Hiring a mover is one of the few times you hand a stranger the keys to everything you own. The good news: separating a legitimate, professional moving company from a broker or a fly-by-night operation isn't hard once you know what to look for. Here's the process we recommend, in the order that actually matters.
Before you compare quotes, confirm the company is real and authorized to do the job. For a move that crosses state lines, the mover must have an active USDOT number and federal operating authority from the FMCSA. For a move within your state, most states require the company to hold state operating authority — a permit or certificate from a utilities commission or department of transportation. You can look a company up in seconds on our Verify a Mover tool, and see how far we've checked it in our directory.
A mover that has cleared all of this earns our Vetted & Verified badge — it's the fastest shortcut to a shortlist you can trust.
A serious mover will never give you a firm price sight-unseen. Insist on an in-home walkthrough or a video survey, and get the estimate in writing. Ask whether it's a binding estimate, a binding not-to-exceed estimate, or a non-binding estimate — and make sure you understand which one you're signing.
Take the company's USDOT number and run it through our Verify a Mover page, then cross-check it on the federal FMCSA record. If the authority is active and the insurance is on file, you've cleared the biggest risk in the entire process.
Trust is earned through credentials, not promises. Verify the license, get a written in-home estimate, watch for the red flags, and you'll hire with confidence. Start by searching movers near you.
Looking for a mover you can trust?
