Find Out What Interstate Movers Should Really Cost
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Our data sources
The problem
Moving rarely goes as expected. Most often, it's the price that changes.
We pulled the federal complaint record for every one of the 5,359 movers in the FMCSA household-goods registry — 8,492 complaints filed between 2023 and 2025. One category outranks every other, and it isn't broken furniture. It's the bill.
What people actually complain about
Share of the 8,492 household-goods complaints filed 2023–2025 that cite each category.
Shares total more than 100% because FMCSA allows a single complaint to be filed under several categories at once. Each bar is the share of all complaints citing that category, not a slice of a whole.
Source: USMPO census of the FMCSA Household Goods Consumer Complaint record, queried company-by-company for all 5,359 movers in the federal HHG registry as of July 31, 2026.
Two out of three complaints about an interstate mover are, at least in part, a complaint about what the customer was charged.
The trend
And it is not getting better
Complaints against registered interstate movers rose by half between 2023 and 2025. 2026 is on pace to pass every year before it: the first seven months alone have already produced more complaints than all twelve months of 2025.
Household-goods complaints filed per year
All 5,359 movers in the federal HHG registry.
- 2,2882023
- 2,7562024
- 3,4482025
- 3,5232026Jan–Jul only
The 2026 column covers January through July only and is shown in a lighter fill for that reason. At its current rate it represents roughly 503 complaints a month against 287 a month in 2025.
Source: USMPO census of the FMCSA Household Goods Consumer Complaint record, as of July 31, 2026. Figures are complaints recorded against carriers and brokers in the federal HHG registry, not complaints upheld or adjudicated.
The good news
Most interstate movers do the job well. The hard part is telling which.
Complaint totals make the whole industry look risky. The distribution says something much more encouraging: 82.7% of the 5,359 movers on the federal register had no complaints at all between 2023 and 2025. Good interstate movers are the norm, not the exception. The difficulty is that a website tells you nothing about which kind you are looking at — and that is a solvable problem.
How concentrated the complaints are
Share of all 8,492 complaints attributable to the worst-performing carriers.
66 companies — 1.23% of every interstate mover on the federal register — account for half of all complaints filed. Because the risk sits in such a small group, it is identifiable before you book rather than discoverable afterwards. That is the entire premise of what we do.
Source: USMPO census of the FMCSA Household Goods Consumer Complaint record, all 5,359 registered movers, as of July 31, 2026.
The underlying research
We published the full analysis, company by company
Every figure on this page comes from our census of the federal complaint record for all 5,359 registered interstate movers. The complete study — including which companies the complaints belong to, how concentrated they are, and how we counted — is published in full and free to read.
Worth knowing
Know whether you are hiring a broker or a carrier
A carrier owns the trucks and moves your things. A broker arranges the move and passes it to a carrier. Both are licensed and both are legal, and plenty of brokers do good work — but they are different products, and the federal record shows the complaint rates differ too. Most people simply never think to ask which one they are talking to. It is a single question, and it is worth asking.
Source: USMPO census of the FMCSA Household Goods Consumer Complaint record, as of July 31, 2026. “Owns no trucks” means zero power units on the company's federal registration. Brokerage is lawful and separately licensed; this compares complaint rates, not legality.
Geography
Complaint rates vary a lot by state of registration
Registered address is one of the few things you can check about a mover in seconds, and the rates differ enough to be worth a look. Movers registered in Florida are 12% of the national registry and 47.5% of its complaints. Plenty of excellent movers are registered in Florida — this is a prompt to check the specific company, not a reason to rule out a state.
Complaints per registered company, by state of registration
The ten states with the most complaints. The national average is 1.58 complaints per registered company.
Bars show complaints per registered company, which corrects for the fact that some states simply host more movers than others. Florida hosts 641 of the 5,359 registered companies and 4,030 of the 8,492 complaints.
Source: USMPO census of the FMCSA Household Goods Consumer Complaint record, as of July 31, 2026. State is the company's state of federal registration, not necessarily where it operates.
Why the number moves
The gap between the quote and the bill is structural, not accidental
The estimate is priced on a guess
Most quotes are given over the phone from a list you recite from memory. Nothing is verified, so the number is provisional from the moment it is issued — and it is the mover, not you, who decides later what was missing.
Every mover prices a different move
Call four companies and each writes down something slightly different. The quotes are not comparable, so the lowest number usually reflects the loosest inventory rather than the better price.
The price changes once your goods are loaded
Re-weighs, added cubic feet, long carries, shuttle fees and stair charges are added after your belongings are on the truck — the point at which you have the least leverage to argue.
Non-binding estimates are legal
A non-binding estimate is exactly what it says. Under federal rules a carrier may collect up to 110% of it at delivery and bill the remainder later, which is why the final figure can be lawful and still be a shock.
What we do
We do the checking, the quoting and the negotiating. You pick from what's left.
USMPO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are not a moving company, not a broker, and we take no commission from any carrier. One coordinator handles your move end to end, and it costs you nothing at any point.
One walkthrough, done once
A short video walkthrough of your home, room by room, including stairs, access and anything awkward. Your coordinator records it once so you never repeat yourself to four different salespeople.
The same details to 3–4 audited carriers
Every carrier quotes from identical information, so the numbers are actually comparable. Each one has been through our eight-point audit and had its federal complaint record checked first.
We compare and negotiate them with you
Your coordinator walks you through what each quote covers, flags the terms that differ, and pushes back on charges that do not hold up. In plain language, on one call.
You book directly, and we stay on the file
No pressure and no deadline from us. You sign with the carrier you chose, and your coordinator stays reachable through delivery and any claim afterwards.
What your coordinator does
- Learn your move once and act as your single point of contact
- Check every quoting carrier against the federal complaint record
- Gather 3–4 binding estimates priced on identical details
- Compare pricing and terms with you, in plain language
- Negotiate charges and terms on your behalf
- Stay reachable through moving day and any claim after
What we don't do
- Move your belongings — we are not a moving company
- Take a commission or referral fee from any carrier
- Sell or share your contact details with lead generators
- Book on your behalf — you sign directly with the mover
- Rank carriers by what they pay us; placement is not for sale
Ready when you are
One call and you can stop shopping for movers.
Tell your coordinator where you are going. They handle the rest, and it does not cost you anything.
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Before you book
How to check an interstate mover in about five minutes
Every one of these uses free public records. You do not need us to do any of it — and if you do it before you pay a deposit rather than after, it is the difference between choosing a mover and discovering one.
Get the USDOT number before anything else
Every company that moves household goods across a state line must hold a USDOT number and interstate operating authority. Ask for it on the first call. A company that will not give you one, or gives you a number that does not match the name on the estimate, has told you what you need to know.
Look it up on the federal record yourself
FMCSA publishes every registered mover's complaint history at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg — free, no account, updated monthly. Check the complaint count by year and by category. This is the same source every figure on this page comes from.
Find out whether they own trucks
A broker arranges your move and sells it to a carrier you have not met. Brokers are legal and some are good, but they generate 2.7 times the complaints per company that asset-owning carriers do. Ask directly: will your own employees and your own truck be doing this move?
Insist the estimate is binding, in writing
A non-binding estimate is a guess the mover is not held to. Under 49 CFR 375 a carrier may collect 110% of a non-binding estimate at delivery and bill you for the rest later. A binding or not-to-exceed estimate removes that gap entirely.
Never pay a large deposit up front
Legitimate interstate movers rarely need more than a small reservation fee, and most take payment at delivery. A demand for a substantial deposit by wire or cash app before anything is loaded is the most reliable single warning sign in the complaint record.
Common questions
Interstate movers, answered from the record
What is an interstate mover?
An interstate mover is a company licensed to transport household goods across state lines. Because the move crosses a state boundary it falls under federal rather than state jurisdiction, which means the company must hold a USDOT number and interstate operating authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and must follow the federal rules in 49 CFR Part 375 covering estimates, paperwork and claims.
How do I check whether an interstate mover is legitimate?
Ask for the company's USDOT number and look it up on the FMCSA household goods register at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg. That free public record shows whether the company holds active interstate authority, and how many complaints have been filed against it by year and by category. Confirm the name on the record matches the name on your estimate.
Are interstate movers or brokers more likely to cause problems?
In the federal record, brokers. Companies registered as household goods movers that own no trucks are 18% of the registry but account for 36.9% of all complaints — 3.26 complaints per company against 1.22 for carriers that own their fleet. They also account for a third of all hostage-goods complaints. Brokers are legal and some are reputable, but you should always know which one you are dealing with.
Why is my final moving bill higher than the estimate?
Most often because the estimate was non-binding. Under federal rules a carrier may collect up to 110% of a non-binding estimate at delivery and bill the balance afterwards, so a bill well above the quote can be entirely lawful. Estimates and final charges are the single most common complaint category in the federal record, cited in 66.3% of all complaints filed between 2023 and 2025.
How many complaints does a typical interstate mover have?
None. Across the 5,359 movers in the federal register, 82.7% had zero complaints recorded between 2023 and 2025. Complaints are heavily concentrated: 66 companies — 1.23% of the registry — account for half of every complaint filed.
Which states have the most complaints against interstate movers?
Florida, by a wide margin. Movers registered in Florida account for 47.5% of all complaints in the federal record while representing 12% of registered companies — 6.29 complaints per company against a national average of 1.58. New Jersey and Nevada are next at 2.96 each.
What is hostage goods?
Hostage goods is the term for a mover refusing to deliver your belongings until you pay charges beyond what you agreed. It appears in 1,747 complaints in the 2023–2025 federal record. It is illegal, and FMCSA can act on it — but recovering your property afterwards is slow, which is why the check happens before you book rather than after.
Does USMPO charge consumers?
No. There is no fee, no membership and no charge at any point. USMPO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by grants and by carrier certification fees paid for tariff audits, never by commission on your move.
Find out what your move should cost, from the nonprofit that audits what movers actually charge.
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