Ten Tennessee moving companies with an active federal license list the same business phone number as a different, older mover whose federal operating authority was revoked. That finding comes from MovePricer's review of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) records, compiled October 17, 2026.
Those 10 companies make up 5.6% of the 180 household-goods carriers based in Tennessee that hold active interstate authority. Nationally the figure is 4.1% (348 of 8,473 licensed movers). Out of 48 states ranked on this measure, Tennessee comes in 8th.
A shared phone number does not prove wrongdoing. Moving companies get sold, phone numbers get reassigned, and a legitimate new owner may keep a familiar line. Still, the overlap is worth a closer look because of a pattern federal regulators have tracked for years.
What a "chameleon" carrier is
A "reincarnated" or "chameleon" carrier is a trucking or moving company that re-registers under a new name to get away from its old record. Under federal rule 49 CFR 386.73, FMCSA can order a company out of service if it finds that the company took on a new identity for one of five reasons. These include avoiding an FMCSA order, dodging a civil penalty, or avoiding being linked with a negative compliance history. The agency can also merge the new company's records with the old one's. To call a company a reincarnation, the agency has to find "substantial continuity" between the two, meaning one is just a continuation of the other.
To make that call, FMCSA uses a list of factors. These include shared ownership, shared officers and management, shared equipment and drivers, and shared contact information. A phone number is one piece of that contact information.
How regulators look for it
New household-goods movers get more scrutiny than most new carriers. FMCSA reviews new bus companies and new movers to look for reincarnated carriers. It began that vetting after a 2008 bus crash in Sherman, Texas, where investigators found the bus operator was a reincarnated carrier. The agency has said movers were included because of its consumer-protection mandate.
The checks have limits. In 2012 the Government Accountability Office reported that FMCSA cannot readily count how many chameleon carriers exist, because that would take extensive investigation of tens of thousands of new applicants each year.
Similar details alone also don't settle the question. In FMCSA's own proceedings, the agency has to show that a company had an improper purpose, even when two carriers look substantially the same. Readers should treat the numbers in this report the same way: they are a reason to ask questions, not a finding.
What Tennessee consumers have run into
In April 2026, WSMV in Nashville reported on a senior who paid a deposit to a piano-moving business he found online, and the movers never showed up. The station found the business's website had no email or physical address. Metro Nashville Police sent him to small claims court.
Name changes come up in national complaints too. A Better Business Bureau study found that moving scammers change names often. In one case, the BBB traced a mover to related firms in several states, including Tennessee, and later found the same owners operating under a new name.
Tennessee's Division of Consumer Affairs, part of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, collects consumer complaints about unfair or deceptive business practices. When complaints show a pattern against one business, the division works with the AG's Consumer Protection Division, which enforces the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. The AG's office says it cannot represent individual consumers. FMCSA says state attorneys general and consumer-affairs agencies are the ones responsible for pursuing suspected moving fraud. For moves that cross state lines, you can also file a complaint with FMCSA at 1-888-368-7238. This article is not legal advice. If you have a dispute, contact FMCSA or the Tennessee Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs.
How to check a mover before you sign
- Look up the USDOT number. Interstate movers must be registered with FMCSA. Search the number with FMCSA's tools or MovePricer's free lookup at movepricer.com/check, and confirm the company is licensed for household goods.
- Compare the record with the sales pitch. If a company says it has served Tennessee for decades but its federal authority was granted recently, ask why. Maybe there's an ownership change you can confirm, or maybe it's something else.
- Search the phone number and address. If they lead to a differently named mover with a revoked license, ask the company directly how the two are connected.
- Watch for FMCSA's red flags. These include no in-home estimate, being asked to sign incomplete paperwork, and no FMCSA registration.
- Get everything in writing. On a non-binding estimate for an interstate move, federal rules say the mover must deliver your goods for no more than 10% above the estimate.
MovePricer's figures come from FMCSA licensing and insurance, revocation and out-of-service data published on data.transportation.gov. The analysis does not name any company.