Texas long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Texas
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division requires TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration for household goods work inside Texas. Texas publishes carrier records through the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup; confirm a registration by name or USDOT number there, or by calling the consumer helpline. 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 Texas?
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division regulates household goods movers operating inside Texas, and sits within the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Movers are licensed under Texas Transportation Code Chapter 643. Moves crossing the Texas state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division
What authorisation must a Texas mover hold?
A mover doing work inside Texas must hold the TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration, issued by Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in Texas Transportation Code Chapter 643. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Texas intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
How can I verify a Texas mover before booking?
Texas publishes carrier records through the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup; confirm a registration by name or USDOT number there, or by calling the consumer helpline. For a move leaving Texas, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Verify by phone: 888-368-4689Verify by email: truckstop@txdmv.govFMCSA SAFER
How do I file a complaint against a Texas mover?
Complaints about a move inside Texas go to Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division through TxDMV Complaint Management System, truckstop@txdmv.gov, Consumer helpline 888-368-4689. A complaint about a move that crossed the Texas state line goes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through the National Consumer Complaint Database instead.
Texas complaint channelFMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
What is different about an interstate move from Texas?
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 Texas 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 Texas licensing
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-09
What does the federal count say about Texas?
Of the 6,462 household goods registrants filed at a Texasaddress, 1,498 carry the federal census classification for interstate operations. That is 23% of the state-address total. The other 4,964 do not carry that classification in this snapshot. Neither group is a list of movers serving every address inTexas: 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 inTexas without interstate classification does not substitute for that check.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Texas?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 6,462 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Texas, and 1,498 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Texas address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Texas. An interstate move into or out of Texas 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 Texas move?
The dividing line is the shipment, not the mover's office. A move that begins and ends inside Texasfollows the state authorisation described above. A move from Texas 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.