What an interstate moving estimate must include
If your move crosses a state line, it is regulated by the federal government through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That comes with a set of protections most people never hear about until something goes wrong.
You are entitled to a written estimate
An interstate mover should give you a written estimate of the cost of your move before it happens. It should be based on an actual survey of your belongings, and it should be clear about which kind of estimate it is. A phone number and a total on an email is not an estimate.
A rate quote is not an estimate
A rate sheet tells you what a company charges per pound, per hour, or per cubic foot. An estimate tells you what your shipment will cost, based on what you actually own. Companies sometimes send the first and call it the second. If the document has no shipment-specific total and no inventory behind it, it is a rate quote.
What should be on the document
- The company’s legal name, physical address, phone number, and USDOT number.
- Whether the company is the carrier moving your goods or a broker arranging it.
- Whether the estimate is binding, non-binding, or binding not-to-exceed.
- The estimated weight or volume, and which of the two the price is based on.
- An itemized inventory of the goods being moved.
- Every accessorial charge that could apply — stairs, long carry, shuttle, packing — with amounts.
- The valuation (liability) coverage you are getting, and what upgrading costs.
- Agreed pickup and delivery dates or date ranges.
- The deposit, if any, and the cancellation and refund terms.
The survey matters more than anything else
Almost every complaint that begins “the price doubled” starts with an estimate given without anyone looking at the goods. FMCSA treats a sight-unseen estimate as a warning sign for exactly this reason. A survey — in person or by video — is what gives the weight or volume figure any grounding. If a company will not do one, that tells you something.
Weight or volume
Interstate moves are normally priced by weight, and you have the right to see the certified weight ticket. Cubic-foot pricing is legal, but it shifts the measurement to something you cannot independently verify, and re-measurement at load time is a common way a price grows. If you are quoted by cubic feet, ask what happens if the measurement at pickup comes out higher.
Never sign a blank document
This is the single clearest rule FMCSA publishes. Anything written in after you sign becomes part of what you agreed to. Get a completed, signed copy of every document you put your name on.