How to File a Moving Company Complaint: FMCSA, Steps, and Deadlines

To file a complaint against a moving company, do two things at once: send a written damage or loss claim to the mover, and file a complaint with the government agency that regulates it. For interstate moves that agency is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); for moves that stay inside one state, it is a state agency such as your Public Utilities Commission, Department of Transportation, consumer protection division, or Attorney General’s office. The split matters because only the claim to the mover can get your money back — the FMCSA does not resolve individual claims or recover compensation on your behalf.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Protect Your Move

Send the Written Claim to the Mover First

Skip this step and you may lose your right to compensation entirely. For interstate moves, federal law gives you nine months from the delivery date to file a written claim with the mover for loss or damage.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 14706 – Liability of Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading Once the claim arrives, the mover has 30 days to acknowledge it and 120 days to decide whether to offer a settlement.3Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Have You Discovered Loss and/or Damage to Your Household Goods

Your claim should list every missing or damaged item, include photos, and state a replacement or repair cost for each. If the mover offers its own claim form, use it. Otherwise, a detailed letter sent by certified mail with return receipt satisfies the requirement and creates a paper trail. File early even if you are still adding up the damage — the nine-month clock does not pause while you inventory.

Do not wait for the mover to respond before contacting a regulator. The claim and the complaint are separate tracks with different purposes, and running them in parallel loses you nothing.

What to Gather Before You File Anything

A complaint with weak documentation is a complaint that goes nowhere. Pull the following together first:

  • The mover’s full legal name, physical address, phone number, USDOT number, and MC (Motor Carrier) number. The USDOT number identifies every interstate carrier in FMCSA records and appears on your bill of lading, on the truck itself, or in the FMCSA’s SAFER database online.4Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Do I Need a USDOT Number
  • Your written estimate (binding or non-binding), the bill of lading, the order for service, inventory sheets, and any signed service agreements.
  • Photos or video of damaged items, receipts for repairs or replacements, and a written account of what happened and when.
  • Every email, text, and letter you exchanged with the company. For calls, note the date, time, who you spoke with, and what was said.
  • A record of every attempt you made to resolve the problem directly with the mover.

Filing a Complaint With the FMCSA (Interstate Moves)

If your move crossed state lines, the FMCSA is the federal regulator.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is an Interstate Move Two ways to file:

You will need your contact information, the mover’s identifying details (including USDOT and MC numbers), the origin and destination of your shipment, and a description of the violation. Upload your estimate, bill of lading, and inventory through the online portal. Complaints the FMCSA regularly acts on include unauthorized charges, operating without proper registration, significant delivery delays, lost or damaged goods, and holding a shipment hostage.

If a mover refuses to release your belongings after you have paid what federal law requires, that is a hostage situation. Call the FMCSA hotline right away. Under a non-binding estimate, the mover cannot demand more than 110 percent of the estimated amount at delivery before turning over your goods.8Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Estimating Charges – Subpart D

Understand what the FMCSA will and will not do with your complaint. It uses the data to spot patterns, decide which companies to investigate, and build a permanent record on the carrier. It will not recover money for you, negotiate a settlement, or act as your advocate.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Protect Your Move That job stays with your claim to the mover, and, if that fails, arbitration or court.

Filing a Complaint for a Move Inside One State

Intrastate moves are regulated by the state, not the FMCSA. The responsible agency varies: it may be the state Public Utilities Commission, Department of Transportation, consumer protection division, or Attorney General’s office.9Surface Transportation Board. Household Goods Moving Searching your state government’s website for “moving company complaint” will usually point you to the right office and its filing process. Most states offer online forms alongside phone and mail options.

It is also worth contacting your state Attorney General separately if you suspect outright fraud — a mover demanding far more than the quoted price, or refusing to deliver at all. Attorney general offices have broader enforcement tools than transportation regulators and have pursued criminal charges against moving company owners in serious cases.

Know the Ceiling on What You Can Recover

Before you count on a big settlement, look at your bill of lading to see which valuation coverage you chose. That choice sets the mover’s maximum liability regardless of what your things were actually worth.

  • Released Value Protection is the default and costs nothing. It covers 60 cents per pound per item. A 50-pound television worth $1,500 is covered for $30. Many people do not learn they picked this option until they file a claim.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Insure My Belongings During a Move
  • Full Value Protection requires the mover to repair, replace, or pay current market value. It costs extra.

Items of extraordinary value (more than $100 per pound) get the coverage you selected only if you listed them on a separate high-value inventory form. Leave them off, and the mover’s liability for those items may be capped at $100 per pound whatever coverage you paid for.

If the Mover Denies the Claim or Lowballs You

Arbitration

Every interstate mover has to participate in an arbitration program as a condition of its FMCSA registration, and must give you a summary of that program before you sign the bill of lading.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 14708 – Dispute Settlement Program for Household Goods Carriers For claims of $10,000 or less, arbitration is binding on both sides if you request it, and the mover cannot refuse. For claims over $10,000, both sides have to agree.

A mover cannot make you agree to arbitration before a dispute arises; a pre-dispute arbitration clause in your contract violates federal law. Arbitration is faster and cheaper than court, but the binding decision on smaller claims is generally not appealable.

Lawsuit

For interstate moves, you have at least two years from the date the mover denies your claim to sue.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 14706 – Liability of Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading The two-year clock starts when the mover sends written notice disallowing part of your claim; a vague settlement offer does not count as a denial unless it states which part is disallowed and why.

You can sue in state court where the mover operates and serve papers on its process agent, whose information sits at the bottom of the carrier’s record in the FMCSA’s SAFER database. Claims over $10,000 can also be filed in federal court. For smaller amounts, small claims court is usually the practical option; state limits typically run from $5,000 to $12,500. When a mover operated in clear violation of its registration requirements, a court may award reasonable attorney’s fees to the prevailing party.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 14707 – Private Enforcement of Registration Requirements

The BBB and Public Reviews

The Better Business Bureau accepts complaints through its website, forwards them to the company, and generally closes cases within about 30 days.13Better Business Bureau. Better Business Bureau Complaints The BBB has no regulatory authority. What it can do is affect the company’s BBB rating and post the complaint publicly. Honest reviews on consumer platforms do something similar. Neither replaces a government complaint or a legal claim, but the reputational pressure sometimes moves a company that would otherwise ignore you.

Key Deadlines to Remember

For interstate moves, missing one of these can eliminate your options:

Intrastate deadlines vary. Ask your state regulator for the applicable periods. Whatever jurisdiction covers your move, the safest path is the same: send the written claim as soon as you find the problem, and file the government complaint at the same time.