Moving out of state

Jurisdiction. A move that stays inside one state is regulated by that state's agency, and a move that crosses a line is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That changes what you verify: not a state licence number but active federal operating authority for household goods, which is a separate thing from a USDOT registration and is recorded separately on the federal file. Whether the company is a carrier or a broker changes what that record should show.

Look up the USDOT number in the FMCSA record and confirm three things: that the registration is active, that the operating authority covers household goods, and that the authority is current rather than lapsed. A company can hold an active USDOT and still not hold household goods authority, which is the single most common gap between what a mover implies and what its record shows.

Three, and each is a number rather than an opinion. A mover must give you a written estimate before the move under 49 CFR 375.401. On a non-binding estimate the mover may require no more than 110 percent of the estimate before releasing your goods, under 49 CFR 375.407. And the default liability is released value at 60 cents per pound per article under 49 CFR 375.701, which is far less than most people assume.

Four things, and the clocks start on arrival rather than on the move date. A driving licence, which most states require you to exchange within a set window. Vehicle registration, usually on a similar schedule. Voter registration, which has its own cut-off before an election. And in some states, notification for professional licences, since a licence issued elsewhere does not always transfer.

Close the loop on anything tied to the address. Final utility readings with the account numbers written down. A forwarding order with the postal service. Medical and dental records requested rather than assumed transferable. Local memberships and subscriptions cancelled, since those renew silently. And a written confirmation from the mover of the delivery window, because an interstate delivery is a spread of days rather than a time.

Interstate moves are priced on shipment weight and distance plus the services performed, not by the hour. A two-bedroom interstate move is estimated at $3,000 to $7,000 and a four-bedroom at $5,850 to $15,050. Those are editorial estimates from this site's pricing model, not prices quoted or paid, and the figure that matters is the written estimate from the company doing your move.