Rights
How to complain about a mover in the US
Interstate: file with the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database and, for a hostage load, call 1-888-368-7238. Claims for loss and damage go to the mover in writing first, and you can demand arbitration on claims up to $10,000. In-state: your state regulator or attorney general. No mugshots on this page, just the doors.
Call +1 (866) 961-9682Haulest data team · Desk opened official pages 17 September 2026. Editorial.
Why you are here
The rage is real and the form is boring. Most people post a review and never file the complaint that actually lands on a record.
Why Haulest
The doors in order, what to attach, and what a complaint can and cannot do. We do not scrape complaint text into this HTML.
| Phrase family | Rows | Share of rows |
|---|---|---|
| Held our things, would not unload, hostage | 46 | 2% |
| Estimate changed, price went up, extra charges | 96 | 5% |
| Damage, broke, scratched, dented | 590 | 31% |
| Late, delay, delivery window | 246 | 13% |
Hostage load: today, not tomorrow
If the mover is holding your goods for more than the rule allows, call the FMCSA hotline at 1-888-368-7238 and file with the NCCDB the same day. Have the USDOT number, the bill of lading, and the estimate photographed.
Pay what the 110% rule requires on a non-binding estimate and demand delivery. Do not pay a number that appeared on the driveway without paper.
Loss or damage: the claim, then arbitration
File a written claim with the mover. The bill of lading names the window; nine months from delivery is the common term. The mover must acknowledge within 30 days and pay, decline, or make a firm offer within 120 days. That is Part 370.
If you disagree, an interstate mover must offer a neutral arbitration program. For claims of $10,000 or less, you can require it. Above that, both sides have to agree. 49 CFR 375.211. Ask the mover for the program name and the forms.
In-state moves, Canada, the UK
In-state: FMCSA does not regulate the price. Some states run a household-goods desk (Texas, California, Florida, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey among them). Start with the state attorney general if you cannot find the desk.
Canada: no federal mover licence. Ontario points you to its consumer protection complaint form. Check whether the mover runs trucks under a CVOR.
UK: no national remover licence. Trading Standards through Citizens Advice, then the trade association if the firm belongs to one. Small claims for the money.
What a complaint does
An NCCDB complaint lands on the carrier's federal record and can feed an investigation. It does not get your money back by itself. The claim and the arbitration do that.
A review with dates, the USDOT, and the paper attached helps the next person. Post it here and it stays dated. We do not invent a star total from it.
Official doors
1. Booklet
Interstate movers must give Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. We link it. We do not rehost it as ours.
Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (PDF)2. Lookup
SAFER company snapshot. Registered is not the same as authorized to haul household goods.
FMCSA SAFER company snapshot3. Complain
Protect Your Move. Photograph the inventory first. Then the phone.
FMCSA Protect Your Move
Official sources
Links go to the publisher. Haulest does not add findings. We checked these URLs in September 2026. If the live page moved, believe the agency.
- FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- FMCSA hotline 1-888-368-7238 (1-888-DOT-SAFT)
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- 49 CFR Part 370 (claims: 30 days to acknowledge, 120 to decide)
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- 49 CFR 375.211 (arbitration for loss and damage claims)
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- FMCSA Protect Your Move
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- Ontario: hiring a mover
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- Find local Trading Standards
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
Ask out loud
- Should I complain to FMCSA about a local move?
- FMCSA regulates interstate moves. For a move inside one state, go to the state regulator or attorney general. You can still check the USDOT for safety records.
- Will FMCSA get my furniture back?
- FMCSA can act on a hostage load through its hotline and enforcement. It does not adjudicate your damage claim. That is the mover, then arbitration or court.
Next
Call for a free quote
From, then To. Date and home size after that. A person on the phone is faster if you already know the dates.
Call +1 (866) 961-9682Haulest is not a carrier. We connect you to movers. We do not dispatch a truck.
Haulest is a research desk and quote line operated by Panaweb LLC. We are not a carrier.