Moving broker vs carrier: who will actually move your belongings?
A carrier (the mover) owns the trucks, employs the crew and is responsible for your shipment. A broker sells or arranges your move and hands it to a carrier; it isn't authorized to transport your goods itself (FMCSA). Brokers are legal if registered with FMCSA, but any estimate a broker gives must be in writing, based on the carrier's own survey and tariff, and made under a signed agreement with that carrier (49 CFR 371.113, 49 CFR 375.409). Check which one you're talking to with the USDOT and MC numbers before you pay a deposit.
The short answer
| Moving carrier (mover) | Moving broker | |
|---|---|---|
| Who handles your goods | The carrier's own trucks and crew | A carrier the broker hires; the broker doesn't transport goods |
| Who gives the estimate | The carrier, based on its own tariff | The broker may, but only on the carrier's behalf, under a written agreement, using the carrier's tariff |
| Who is liable for loss or damage | The carrier | The carrier that moves you |
| FMCSA registration | USDOT number and registration as a household goods carrier | Registration with FMCSA as a broker |
| What its ads must show | Its name and USDOT number | Its address, USDOT and MC numbers, and that it's a broker that won't transport your goods |
Sources: FMCSA Movers vs. Brokers; 49 CFR 375.201; 49 CFR 375.207; 49 CFR 371.107; 49 CFR 371.113.
What a moving broker does
Federal rules define a household goods broker as a person, other than a motor carrier or its employee or bona fide agent, that sells, offers for sale, negotiates for, or holds itself out as selling, providing or arranging transportation of household goods by motor carrier for compensation (49 CFR 371.103). A broker may only arrange moves with a motor carrier that has an active USDOT number and valid FMCSA operating authority to haul household goods (49 CFR 371.105).
What a moving carrier does
A household goods motor carrier is a motor carrier that, in the ordinary course of moving household goods, offers services such as binding and non-binding estimates, inventorying, packing and unpacking, and loading and unloading at homes (49 CFR 375.103). It is legally liable for loss or damage that happens while it transports your goods and performs the related services on its bill of lading (49 CFR 375.201).
Rules brokers must follow
A broker must not claim to be a carrier
A broker may not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations as a carrier's, and its advertising must show that it's a broker (49 CFR 371.7). It must also give you a statement that it is not a motor carrier authorized to transport your goods and is only arranging for an authorized carrier (49 CFR 371.109).
Ads must show its numbers and broker status
A household goods broker must prominently show, in its ads and on its website homepage, its physical business address, its USDOT and MC numbers, and its status as a household goods broker that won't transport your goods but will arrange the move with an FMCSA-authorized carrier (49 CFR 371.107).
It must give you federal consumer information and its carrier list
A broker must give each potential customer a list of all the authorized carriers it uses, with their USDOT and MC numbers (49 CFR 371.109). It must also provide FMCSA's "Ready to Move?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move," either as copies or through a link on its website (49 CFR 371.111). Both publications are in FMCSA's Protect Your Move toolkit.
Estimates and deposits
If a broker gives you an estimate, it must be written, based on a physical survey of your goods by the carrier (you can waive the survey in writing), and based on the published tariff of the carrier that will move you (49 CFR 371.113). The broker needs a signed written agreement with that carrier, and the estimate serves as the carrier's estimate (49 CFR 371.115, 49 CFR 375.409). Brokers must also post their cancellation, deposit and refund policies prominently on their website and in their agreements with customers (49 CFR 371.117).
Are moving brokers legit?
Registered brokers operate legally. A broker may be able to compare several carriers for you. The risks: you may not know which company will show up until late in the process, and claims for loss or damage go to the carrier, not the broker. To reduce the risk, get the carrier's name and numbers in writing and check them on FMCSA before you pay.
How to tell if you're talking to a broker or a carrier
- Ask directly: "Are you the carrier that will move me, or a broker?"
- Check the USDOT/MC number on the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot or the FMCSA mover search, which shows the type of authority (carrier, broker, freight forwarder).
- Look at the authority on a VettedMover profile. For example, Stratton and Sons Moving & Storage (USDOT 567650) is authorized as a motor carrier of household goods only. Clancy Relocation & Logistics (USDOT 265038) and United Van Lines (USDOT 77949) are authorized as both a carrier and a broker of household goods, so ask which role they'd play for your move. (FMCSA SAFER, checked Oct 22, 2026.)
- Ask who will show up on moving day, and whose name will be on the bill of lading.
- Get the carrier's name, USDOT and MC numbers in writing, and look those up too.
Look up a mover's FMCSA record
Who to contact if something goes wrong
Claims for loss or damage go to the carrier that moved you (49 CFR 375.201). FMCSA doesn't have the authority to resolve claims against a moving company, but you can file a complaint against a mover or broker (FMCSA Protect Your Move) through the FMCSA Complaint Center. For warning signs, read how to tell if a moving company is a scam.
FAQs
Are moving brokers legit?
A moving broker can be legitimate if it is registered with FMCSA as a broker and follows the federal broker rules: it must say it is a broker, list the movers it uses, and use only FMCSA-registered movers. Check its USDOT and MC numbers on FMCSA before you pay anything.
What is a moving broker?
A household goods broker sells, negotiates or arranges a move for you that an authorized motor carrier performs. It is not a motor carrier and doesn't haul your goods.
Is it better to use a moving broker or a carrier?
It depends on what you value. A carrier handles your goods and is the company you deal with throughout. A broker can shop your move to several carriers, but you need to find out which carrier will actually move you. Either way, check the FMCSA record of every company involved.
Can a moving broker give me a binding estimate?
Only as the carrier's estimate. Federal rules let a broker give a written estimate only if it is based on a physical survey by the carrier, uses the carrier's published tariff, and is made under a signed written agreement in which the carrier adopts it as its own. Ask whether the estimate is binding or non-binding and which carrier it's for.
How do I check whether a mover is a broker on FMCSA?
Look up the USDOT number on FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot or the FMCSA mover search. Under Operating Authority, Motor Carrier of Household Goods means it can haul your goods; Broker of Household Goods means it can arrange moves for other carriers. Some companies hold both.
Sources (accessed Oct 22, 2026)
- eCFR: 49 CFR Part 371, Brokers of Property (subpart B: household goods brokers)
- eCFR: 49 CFR Part 375, Transportation of Household Goods in Interstate Commerce
- FMCSA: Movers vs. Brokers
- FMCSA: Protect Your Move
- FMCSA: Protect Your Move Toolkit (Ready to Move? brochure)
- FMCSA Complaint Center
- FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot and FMCSA mover search
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