How we check movers
Every profile is built from public records published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), plus customer reports that we review by hand. How current each fact is depends on its source: see data sources. We show facts and their sources. We don't give companies a score, and we don't call any company a scam.
Signals
A signal is one checkable fact with a plain-English explanation. Signals come in three levels: Alert (strongly worth checking before you book), Caution (worth asking about) and Info (good to know). The rules are the same for every company:
| Level | Signal | When it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Alert | No active operating authority | FMCSA lists the company's carrier and broker authority as inactive, or it has none. |
| Alert | Not authorized for household goods | The company has operating authority, but not for household goods. |
| Alert | Liability insurance not on file | An active carrier has no liability insurance filing with FMCSA. |
| Alert | Broker bond or trust not on file | An active broker has no $75,000 bond or trust filing with FMCSA. |
| Alert | Authority previously revoked | FMCSA's Census marks a previous revocation connected to the company. |
| Alert | USDOT registration inactive | FMCSA's Census lists the company's USDOT number as inactive, even though its operating authority is not. |
| Caution | Authority not granted yet | The company has applied for authority and the application is pending. |
| Caution | Cargo insurance not on file | An active household goods carrier has no cargo insurance filing. |
| Alert | Shares details with an inactive company | It shares a phone number or street address (or two weaker details) with a company whose authority is inactive. |
| Caution | High out-of-service rate | Over the last 24 months, at least 5 inspections and an out-of-service rate for vehicles or drivers at least 1.5 times the national average (FMCSA Safety Measurement System). |
| Caution | Registered less than 6 months ago | The company's first FMCSA registration is less than six months old. |
| Caution | Federal record not updated in over 2 years | The registration form (MCS-150), which must be updated every 24 months, is older than that. |
| Caution | Mail to this company is undeliverable | FMCSA's Census marked the mailing address undeliverable, and the company has not updated its record since. |
| Caution | No longer in FMCSA's current data | The company stopped appearing in the household goods data we import. |
| Info | This company is a broker | It has broker authority and no carrier authority. |
| Info | Registered less than a year ago | First registration is 6 to 12 months old. |
| Info | Shares contact details with other companies | It shares details with active companies. |
| Info | Very small fleet | An active carrier reports one truck or none. |
| Info | Registered for in-state moves only | The company is registered for operation within one state. |
Brands and franchise networks
FMCSA records each company separately and has no field for a parent company. We group companies by the trading names they register: a short list of known brands and franchise networks that we maintain by hand (with name variants), plus any distinctive trading name shared by three or more companies. Names made only of common moving words, such as "Affordable Movers", are never grouped. Sharing a name doesn't prove that companies are related, and each location keeps its own record.
Linked companies
We compare phone and fax numbers, street and mailing addresses and listed officers across all registered household goods companies. Two companies are shown as linked when they share a phone number or street address, or at least two weaker details. Matches on an officer's name alone are reviewed by a person and are not shown automatically. Details shared by very many companies — such as a registered-agent address — are ignored, as are addresses and phone numbers we have reviewed and listed as shared offices. Shared details are facts; they don't prove two companies are the same business.
Change history
Each day we compare the new records with the previous day's and log changes such as authority granted or lost, insurance filed or dropped, and name or address changes.
Customer reports
Reports are reviewed before publication. We remove personal details, never publish documents, and let the company reply. Companies cannot pay to remove a signal or a report.
Corrections
If a fact is wrong, companies can request a correction with evidence. Accepted corrections are listed in our corrections log.