether those items were already on the written estimate. Added service is not the same thing as a surprise on a non-binding quote. The booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" explains both kinds of estimate. The carrier must give you that booklet. FMCSA also publishes "Ready to Move?" for the same audience at Protect Your Move.

Released value and full-value protection are not the same as insurance

Part 375 makes the carrier offer two valuation options. Released value is the cheaper default. It pays 60 cents per pound per article. A 50-pound television would be valued at about 30 dollars under released value, no matter what it cost to replace. Full-value protection costs more and covers repair, replacement, or a cash settlement for the current value of the lost or damaged item, subject to the deductible and the exceptions written in the agreement.

The mover has to explain both options in writing before you pick one. Do not let a crew tell you that released value is "full coverage." It is not. A third-party moving policy is a separate product, and it is not required by Part 375. Read the valuation choice on the estimate and on the bill of lading, and keep both. More detail is in the moving insurance guide.

If a high-value item is in the shipment, list it before loading. Jewelry, coin collections, and documents are often excluded or limited. Ask the carrier to note them, or carry them yourself. The choice you sign is the choice that will govern a later claim.

Inventory, the order for service, and the bill of lading

Before the truck leaves, the carrier must prepare an inventory of what was loaded and a bill of lading for the shipment. Walk the inventory with the crew. Note existing scratches, dents, and missing parts in the exception column. A clean inventory is what the carrier will point to later if you claim damage that was already there. Initial each page. Do not initial a page you have not looked at.

The bill of lading is the contract for that shipment. It should name the carrier, the pickup and delivery addresses, the valuation you chose, and the estimate type. The order for service is the earlier document that commits the dates and the price basis. Keep the order for service, the estimate, the inventory, and the bill of lading in one folder, and photograph them before the truck pulls away. If the crew will not leave you a copy, do not treat the move as properly documented.

Check the delivery dates. A pickup window and a delivery window are both part of the agreement. If the carrier misses the delivery spread, your claim for expenses starts with those dates written on the bill of lading, not with a text message. Ask who to call if the truck is late, and write that number on the copy you keep.

How a loss or damage claim works, and how long you have

File a written claim for loss or damage. Do not rely on a phone call. FMCSA's household-goods rules give you nine months from delivery to file the claim. The carrier then has 30 days to acknowledge it in writing and 120 days to pay, deny, or make a firm settlement offer. Keep photos of damage, the inventory notations, and the bill of lading with the claim letter. Send it in a way you can prove, and keep the receipt.

If the carrier stalls past those times, say so in a follow-up and file a complaint. Many interstate movers also offer an arbitration program for disputes under a dollar threshold they must disclose. Arbitration is a way to get a decision without suing. It is not the same as the National Consumer Complaint Database. You can do both: complain to FMCSA so the record is public, and use arbitration if you want a decision on the money.

Small claims court remains available if the amount is within your court's limit. The paperwork you kept is the case. A missing inventory makes the claim harder. That is why the walkthrough on loading day matters more than a review written after the truck is gone. If you need the warning signs that show up before you hire, read red flags when hiring movers.

Where to complain, and the booklets the carrier must give you

File an interstate moving complaint with the National Consumer Complaint Database at FMCSA complaint database. You can also call the FMCSA household-goods helpline at 1-888-368-7238. Have the carrier's name and USDOT number, the estimate, and the delivery date. Complaints feed the public record other people read before they hire. They do not, by themselves, pay your claim. File the claim with the carrier and the complaint with FMCSA.

The carrier must give you "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" and should point you to "Ready to Move?". Both are FMCSA publications. If you never received them, say that in the complaint. Confirm the USDOT number on the truck and on FMCSA SAFER before loading, not after a dispute starts. A company that will not give you a USDOT number is not a carrier you should hand your shipment to. The steps are in how to verify a mover's USDOT number.

If the dispute is about the bill rather than damage, re-read the 110 percent rule before you pay more than that share of a non-binding estimate. Paying the 110 percent gets the goods off the truck. The rest of the argument happens after you have possession. Hostage-load demands above that line are exactly what the rule is for.

What to do in the first days after delivery

Walk the house with the inventory in hand before the crew leaves, if you can. Note missing cartons and new damage on the delivery receipt. "Subject to inspection" is better than a signature that says everything arrived in good condition, if the carrier's form allows that notation. Take photos that show the inventory line and the damage in the same frame.

Start the claim while the details are fresh even if you are still unpacking. The nine-month clock runs from delivery, not from the day you open the last box. A short written notice now, followed by the full claim, is safer than waiting until month eight. Keep copies of every email. If the carrier asks you to use only its portal, also keep a PDF of what you submitted.

If you believe the company misrepresented itself as a carrier when it was only a broker, include that in the FMCSA complaint and keep the ads or emails that said otherwise. Brokers have their own registration. The name on the truck and the name on the estimate should match the company you can look up. When they do not, write down both names before the crew leaves the street.

Official sources and the guides that sit next to this one

This page relies on FMCSA's Protect Your Move materials at Protect Your Move and on 49 CFR Part 375 as published at eCFR. Read the regulation if you need the exact wording. This guide is a plain-language map, not a substitute for the Code of Federal Regulations or for advice from a lawyer about your shipment.

Use these next: how to read a moving estimate, moving insurance guide, how to file a moving complaint, how to verify a mover's USDOT number, and red flags when hiring movers. Each one picks up a step this page only names.

If a sentence on this page and a sentence on FMCSA ever disagree, follow FMCSA and the eCFR. Rules are amended. The booklet the carrier hands you should be the current edition. Check the date on it.

Count the pieces that matter before you pay a deposit. You need the legal name of the carrier, the USDOT number, a written estimate that says binding or non-binding, the valuation option you selected, a pickup window, and a delivery window. If any of those six items is missing, ask for it in writing and wait. A deposit that is a large share of the total, demanded by wire or gift card, is a reason to stop, not a reason to hurry.

On moving day, stay until the inventory is finished. Put medicines, documents, jewelry, and the folder of moving papers in your own car. Photograph the odometer only if the estimate is hourly and local; an interstate shipment is usually weight or cubic feet, not a clock. Ask which scale will produce the weight ticket, and ask for a copy of that ticket. A weight you never see is a number you cannot check.

When the truck arrives, match the carton count to the inventory before you start unpacking. Set aside anything that is crushed or wet. Write the inventory line number on your photo list. If the carrier offers a quick cash settlement at the door, you can decline it and file the written claim instead. A doorstep offer is not the 120-day process, and accepting it may close the item.

Tell the carrier, in the claim, the replacement cost you are asking for and how you arrived at it. A receipt, a current price from the manufacturer, or a repair estimate is stronger than a round number. Released-value shipments will not pay replacement cost. If you signed released value, the claim is calculated at 60 cents per pound per article even if that feels unfair after the fact. That is why the choice has to be made before loading, not after something breaks.

Keep a timeline. Note the day you mailed or uploaded the claim, the day the carrier acknowledged it, and the day a settlement offer arrived. Thirty days and one hundred twenty days are the markers. If those dates pass with no writing, add that fact to your FMCSA complaint. Polite, dated, and complete beats angry and vague. The person reading the file was not in your driveway. The documents have to carry the story.