Mover or Broker? How to Tell Who You Are Actually Hiring
A moving broker sells your move. A carrier performs it. Both are legal and both are regulated, but many of the worst moving experiences start with a customer who thought they had hired a moving company and had actually paid a broker that then handed the job to someone they had never heard of.
The difference in one sentence each
A carrier holds federal operating authority to transport household goods, owns or controls the trucks, and is legally responsible for your shipment, including loss and damage claims. A broker holds authority to arrange transportation, never takes possession of your goods, and passes your job to a carrier for a fee.
Brokers can add value: they can find capacity in peak season or compare carriers for you. The problem is when a customer does not know a broker is involved, because the price, the dates and the responsibility for problems all sit with a company they did not choose.
What brokers must tell you
Federal rules for household goods brokers are specific. A broker must:
- Show its physical address and its USDOT and MC numbers in its advertising and on its website.
- State clearly that it is a broker, not a mover, and that it will arrange for an authorized carrier to transport your goods.
- Tell you which carriers it works with.
- Give you the federal “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet and the “Ready to Move” brochure.
- Publish its cancellation, deposit and refund policies on its website and in its agreement with you.
A broker may give you a written estimate only on behalf of a specific carrier it has a written agreement with, based on that carrier’s tariff, and normally after a survey of your belongings. That estimate then counts as the carrier’s estimate, including the rule that the carrier must release your goods on payment of no more than 110 percent of a non-binding estimate.
How to tell which one you are talking to
- Ask directly. “Will your company load and transport my goods with your own trucks and crews?” A broker is required to tell you it is a broker.
- Look up the USDOT number. The federal record shows whether the company holds carrier authority, broker authority or both. A company with only broker authority cannot move you.
- Compare the names. The company named on the estimate, the company named on the bill of lading and the name on the truck should line up. If they do not, find out why before anything is loaded.
- Ask for the carrier’s details in advance. If a broker is involved, ask for the carrier’s name and USDOT number before you pay a deposit, and verify that carrier too.
Check a mover against the federal record
Every legitimate interstate moving company holds a USDOT number. Enter it below to read the public FMCSA Company Snapshot for that carrier: operating status, safety rating, fleet size and recorded crashes. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere else.
A mover that will not give you a USDOT number in writing is the answer to your question.
Source: FMCSA Company Snapshot, the public record maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Read the official record at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. MoverChecked is not affiliated with FMCSA and does not rate or recommend any company.
Where it goes wrong
The common failure is not that brokers exist. It is that the price a broker quotes depends on a carrier agreeing to it. If the estimate was not prepared under a written agreement with a named carrier, or not based on a real survey, the carrier that turns up can re-estimate on the day. Your deposit has already gone to the broker. Most of the complaints about this pattern share three features: no survey, a deposit paid to the broker, and a carrier identified only on moving day.
Responsibility after the move also differs. Claims for loss or damage go to the carrier, under the carrier’s valuation terms. A broker that collected your money is not liable for broken furniture. That is one more reason to know the carrier’s name before you sign.
A short checklist
- Verify the authority type on the federal record before you pay anything.
- Get the carrier’s name and USDOT number in writing.
- Read the broker’s deposit and refund policy.
- Make sure the estimate is based on a survey of your belongings.
- Work through the full six verification checks on the carrier.
Sources: 49 CFR Part 371, Subpart B (household goods brokers), sections 371.107 to 371.117; FMCSA Protect Your Move guidance. This page is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026.