About 11.6% of Americans lived in a different home in 2025 than a year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, down from 11.8% in 2024. About 2.08% moved to a different state, down from 2.13%. For that interstate group, the hiring of a household goods mover is governed by a single federal rule, 49 CFR Part 375, which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforces. Its consumer booklet, Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, is printed in full as Appendix A of the rule.

These protections cover interstate moves. A move within one state falls under that state's rules, which vary.

The paperwork a mover must hand over

With the written estimate, an interstate mover must give the customer two federal publications: the Ready to Move brochure and the Your Rights and Responsibilities booklet, on paper or by a link with a signed receipt. A mover with a website must link to the Ready to Move brochure on it. The mover must also tell the customer, before the bill of lading is signed, that neutral arbitration is available for disputes, with a summary of the procedure, its costs and its legal effect.

Estimates, and what they bind

The rule requires the mover to base its estimate on a physical survey of the goods, which can be done on site or virtually, as long as the mover can see what is being moved. The customer may waive the survey only in writing, signed before the shipment is loaded. A household goods broker may give an estimate on a mover's behalf only if it has a written agreement with that mover and uses the mover's published tariff.

A binding estimate is a guaranteed price for the services it lists, and it must say on its face that it binds both sides. Once a shipment is loaded, a mover that has not written a new estimate is held to the original binding price, apart from services added later. If the mover believes extra services are needed after the bill of lading is issued, it must say what they are and give the customer at least one hour to decide, and any agreed additions go on a signed written attachment.

A non-binding estimate is an approximation, and the final bill can run higher. On a collect-on-delivery shipment, though, a mover must release the goods at delivery once the customer pays at least 110% of the non-binding estimate. Holding a shipment after the customer has offered the binding estimate or 110% of a non-binding one does not count as reasonable dispatch under the rule.

Liability: the default is full value

Under the rule, a shipment travels with Full Value Protection unless the customer waives it in writing. Full Value Protection means the mover repairs or replaces a lost or damaged item to restore its original kind and quality. The alternative, Released Value, limits the mover's liability to 60 cents per pound per article, so a 10-pound item that is destroyed would bring $6. Items worth more than $100 per pound count as high-value articles; if the customer does not list them in writing, the mover's liability for each can be limited to $100 per pound.

Signing, inventory and payment

The booklet tells customers not to sign blank documents, and to sign incomplete ones only when the blanks are for information that cannot be known before loading, such as the actual weight on a non-binding estimate. The mover must prepare an inventory, normally at loading, noting any existing damage, and both sides sign each page. If a mover or broker demands cash, the agency says to keep every receipt.

When something goes wrong

A customer has nine months from delivery to file a written loss or damage claim with the mover or its insurer (for a lost shipment, nine months from when it should have arrived). The mover must acknowledge the claim within 30 days and resolve it within 120 days, with 60-day extensions if it notifies the customer in writing. For claims of $10,000 or less, a mover must agree to arbitration if the customer asks, and the arbitrator's decision binds both. Above $10,000 the mover may decline. A customer may go to court instead, in state court or, for claims over $10,000, federal court.

The full text of Part 375, including Appendix A, is on the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Every interstate mover must also list the USDOT numbers of the carriers handling the shipment on the bill of lading, which is the number that identifies the company in FMCSA's registration records.

This article reports rules, data and expert guidance. It is not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice. Talk to a licensed pro, your tax advisor or your insurer before you act on it.

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