Massachusetts long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division requires DPU operating authority for household goods movers (carriers are identified by an MDPU number) for household goods work inside Massachusetts. The state publishes the DPU list of regulated moving companies, published with each company's tariff. A move crossing the state line requires a separate federal check.
Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Amanda Brooks · Last reviewed August 2026
Who regulates moving companies in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division regulates household goods movers operating inside Massachusetts, and sits within the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Moves crossing the Massachusetts state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division
What authorisation must a Massachusetts mover hold?
A mover doing work inside Massachusetts must hold the DPU operating authority for household goods movers (carriers are identified by an MDPU number), issued by Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Massachusetts intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
How can I verify a Massachusetts mover before booking?
Search the company by name or licence number in the DPU list of regulated moving companies, published with each company's tariff, and confirm the record shows an active status. For a move leaving Massachusetts, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Massachusetts licence lookupMassachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division: One South Station, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110FMCSA SAFER
Does Massachusetts regulate what movers can charge?
Massachusetts requires each mover to file its own rates rather than setting a ceiling. The mechanism is an intrastate tariff that each licensed mover files with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, published by the DPU alongside its list of regulated companies, so the rates are public and enforceable against the mover that filed them, but Massachusetts does not cap them. Rates on a move that leaves Massachusetts are not set by the state.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division
Can I see what a Massachusetts mover charges before I call?
Massachusetts publishes what each licensed mover charges. The Department of Public Utilities Transportation Oversight Division regulates companies moving household goods within Massachusetts, and publishes a list of those companies together with their tariffs, meaning their filed rates. A consumer can look up a specific mover's official rates before requesting a quote. The list carries its own last-updated date, most recently 2 December 2025.
Source: Massachusetts DPU list of regulated moving companies (page last updated 2 December 2025)
How does a company get authority to move household goods in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts grants moving authority at a public hearing. A completed application to become a household goods mover in Massachusetts is scheduled for a public hearing on the second Tuesday of the following month. Before the Department of Public Utilities grants authority, the applicant must file proof of registered business, a balance sheet, a certificate of insurance, and a tariff. Authority is not issued on paperwork alone.
Source: Apply to be a household goods mover in Massachusetts
What does Massachusetts require of a permitted mover?
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division publishes what applies to a company moving household goods in Massachusetts. Each of the following comes from the agency's own pages:
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities publishes each regulated moving company alongside that company's filed tariff, so a Massachusetts consumer can read the rates before contacting the mover.
- A Massachusetts household goods mover is identified by an MDPU number issued by the Department of Public Utilities, which is separate from the federal USDOT number a carrier needs to cross a state line.
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Transportation Oversight Division is located at One South Station, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110.
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division moving companies pageHow to apply for Massachusetts moving authorityMassachusetts consumer information for movers
What is different about an interstate move from Massachusetts?
Moves between states are authorised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, contactable on (888) 368-7238. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities does not regulate moves between states. A Massachusetts state licence does not cover that work, and the federal record is the one to check: confirm the USDOT number is active and authorised for household goods before paying a deposit.
Sources for Massachusetts licensing
- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/moving-companies-regulated-by-the-department-of-public-utilities-dpu
- https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-to-be-a-household-goods-mover-in-massachusetts
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-10
What does the federal count say about Massachusetts?
Of the 1,631 household goods registrants filed at a Massachusettsaddress, 663 carry the federal census classification for interstate operations. That is 41% of the state-address total. The other 968 do not carry that classification in this snapshot. Neither group is a list of movers serving every address inMassachusetts: headquarters location and service area are different facts.
A consumer should use the count as context, not as a shortlist. Ask for the USDOT number of the company that will transport the shipment, match its legal or trade name to the written estimate, and confirm granted household goods authority close to pickup. A broker registration, a state-only filing, or a carrier based inMassachusetts without interstate classification does not substitute for that check.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Massachusetts?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 1,631 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Massachusetts, and 663 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Massachusetts address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Massachusetts. An interstate move into or out of Massachusetts can be performed by a carrier registered in any state.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
Which record applies to a Massachusetts move?
The dividing line is the shipment, not the mover's office. A move that begins and ends inside Massachusettsfollows the state authorisation described above. A move from Massachusetts to another state follows federal interstate rules. When one company offers both, check both records independently and make sure the name on the estimate matches the entity holding the authority for that trip.