Before You Hire a Moving Company, Find Out Who Will Actually Be Moving Your Stuff
You’ve researched moving companies, read reviews, talked with someone on the phone, received an
estimate, and scheduled your move.
Then moving day arrives.
A truck pulls into your driveway—but the name on the truck isn’t the company you hired, or perhaps it’s an
unfamiliar rental truck.
Who are these people?
For some customers, this is the first time they realize the company that sold them the move isn’t
necessarily the company performing it. They hired a moving broker rather than hiring the moving carrier
directly.
Moving brokers can operate legally and serve a legitimate purpose. The important thing is understanding
who you’re hiring, who will actually handle your belongings, and who will be responsible for your move.
Fortunately, you can verify much of this yourself before signing a contract.
What’s the Difference Between a Moving Carrier and a Broker?
A moving carrier is the company that actually transports your belongings. It operates moving trucks,
provides moving crews, loads your belongings, transports the shipment, and unloads at your destination.
For interstate household-goods moves, carriers must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) and have the proper authority to transport household goods.
A moving broker, on the other hand, arranges transportation but does not actually transport your
household goods.
The broker markets moving services, books the move, gathers information about the
shipment, and then connects the customer with a carrier that will perform the move.
Transparency matters. A broker should clearly disclose that it is arranging your move rather than actually
transporting your belongings. That distinction should be clear in its advertising and paperwork—not
something you discover when a different company arrives on moving day.
A carrier performs the move. A broker arranges for someone else to perform the move.
That’s an important distinction to understand before you sign anything.
Are Moving Brokers Bad?
Not necessarily.
There are legitimate moving brokers, and interstate household-goods brokers are regulated by FMCSA.
The concern arises when a customer believes they’re hiring the company that will perform the move when
they’re actually hiring a broker.
That can create uncertainty about who will arrive, what company will be responsible for the shipment, what
equipment will be used, and who the customer should contact if there’s a problem.
So the important question isn’t simply: “Is this company a broker?”
“Do I understand exactly who I’m hiring and who will actually handle my move?”
Why Does This Matter on Moving Day?
When you hire a carrier directly, you generally know which company is responsible for performing your
move.
With a broker, another company will actually perform the transportation. That means the actual carrier’s
crews, trucks, equipment, experience, operating procedures, customer service, and availability may be
different from the company that sold you the move.
There is another potential concern: the broker still has to find a carrier willing and able to accept your
move.
FMCSA warns that a broker may not be able to find a mover because of a low estimate, availability,
resources, or other reasons. In that situation, you could find yourself without a mover on the day you
expected the move to happen.
What Happens If the Broker’s Price Was Too Low?
This is one of the risks consumers need to understand when considering a broker.
The price the broker quoted still has to work for the carrier that will actually perform the move.
If the broker has estimated the move too low, it may have difficulty finding a carrier willing to accept the job
at that price. In the worst situation, your move may be cancelled or no carrier may show up when
expected.
Another possibility is that a carrier arrives at your home, looks at everything you’re actually moving, and
determines that the broker’s estimate doesn’t accurately reflect the shipment or services required.
If there are additional items or services, the carrier may present a revised written estimate before loading
begins. If you and the carrier cannot agree on the revised terms, the move may not proceed.
Now imagine the position you may be in.
Your entire house is packed. You’ve taken time off work. Your closing may be scheduled. The new
homeowners may be taking possession of your house. Your family may need to leave that day.
You may have the choice of signing revised paperwork and paying more or trying to find another interstate
mover at the last minute.
That is why an unrealistically low estimate can become very expensive very quickly.
There’s another possibility that many customers don’t consider: the carrier may agree to move only the
items listed on the broker’s inventory for the quoted price.
If that inventory is incomplete, the carrier may tell you that additional furniture, boxes, garage items,
basement contents, or other belongings were never included in the original estimate. You could then face
additional charges to move those items—or potentially be left responsible for moving them yourself.
This is why you should carefully review the inventory attached to a broker’s estimate. Make sure it
accurately reflects everything you expect the carrier to move before you agree to the price.
There can also be disputes over additional charges at the destination. For interstate moves, federal rules
provide protections governing what a carrier can require at delivery. For a non-binding estimate, the mover
generally cannot require more than 110% of the original non-binding estimate at delivery, plus certain
permitted charges. Other applicable charges generally must be billed later.
If you’re told, “Your price has gone up significantly, and we’re not unloading until you pay us more,” don’t
assume you have no choice simply because the mover has possession of your belongings. Understand
what estimate you signed, what additional services were requested, what the new charges are for, and
what federal regulations allow the carrier to collect at delivery.
A low estimate isn’t a bargain if the company that quoted the price can’t find a qualified carrier
willing to perform the move for that amount.
What If They Show Up in a Rental Truck?
A rental truck arriving on moving day deserves your attention.
That doesn’t mean every mover using rented or leased equipment is illegitimate. Established moving
companies may occasionally supplement their fleets with rented or leased equipment.
But if you’re moving across state lines and a rental or leased truck shows up, you should know exactly who
is operating that truck before your belongings are loaded.
The carrier operating the vehicle should be properly identified, including the required carrier identification
and USDOT number. Temporary or removable identification may be used on rented equipment.
If an unfamiliar rental truck arrives and you cannot clearly identify the moving company responsible for
your shipment, stop and ask questions before loading begins.
“What company is operating this truck?”
“Where is your USDOT identification?”
“Is this the same carrier listed on my moving paperwork?”
Then verify the carrier.
The concern isn’t simply that the mover rented a truck. The concern is allowing an unidentified or
unverified company to load everything you own and drive away with it across state lines.
Take a few minutes to verify who has possession of your belongings before the first piece goes on the
truck.
Two Questions to Ask Before You Sign
“Are you the carrier that will actually perform my move, or are you a broker arranging my move with another company?”
“Whose truck and crew should I expect to see at my home on moving day?”
If the company is a broker, ask which carrier will perform the move. If they don’t know yet, ask when you
will be told.
Don’t assume. Ask.
How to Check a Moving Company Yourself
For an interstate move, you don’t have to rely solely on what a salesperson or website tells you.
FMCSA maintains public information that allows consumers to verify movers and brokers, including
registration, authority, insurance information, and complaint history.
Step 1: Ask for the Company’s USDOT Number
Ask: “What is your U.S. DOT number?”
Interstate household-goods movers must be registered with FMCSA. Don’t simply accept a number printed
on a website or estimate. Write it down and check it yourself.
Step 2: Use FMCSA’s Official Search
Use the federal government’s official mover and broker search. Search using the company name, USDOT
number, or MC number.
FMCSA Protect Your Move: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move
Step 3: Make Sure the Company MatchesCompare the federal record with the company you’re actually talking to.
Look at the company name, address, phone number, USDOT number, and business information.
If you’re dealing with “ABC Moving Company,” but the USDOT number belongs to an entirely different
business, stop and ask why.
There may be a legitimate explanation, but you should understand that relationship before handing over
your belongings or paying a deposit.
Step 4: Determine Whether They’re a Carrier or Broker
If you thought you were hiring a moving carrier but discover you’re dealing with a broker, ask: “Which
carrier will actually be transporting my household goods?”
Once you have that company’s information, verify the carrier too.
Step 5: Check Their Household-Goods Authority
Having a USDOT number does not automatically mean a company is authorized to transport your
household goods interstate.
Verify the mover’s household-goods authority and insurance information as well.
Step 6: Look at Complaint Information
A complaint by itself doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t hire a company. Look at the overall picture:
licensing, authority, insurance, complaint patterns, reviews, the quality of the estimate, how thoroughly the
company evaluated your move, and how clearly your questions were answered.
What About a Local Illinois Move?
The federal verification process is particularly important when you’re moving across state lines. For a move
entirely within Illinois, state requirements also apply.
If you’re moving from Algonquin to Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Cary, Lake in the Hills, Chicago, or another
Illinois community, ask the mover about the licensing or authority applicable to your move and how you can
verify it.
Don’t simply ask: “Are you licensed?”
Ask: “What is your license or authority number, and where can I verify it?”
A professional mover should be comfortable answering that question.
Don’t Confuse a Great Salesperson With a Great Moving Company
Moving is unusual because you can make a major purchasing decision without ever seeing the trucks,
equipment, facility, or people who will actually perform the service.
You might speak with a knowledgeable and friendly salesperson hundreds of miles away. That person may
provide excellent customer service.
But that still doesn’t answer the most important operational question:
Who is actually coming to my house?
Before choosing a mover, find out who operates the trucks, who provides the crew, who is responsible for
your belongings, who you will call if there’s a problem, and who will actually transport your shipment.
Where Dreiske Moving & Storage Fits In
At Dreiske Moving & Storage, this distinction is straightforward. Dreiske is a moving carrier.
We operate moving equipment and have professional moving crews. The people you speak with are part
of the same organization responsible for planning and performing your move.
Dreiske has been serving families since 1978, including customers throughout Algonquin, Crystal Lake,
Lakewood, Cary, Lake in the Hills, and surrounding communities, as well as customers moving across
state lines.
But don’t simply take our word for it. Verify us too.
Ask for our USDOT information and applicable licensing information. Look us up. Check our authority.
Research our company and compare us with the other movers you’re considering.
Five Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Mover
- Are you a carrier or a broker?
- Will your company actually perform my move?
- Whose truck and crew should I expect on moving day?
- What are your USDOT and applicable state authority numbers, and where can I verify them?
- If you’re a broker, which carrier will actually handle my shipment—and has that carrier already
accepted my move?
Those questions take only a few minutes to ask, but the answers can tell you a great deal about who
you’re trusting with everything in your home.
The Bottom Line
A professional-looking website, a good salesperson, an attractive estimate, and even a USDOT number
don’t automatically tell you who will show up on moving day.
Verify the company yourself.
Confirm the company identity. Determine whether you’re dealing with a carrier or broker. If it’s a broker,
find out which carrier will actually perform the move. Verify that carrier’s household-goods authority and
insurance. Review available complaint information. And make sure the company arriving at your house is
the company you expected.
Most importantly, don’t let an unusually low price keep you from asking questions.
A good moving estimate should accurately reflect what you’re moving and the services you’re
purchasing—not simply be the lowest number necessary to get you to sign.
Moving already involves enough uncertainty.
The identity of the company showing up at your door—and the price you agreed to pay—shouldn’t
be part of it.
At Dreiske Moving & Storage, we believe choosing a mover should start with knowing exactly who you’re
trusting with your home and belongings. Since 1978, our family-owned company has built its reputation by
owning and operating our equipment, employing professional moving crews, and standing behind the
moves we perform. Whether you’re moving locally in Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Cary, or the
surrounding area—or across the country—we encourage you to ask questions, verify our credentials, and
compare us with other movers. When you choose Dreiske, our goal is simple: provide a clear estimate,
communicate what to expect, and deliver the level of service we promised from the first phone call through
the final piece coming off the truck.
