Many moving disputes end with a loaded truck and a demand for more money. They often start earlier, with paperwork that was blank, incomplete or never handed over. Federal rules for interstate movers depend on documents: a written estimate, a booklet explaining your rights, and a bill of lading. If those papers are missing or left unfilled, you lose the documents that limit what a mover can charge.
How the tactic works, step by step
- You get a quote instead of an estimate. The price comes by phone, text or an online form, often without anyone seeing your belongings. The federal rights booklet says a mover's verbal quote is not an official estimate, because it isn't in writing.
- "Just sign here." On moving day the crew hands you an order for service or bill of lading with the price, the weight or the type of estimate left blank, and says it will be filled in later.
- The rights booklet never shows up. Without it, you may not know the 110 percent rule or what the documents are supposed to say.
- The estimate type is unclear. You're told the price is "guaranteed," but the paperwork says non-binding, or doesn't say at all.
- The price goes up after loading. The price rises once your belongings are on the truck. With no signed estimate, you have little to point to.
What enforcement records show
In December 2023 a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted two employees of a moving company scheme, Kristy Mak and Andre Prince, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors said the scheme took more than $3 million from over 800 victims. When Prince was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $100,000, the FBI said he boxed victims "into misleading contracts and false estimates."
In a separate case in federal court in Pennsylvania, an indictment alleges that the operators of Proud American Vanlines regularly raised their estimates both before the move and after goods were loaded. It also alleges they refused to deliver when customers wouldn't pay, and that they took in more than $12 million. An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) runs an annual sweep, Operation Protect Your Move. The agency says its 2023 operations found more than 1,000 violations of its rules, and its 2024 operation led to 60 investigations and more than 30 enforcement actions.
What the law says
Interstate household-goods moves are covered by 49 CFR Part 375. Key points:
- Written estimate. The mover must give a written estimate on every shipment, covering all charges, dated and signed by both you and the mover.
- Required documents. Under § 375.213, when the mover gives you the written estimate, it must also give you the Ready to Move? brochure and Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, either as a copy or as a link to FMCSA's website. Certain documents, including the estimate, must be provided before a bill of lading is signed.
- Binding estimate. A binding estimate guarantees the total cost, based on the quantities and services it lists.
- Non-binding estimate. This is the mover's best guess. Final charges are based on actual weight and the mover's published rates (its tariff). The estimate must say on its face that it is not binding, and that you won't have to pay more than 110 percent of it at delivery.
- The 110 percent rule. Under § 375.407, if you pay up to 110 percent of a non-binding estimate on a collect-on-delivery shipment, the mover must release your goods at delivery. Holding them back counts as failing to deliver with "reasonable dispatch." If the mover doesn't write a new non-binding estimate before loading, the original one stands.
- Bill of lading. This is your contract and your receipt. It must be signed and dated by you and the mover, both at pickup and at delivery.
FMCSA's own guidance says:
"Read and verify that the documents provided by your mover are complete before you sign them."
Moves within one state fall under state law, which varies. Arizona, for example, has a law limiting when in-state movers can refuse to unload goods.
Warning signs
- No written estimate, or a price given only by phone or text
- A request to sign forms with blank spaces
- No rights booklet or Ready to Move? brochure, and no link to them
- A "guaranteed" price that isn't labeled binding in writing
- No look at your belongings, in person or by video, before the price is set
- A demand for cash or a large deposit up front
If it has already happened
- Photograph every document you have, including any blanks, and keep all texts and emails.
- Work out the most you can be asked to pay at delivery: the binding amount, or 110 percent of a non-binding estimate. Then offer that amount in writing.
- Don't sign a receipt with language that releases the mover from liability.
- File a complaint with FMCSA through protectyourmove.gov. Also complain to the attorney general in your state and in the state where the mover is based.
- For in-state moves, contact local police. Arizona's attorney general, for example, says officers can order a mover to unload goods it is holding illegally.
This article is not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact FMCSA and your state attorney general.
How to check a mover before you sign
Look up the mover's USDOT number and operating authority before you agree to anything. You can do this with FMCSA's tools or MovePricer's free lookup at movepricer.com/check. Then get a written estimate that says binding or non-binding, make sure you've received the rights booklet, and don't sign anything with blank spaces.