An open letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

To those involved with the safety of HHG transportation,

I am writing to introduce the U.S. Moving Protection Organization (USMPO), a non-profit consumer protection organization dedicated to enhancing safety, integrity, and record keeping within the household goods moving industry. We share a mutual commitment to eliminating moving fraud and deceptive business practices that undermine both the moving industry and consumer trust.

The rise of rogue movers and deceptive business practices has created significant challenges for legitimate moving companies. These bad actors often exploit loopholes in regulations, using lowball estimates and bait-and-switch tactics that trap vulnerable consumers, particularly seniors, in unjustified price hikes and costly hostage situations. As a result, legitimate movers face unfair competition from these rogue movers and higher customer acquisition costs, making it difficult to compete fairly, with accurate and transparent pricing. 

At the U.S. Moving Protection Organization, we recognize the invaluable work the FMCSA does in monitoring and enforcing compliance. However, consumer complaints often arrive after the damage has been done. Our Register Your Move initiative is designed to proactively engage consumers before they fall victim to moving fraud, providing them with the necessary resources and guidance to make safer decisions.

We believe that collaboration between the USMPO and the FMCSA can significantly enhance consumer protections and industry accountability. By working together, we aim to address fraudulent estimates before they become problematic. This approach will not only protect consumers but also provide legitimate movers with a fair environment to operate.

To spread awareness around the the preventive measures at no-cost, we are focused on enrolling legitimate moving companies to incorporate this initiative into their client conversations. This way, once a shipper registers their move, we can offer actionable advice to help them navigate the landscape safely. Our main objective is to eliminate bait & switch estimates and deter shippers from simply choosing the lowest priced quote without doing researching on the company. This collaborative strategy keeps shippers within the market of legitimate movers, while raising awareness around consumer rights & responsibilities. Furthermore, our organization gathers customer complaint data and general feedback to help movers optimize their operations. We believe this data could also be beneficial to the FMCSA in identifying patterns and improving record-keeping efforts as proposed by the GAO’s 14 recommendations for executive action.

Our intention is to work in alignment with the FMCSA to address these concerns and drive meaningful change. Given the uncertainties often associated with the industry, we recognize that our innovative efforts and lack of governmental authority can be met with skepticism. We want to be clear that our efforts remain independent and sovereign from the government, DOT, and FMCSA. However, considering the severity of the issue, we believe it requires as much support as possible. Our intention is to work in alignment with the FMCSA to address these concerns and drive meaningful change. This grassroots approach enables us to act swiftly, avoiding the bureaucracy of larger organizations, so we can take immediate action on the critical issues at hand.To that end, we respectfully seek your endorsement to help legitimize our mission and raise awareness, as we work together toward a safer, more transparent moving industry.

We are confident that by collaborating on safety initiatives, we can make significant strides in eliminating fraudulent movers, increasing consumer trust, and enhancing the resources offered by the FMCSA.