What to ask a moving company
Researched and written by Daniel Novak · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
Most published lists of questions test how a company sounds. These test what can be checked afterwards. Every question below has an answer that either appears in the federal record or has to be written on your paperwork, which means you can verify it without taking anyone's word.
What is your USDOT number, and is the authority for household goods?
Ask for the number, then read the record yourself in the FMCSA snapshot rather than accepting a screenshot. Two things matter: that the registration is active, and that the operating authority covers household goods rather than property in general. A company quoting an interstate household move without household-goods authority is the single clearest disqualifier available before you sign anything.
Are you the carrier, or a broker placing the job?
Both are legal and both are registered, but only one of them will have your furniture. A broker sells the move and hands it to a carrier, and must hold a bond or trust fund of at least $75,000 (49 CFR 387.307) to keep its registration. If the answer is broker, the follow-up is the one that counts: which carrier, and what is its USDOT number, before any money is paid.
Will the estimate be written, and binding or non-binding?
An interstate household-goods carrier must give the shipper a written estimate of charges before the move. (49 CFR 375.401). Ask which type you are being given, because it decides what can be demanded at the door: on a non-binding estimate on a non-binding estimate the carrier may require no more than 110 percent of the estimated charges at delivery; the balance is billed afterwards. (49 CFR 375.407), with the balance billed and payable within 30 days.
Will you survey the home before quoting?
A quote produced without a walk-through or a video survey is a guess about weight, and weight is what the interstate charge is settled on. Ask what weight the estimate assumes. On an interstate move you also keep the right to a re-weigh before charges are computed (49 CFR 375.519).
What liability level is on the paperwork, and what does the alternative cost?
Released value is the no-extra-charge level of carrier liability on an interstate household-goods move, set at 60 cents per pound per article. (49 CFR 375.701). Full value protection is the paid alternative. Ask for the price of it as a line on the estimate, and check which level ends up recorded on the bill of lading, because that is the document a claim is measured against.
Do movers require a deposit?
Some do and some do not, and no federal rule sets a deposit amount for a household-goods move, so there is no national figure to state here. What you can do is make the terms checkable: ask for the amount, the payment method, what it is refundable against and by when, in writing on the order for service. A large deposit demanded by wire or card before any document exists is a different thing from a modest booking fee recorded on your paperwork.
What is your claims process, and is arbitration offered?
Every interstate household-goods carrier must offer the shipper a neutral arbitration program for disputes over loss, damage and charges, and must describe that programme before the move. (49 CFR 375.211). Ask for the description before the move rather than after a problem, and ask who handles claims, the carrier itself or a third party.
Official sources
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Frequently asked questions
Do moving companies require a deposit?
What is the single most useful question to ask?
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Should I ask about insurance or about liability?
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The delivery cap on a non-binding estimate, the billing window, released-value liability, the written estimate, and your right to a re-weigh, each with its CFR section.
How to confirm you're hiring a carrier (the company that actually moves your stuff) instead of a broker reselling your job.
The federal identifier, who must hold one, what an active registration proves, and the larger list of things it does not prove.
The operating authority docket, how it differs from a USDOT number, which one a household-goods mover needs, and what a broker docket means.
Who must register, what the federal application asks for, and what happens between the number being issued and authority being granted.
Three confirmations settle it: registration active, authority covering household goods, and that authority current rather than lapsed.
Field by field: power units, drivers, cargo classes, operation classification, safety rating and out-of-service rates.
Released value against full value protection, the arithmetic on a real item, and the two documents a claim is measured against.
What a delivery spread on the paperwork means, what the delivery cap governs at delivery, and the 30-day billing window.
The agency and route recorded for each state, and a plain statement of absence where the record holds none.
The two pricing mechanisms: hours on a local move, weight and distance on an interstate one, and the federal right to a re-weigh.
A procedure for building your own figure before you call anyone: home size, distance, services, and how to test a quote against it.
The estimate, the order for service, the bill of lading and the inventory: what each does, and which one a claim is measured against.
What a registered mover must have on file, what released value pays, and why insured and liable are two different words.
Once you've vetted licensing and reviews, compare options for your specific move.