Porter

Interstate Moving Fees and Paperwork: What Movers Must Publish Before You Book

TL;DR

US interstate movers must keep a published tariff listing their rates, charges and service terms, and they must make it available for you to review. Federal rules do not prescribe the layout; the Surface Transportation Board's public assistance office recommends sections for liability rates, accessorial charges and fuel surcharges. Every interstate mover also needs FMCSA registration and a USDOT number, and must hand you the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move before the move. Expect a written estimate signed by the mover, an order for service showing pickup and delivery dates, and a partially completed bill of lading before the truck leaves. The tariff explains how charges are built; the move documents record what was agreed for your shipment.

The document behind the price is the tariff

An interstate moving company must set up and maintain a tariff: a document containing all of the company's rates, charges and service terms for moving household possessions, kept available for a customer's review under 49 C.F.R. Part 1310. STB regulations require tariffs to be clear and easy to follow so a customer can readily understand the applicable rates, charges and service terms.

The regulations themselves do not specify the format or content of a tariff.

Fee lines a tariff is expected to show

The recommended rate sections name specific items:

  • The rates at which the mover offers full-value loss and damage liability.
  • The released rates at which the mover's loss and damage liability is limited.
  • The mover's binding estimate rates, if the company offers binding estimates.
  • The mover's accessorial charges, with an explanation of when they apply.
  • The mover's fuel surcharge, with an explanation of when it applies.

Full-value and released rates are two different liability levels, and the tariff is the place where both are published. Accessorial charges and fuel surcharges deserve the second read, because the recommendations ask for the trigger conditions alongside the amount. A charge printed without its condition does not tell you whether it applies to your building, your access or your dates.

Documents to collect before loading day

Four items come up in consumer guidance for interstate moves:

  • Estimate. It should clearly describe, in writing, all charges for services the mover will perform, and it should be signed by the mover; oral estimates should not be accepted.
  • Order for service. It lists all the services the mover will perform and shows the dates your belongings will be picked up and delivered.
  • Bill of lading. It is both the contract between you and the mover and the receipt for your belongings, and you should be given a partially completed copy before the vehicle leaves the residence at origin.
  • The rights booklet. Movers are required to give you the brochure and booklet titled Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move before the move; it explains the documents you will be asked to sign and your rights if goods are lost or damaged.

Keep the signed estimate, the order for service and the partially completed bill of lading in one file. They are the written record of what the mover agreed to do, and the bill of lading copy is the receipt that ties your shipment to a specific move. Adding your own dated photographs before loading costs nothing and gives you a comparison point if a claim is needed later.

Before you book: a short ordered checklist

  1. Ask the mover for its USDOT number.
  2. 确认公司已注册以运输 household goods 并持有适当的保险，并把这几点作为需要核对的项目。
  3. Request a written estimate.
  4. 核对估价单是否写明了每一项收费，并有搬家公司签名。
  5. Ask for the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.
  6. Request the order for service and confirm the pickup and delivery dates it shows.
  7. Ask for the tariff and read the accessorial and fuel surcharge sections.
  8. Collect the partially completed bill of lading before the truck leaves your address.

Three signals are worth stopping for: a price given only by phone, a company that cannot produce a USDOT number, and a tariff that is never made available for review.

Complaints: enforcement and compensation are separate tracks

FMCSA regulates interstate household goods moving companies, and all interstate movers must be registered with the agency. It does not have authority to resolve individual claims against an interstate moving company. A complaint still matters, because it may trigger a federal enforcement investigation against the mover.

Local consumer offices do not always cover interstate moves. Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs in Florida states that it has no regulatory authority over interstate moves and routes interstate problems to FMCSA, while noting that many complaints it receives concern moves crossing the state line. That split explains why the claim and arbitration instructions inside the tariff matter for a damaged shipment: the regulator investigates conduct, and the tariff describes how a loss, damage or overcharge claim is handled.

What this guide does not cover

The sources behind this article cover interstate moves: the federal tariff requirement and one county consumer office's guidance. State-level fee schedules and intrastate licensing steps were not part of that material, so no state fee lines are listed here. For a move that stays inside one state, the applicable schedule comes from that state rather than from the federal framework described above.

Whichever document you end up reading, the effective date is how you tell versions apart. The board's recommended title page includes the tariff's effective dates for exactly that reason.

Questions readers ask

Is a verbal estimate enough?

No. Consumer guidance states that the estimate should clearly describe in writing all charges for the services the mover will perform and should be signed by the mover, and that oral estimates should not be accepted.

How is a tariff different from my quote?

The tariff is the mover's published set of rates, charges and service terms, maintained and made available for customer review. Your estimate is the written, signed statement of what this particular move will cost. The estimate tells you the number; the tariff tells you how that number and the charges around it are built.

How do I confirm a mover can legally handle interstate moves?

Interstate movers must be registered with FMCSA, have a USDOT number and carry proper insurance. Ask for the USDOT number early and keep it with your move paperwork, so the company you booked is the company on the bill of lading.

Where does a complaint about an interstate mover go?

FMCSA takes complaints about interstate household goods movers, and a complaint may trigger a federal enforcement investigation against the company. The agency does not resolve individual claims. A county consumer affairs office may accept the complaint but can have no regulatory authority over an interstate move.

Does the federal rule dictate what a tariff looks like?

No. STB regulations do not specify format or content. The recommended sections, from the title page and definitions through rate tables, the liability statement, claim instructions and bill of lading terms, are guidance from the board's public assistance office.

Sources

  • Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs (Florida), Interstate Moves consumer guidance page, undated. Used for FMCSA registration, the required moving documents and complaint routing.