Member carriers · Long-Distance & Interstate
Long-distance and interstate carriers, and the authority they must hold
A move that crosses state lines runs under a different license and a different liability regime, and it's where most rogue-mover stories start. The interstate-capable members below hold federal USDOT household-goods authority; for a full cross-country match, our partner site NationMoving.com runs the long-distance side of the network.
Profiles for this move type are rolling out now.
The network already covers long-distance & interstate. Members are publishing their profiles category by category, so tell us about your move and we'll match you with vetted movers today.
Before you compare quotes
What changes when you cross a state line
Crossing a state line does not just lengthen the drive; it changes the regulator, the paperwork and the liability regime. Your shipment is weighed rather than clocked, priced against a published tariff by weight and distance, delivered inside a spread of days rather than at an appointment, and frequently consolidated onto a trailer with other people's shipments. The bill of lading becomes the contract, and the inventory sheet becomes the record you will need if something arrives broken.
The single most consequential fact about this category is that the company you speak to may not be the company that arrives. Household-goods brokers sell the job on to a carrier that actually performs it. That is a legal business, and a registered broker doing it transparently is not a scam. The abuse is the broker that presents itself as the mover, quotes a weight it never verified, and disappears the moment the load is on a truck belonging to someone else.
This site covers the trust side of an interstate move — authority, disclosure, estimates and valuation. For route planning, transit windows and corridor-specific logistics, our partner site NationMoving.com runs the long-distance side of the network.
What an interstate household-goods move involves
- A survey of your inventory, in person or by video, before any credible estimate exists
- A written estimate — binding, non-binding, or binding not-to-exceed
- An election of valuation: Full Value Protection, or released value
- A weight ticket, and your right to request a re-weigh
- A bill of lading, which is the contract, and a descriptive inventory
- A delivery spread rather than a delivery date, and storage-in-transit if dates do not line up
Licensing & authority
Federal authority: what a legitimate interstate mover holds
An interstate for-hire household-goods carrier must be registered with FMCSA. That produces a USDOT number, which identifies the company, and operating authority for household goods, identified by an MC number. The two are not interchangeable and holding one is not evidence of holding the other. FMCSA's public records show the authority type, whether it is active, and whether insurance is on file.
Brokers must register too, and must disclose that they are brokers. A broker does not take possession of your goods and does not hold the household-goods carrier authority that would let it. If a company's paperwork says broker anywhere on it, the right next question is which carrier will physically perform the move, and what that carrier's own MC number is.
Federal rules also give you documents. An interstate household-goods mover is required to provide FMCSA's consumer booklet on your rights and responsibilities, and its companion brochure, before the move. On a non-binding estimate, the amount you can be required to pay at delivery is limited to the estimate plus a defined percentage of any additional charges, with the remainder billed afterwards — the provision that makes a load hostage-taking illegal rather than merely aggressive. Movers must also offer a neutral arbitration programme for loss and damage disputes.
Valuation is where most people lose money without knowing it. Full Value Protection is the default level of liability; released value, at a fixed rate per pound per article, is the free alternative and must be chosen in writing. Released value is not insurance and, on anything valuable and light, it is close to no coverage at all.
Active household-goods operating authority
Not just a USDOT registration. Look for household-goods authority showing as active, and confirm the legal name and any DBA match the company on your estimate.
Carrier or broker — stated plainly
Ask directly, then check the record. A broker that will not name the performing carrier before you sign is the most common starting point for the stories you have read.
Insurance on file with FMCSA
The federal record shows whether required coverage is filed. An authority that is active but shows no insurance filing is a contradiction worth resolving before you book.
The consumer booklet, delivered before move day
A mover that never mentions your rights booklet is a mover that is not running the federal process it is obliged to run.
Anything a carrier tells you about its authority is checkable. Federal records are public at FMCSA's SAFER database, and the Union runs the same check as part of the published 5-point standard. We publish what we verified; you should still confirm it before you book.
How the money works
How interstate carriers bill
Interstate household-goods pricing is not hourly. It is built from the weight of the shipment and the distance it travels, against the carrier's published tariff, plus accessorial charges for the things that make a particular job harder: a long carry from the truck to your door, a shuttle when a tractor-trailer cannot reach the address, stair or elevator flights, bulky items, and storage-in-transit.
That is why the estimate type matters more here than anywhere else. A binding estimate fixes the price for the inventory described. A non-binding estimate is a prediction against actual weight. A binding not-to-exceed sets a ceiling while letting the price fall if the shipment weighs less. Any of the three can be honest; only one of them is a number you can rely on without a weight ticket.
This site's cost band describes a full-service local household move and does not apply to an interstate shipment, which is priced by weight and distance against a tariff — so we do not show it here rather than show a figure that would mislead. For corridor planning and transit expectations, use NationMoving.com; for a cost estimate, use the sibling estimate tool.
Where to price this
Moving Union does not quote moves. For a cost estimate, the sibling estimate tool runs the numbers, and our partner site handles interstate route planning and transit windows.
Take this to the phone call
What to ask an interstate carrier
1.Are you a carrier or a broker, and what is your MC number?
The answer determines who is liable for your belongings and who you would file a claim against. Verify it in the federal record rather than taking the answer.
2.Is this estimate binding, non-binding, or binding not-to-exceed?
It defines what you can be asked to pay at delivery. If the document does not say which it is, it is not a usable estimate.
3.Which valuation am I on, and what did I sign?
Full Value Protection and released value produce wildly different outcomes on a damaged item. The election is in writing somewhere; find it before move day, not after.
4.Who physically performs the move, and will any part of it be subcontracted?
Loading, line haul and delivery are sometimes three different companies. You are entitled to know before the truck arrives.
5.What is the delivery spread, and what happens if you miss it?
Interstate delivery is a window. Ask what the window is, what triggers delay claims, and what the carrier does when it slips.
6.Will the shipment be weighed, and may I be present for a re-weigh?
On a non-binding estimate the weight is the price. Your right to verify it is the check on a weight that grows conveniently.
A longer, move-agnostic version of this list lives in 12 questions to ask before hiring movers.
Walk away signals
What should stop you
- A quote issued without any survey of your inventory, in person or by video
- A deposit requested by wire transfer, cash or a peer-to-peer payment app
- A company that answers the phone generically and will not state a legal name or MC number
- Paperwork that says 'broker' while the sales conversation said 'our trucks' and 'our crews'
- Being asked to sign a blank or partially completed bill of lading at pickup
- A price that jumps after loading, framed as a re-weigh you were not invited to witness
Long-Distance & Interstate questions
The parts people get wrong
Do I need my mover to have both a USDOT number and an MC number?
For an interstate household-goods move, effectively yes. The USDOT number identifies the company; the MC number reflects the for-hire operating authority that lets it transport your goods across state lines for money. A company with a USDOT number but no active household-goods authority is not licensed to do your move.
Can the price go up after the truck is loaded?
On a non-binding estimate, charges can exceed the estimate — but federal rules limit what you can be required to pay at delivery to the estimate plus a defined percentage of the additional charges, with the balance billed later. A mover demanding the full inflated amount on your doorstep before unloading is not exercising a right; it is the beginning of a hostage-load situation.
The company that quoted me is not the one on the truck. Is that legal?
It can be. Brokers are legitimate when registered and disclosed, and carriers do interline work. What is not acceptable is discovering the substitution at pickup. Ask up front whether you are dealing with a broker, and get the performing carrier's name and MC number before you sign anything.