Rhode Island long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers requires Rhode Island MC number issued by the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers for household goods work inside Rhode Island. The state publishes the Division list of licensed moving companies. 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 Rhode Island?
Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers regulates household goods movers operating inside Rhode Island, and sits within the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation. Movers are licensed under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 39-12. The operating rules sit in 815-RICR-50-05-1, Transportation Provided by Motor Carriers of Property. Moves crossing the Rhode Island state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
What authorisation must a Rhode Island mover hold?
A mover doing work inside Rhode Island must hold the Rhode Island MC number issued by the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, issued by Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 39-12. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Rhode Island intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
How can I verify a Rhode Island mover before booking?
Search the company by name or licence number in the Division list of licensed moving companies, and confirm the record shows an active status. For a move leaving Rhode Island, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Rhode Island licence lookupRhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers: 89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick RI 02888Verify by phone: 401-780-2158FMCSA SAFER
Does Rhode Island regulate what movers can charge?
Rhode Island requires each mover to file its own rates rather than setting a ceiling. The mechanism is tariffs printed, filed with the administrator and kept open for public inspection under R.I. Gen. Laws 39-12-11, so the rates are public and enforceable against the mover that filed them, but Rhode Island does not cap them. Rates on a move that leaves Rhode Island are not set by the state.
Source: Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
How do I file a complaint against a Rhode Island mover?
Complaints about a move inside Rhode Island go to Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers through the Division's online complaint form, 401-780-2150. A complaint about a move that crossed the Rhode Island state line goes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through the National Consumer Complaint Database instead.
Rhode Island complaint channelFMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
How do I tell a licensed Rhode Island mover from an unlicensed one?
Rhode Island gives you two checks that need no phone call. A licensed Rhode Island moving company must show the MC number the Division issued it in every advertisement, including internet listings, and its trucks must carry the company name, address, telephone number and that MC number on the door panels. An advert with no MC number and an unmarked truck are the two red flags the Division names first in its own in-state moving leaflet.
Source: Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, in-state moving leaflet
Can a Rhode Island mover bill for travel time?
Yes, and the Division tells consumers to expect it. Its in-state moving leaflet states that licensed carriers bill from the time they leave their shop until the time they return, so travel time to your address and back to the depot appears on the final bill. That is not an overcharge in Rhode Island; it is how the filed rate is applied, which is why two Rhode Island quotes are only comparable if both state where the clock starts.
Source: Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, in-state moving leaflet
What does Rhode Island require of a permitted mover?
Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers publishes what applies to a company moving household goods in Rhode Island. Each of the following comes from the agency's own pages:
- A Rhode Island common carrier of property files a tariff of all its rates and charges with the administrator, pays a $50 filing fee with each filing, and keeps the tariff open for public inspection.
- A filed Rhode Island rate takes effect on a date the carrier fixes at least 30 days after filing, and any change needs 30 days' notice; the administrator may suspend a rate before it takes effect but does not pre-approve it.
- The administrator may reject a tariff that does not comply, and a rejected tariff is void: charging under it is unlawful.
- Rhode Island requires a Bill of Lading and a Truth in Coverage Statement to be put in front of the customer at the outset of the move.
Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers moving companies pageRhode Island consumer information for movers
What is different about an interstate move from Rhode Island?
Moves crossing a state line are authorised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a USDOT number and interstate household goods operating authority. A Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island licensing
- https://ripuc.ri.gov/utility-information/motor-carriers/moving-information
- https://ripuc.ri.gov/utilityinfo/motorcarriers/Intrastate%20Moving.pdf
- http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE39/39-12/39-12-11.htm
- http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE39/39-12/39-12-12.htm
- https://risos-apa-production-public.s3.amazonaws.com/DPUC/REG_9919_20180806171332.pdf
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-12
What does the federal count say about Rhode Island?
Of the 146 household goods registrants filed at a Rhode Islandaddress, 95 carry the federal census classification for interstate operations. That is 65% of the state-address total. The other 51 do not carry that classification in this snapshot. Neither group is a list of movers serving every address inRhode Island: 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 inRhode Island without interstate classification does not substitute for that check.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Rhode Island?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 146 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Rhode Island, and 95 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Rhode Island address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Rhode Island. An interstate move into or out of Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island move?
The dividing line is the shipment, not the mover's office. A move that begins and ends inside Rhode Islandfollows the state authorisation described above. A move from Rhode Island 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.