Cross Country Movers: A $78,000 Consent Judgment, a Cease and Desist to a Victim, and a CBS Investigation

Yehoshua Vaknin is the registered principal of Cross Country Movers (DOT 2780116), a 16-truck carrier based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also linked to Cross Country Long Distance Movers (DOT 3051646), a 13-truck carrier in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Between the two companies: 128 NCCDB complaints. Cross Country Movers has 50 (12 in 2023, 18 in 2024, 9 in 2025, 11 in 2026). Cross Country Long Distance Movers has 78 (11 in 2023, 15 in 2024, 35 in 2025, 17 in 2026). Both remain Authorized to operate.

The Florida Attorney General sued. CBS Philadelphia investigated. A consumer filed reports with federal agencies. None of it stopped the operation. Instead, the consumer who reported to the FBI received a cease and desist from the company's attorney.

CBS Philadelphia reporter Josh Sidorowicz covered the Cross Country Movers operation, documenting a case that illustrated the company's pricing practices.

Consumer Jennifer Laible contracted Cross Country Movers for a Philadelphia-to-Florida relocation. She was quoted $15,863. Upon delivery, the final demand was $27,893, a 76% increase over the quoted price. Laible's belongings were held until she paid.

This is the classic bait-and-switch pattern documented across South Florida moving fraud operations: provide a low binding estimate to win the job, then inflate the price once the consumer's belongings are loaded on the truck. The consumer has no practical recourse. Their possessions are in the carrier's control. They pay or they lose their property.

When CBS Philadelphia confronted Vaknin, he refused to speak on camera.

The Florida Attorney General filed suit against Cross Country Movers. The case resulted in a consent judgment in 2020 requiring $78,000 in consumer restitution.

A consent judgment is a settlement. It is not an admission of wrongdoing. It does, however, reflect the AG's determination that the evidence was sufficient to take legal action and that the company agreed to pay restitution rather than contest the claims at trial.

The $78,000 figure should be measured against the complaint volume. With 128 NCCDB complaints across the two DOT numbers and a CBS-documented case showing a single consumer overcharged by $12,030, the restitution amount likely covers only a fraction of the total consumer harm.

More importantly, the consent judgment did not stop the operation. Both DOT numbers remain Authorized. Complaints continued to accumulate after the settlement.

After Jennifer Laible reported her experience to the FBI and the Department of Transportation, Cross Country Movers' attorney sent her a cease and desist letter. The letter characterized her reports to federal law enforcement as 'harassment.'

This requires emphasis. A consumer exercised her legal right to report a business to federal agencies. The company's response was not to address her complaint. It was to have an attorney threaten her for making the report.

This is not unique to Cross Country Movers. Trunk has documented the same pattern at Safe Ship Moving Services, where the company's attorney sent cease-and-desist letters to consumer advocacy organizations for publishing complaint data. The pattern is consistent: rather than reduce complaints by improving service, high-complaint movers attempt to reduce complaints by silencing the people who file them.

Filing a complaint with the FBI, DOT, or any federal agency is a protected activity. It is not harassment. A cease-and-desist letter does not change that legal reality, but it can intimidate consumers who do not know their rights.

Cross Country Movers (DOT 2780116, Philadelphia, 16 trucks) and Cross Country Long Distance Movers (DOT 3051646, Bloomfield NJ, 13 trucks) operate under nearly identical names in neighboring states.

Yehoshua Vaknin is the registered principal on DOT 2780116. FMCSA records also link a 'Yehoshua Vaknin' to DOT 3276592, another carrier. The same name appears on DOT 1833493 under the variation 'Yehousha Vaknin' and on DOT 2376241 as 'Eli Vaknin.'

The multi-DOT strategy serves a practical purpose. If one DOT number accumulates too many complaints or faces enforcement action, the other can continue operating. Complaints are tracked per DOT number. A consumer searching for Cross Country Movers (DOT 2780116) will not see the 78 complaints filed against Cross Country Long Distance Movers (DOT 3051646) unless they know to search both numbers.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission issued a warning letter to the operation in April 2022 for operating without an in-state certificate. The company continued operating.

The Cross Country Movers case follows a pattern that Trunk has documented across the highest-complaint movers in America:

1. Aggressive low-ball pricing to win contracts, followed by substantial price increases after loading. 2. Consumer belongings held as leverage until inflated charges are paid. 3. When consumers report to regulators or media, legal threats rather than resolution. 4. Enforcement actions that result in financial penalties but do not revoke operating authority. 5. Multiple DOT numbers that split the complaint history and make the full picture harder to find.

The Florida AG acted. CBS Philadelphia investigated. The PA PUC issued a warning. And as of September 2026, both Cross Country DOT numbers remain Authorized, both companies continue to operate, and complaints continue to accumulate.

Before hiring any moving company, search every DOT number associated with the operation. One company name can have multiple DOT numbers. One owner can control multiple companies. The complaint history is only complete when you find all of them.