In the 12 months before October 17, 2026, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued out-of-service orders to 20 Indiana household-goods movers. That equals 9.2% of the 218 movers based in Indiana that hold active federal interstate authority. The national figure is 6.6%: 561 orders against 8,473 licensed movers. Indiana's rate ranks 7th of the 48 states in MovePricer's ranking.
Most of these orders didn't come from crashes or customer complaints. They came from paperwork the companies never finished. Of the 20 Indiana orders, 18 went to new companies that refused or ignored their mandatory federal safety audit, and 1 went to a company that failed it. The pattern is the same nationwide, where 478 of the 561 orders were for refusing the audit and 59 were for failing it.
MovePricer built these figures from FMCSA licensing and insurance, revocation and out-of-service datasets published on data.transportation.gov. MovePricer's records list 564 Indiana movers in total. The data does not name companies, and this article doesn't either.
What the new-entrant safety audit is
Every company that gets a new USDOT number to haul goods across state lines goes through FMCSA's New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. While a carrier is still a new entrant, which covers its first 18 months, FMCSA conducts a safety audit. The audit checks whether the company has basic safety management in place, such as driver qualification files, drug and alcohol testing, vehicle maintenance records and required insurance.
According to FMCSA's New Entrant help center, these are the two ways a company ends up out of service:
- It refuses the audit. FMCSA sends written notice that the company's registration will be revoked and its operations placed out of service unless it agrees in writing, within 10 days, to the audit. A carrier that refuses can also face federal civil penalties.
- It fails the audit. Within 45 days of the audit, FMCSA notifies the company that its registration will be revoked unless it fixes its safety management practices. If it doesn't send FMCSA an acceptable corrective-action response in time, the agency revokes its registration and issues an out-of-service order.
Why skipping the audit is a red flag
The audit is a records review, and a company can schedule it, prepare for it and fix problems afterward. Failing it doesn't automatically shut a company down. It gets a chance to correct the problems first. A company that refuses the audit or never answers FMCSA's letters is avoiding the one federal check that every new mover has to pass.
That matters to a customer. An out-of-service order means the company is not allowed to operate commercial vehicles in interstate commerce. Its truck could still show up at your door, and its website could still be online. A record like this doesn't prove a company meant to cheat anyone. It does mean the company isn't legally cleared to carry your belongings across state lines.
Indiana's own rules for in-state moves
Federal authority covers interstate moves. For moves that start and end inside Indiana, the state has separate rules. Under Indiana Code 8-2.1-22, a company that moves household goods for hire must get a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Indiana Department of Revenue. The department says applications take 30 to 60 days, that applicants may not haul during that time, and that the authority must be renewed every year by November 30. Questions about an in-state mover's authority go to the Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services division.
Enforcement in and around Indiana
For this report, MovePricer did not find a recent action by the Indiana attorney general against a moving company. The office's Consumer Protection Division takes complaints from people who believe a mover used unfair or deceptive practices.
Moving fraud has reached federal court in the region. In Cincinnati, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced that a federal grand jury had charged 12 people with running a racketeering enterprise through affiliated moving companies. The companies were operated mainly from Hollywood, Florida, and had a warehouse in West Chester, Ohio. Prosecutors said more than 900 customers had been identified as victims. They also described a customer who was told her belongings would be auctioned if she didn't pay a higher price. These were charges. Read the press release for the case details.
These figures do not show that any particular Indiana mover cheated a customer. They show how many movers federal regulators ordered off the road, and that most of those orders went to companies that wouldn't sit for a basic safety check.
If you have a dispute with a mover, contact FMCSA (for interstate moves) or the Indiana attorney general's Consumer Protection Division. This article is not legal advice.
How to check a mover before you sign
- Get the USDOT number in writing. Any mover that crosses state lines needs one. Make sure the legal name on the federal record matches the name on your estimate.
- Look the number up today, not last month. An out-of-service order or a revoked registration can come quickly. MovePricer's free lookup at movepricer.com/check shows a mover's USDOT record, including whether it is out of service. FMCSA's records are the official source.
- For a move within Indiana, ask for the company's Indiana Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. You can confirm it with the Indiana Department of Revenue.
- Walk away if a mover won't give you a USDOT number, if its number shows out of service or not authorized, or if the name on the record doesn't match the paperwork.