Moving Company Insurance Claims: What the Data Shows

Trunk's FMCSA complaint database contains 44,864 complaints against household goods movers across all categories. Of these, three categories directly involve insurance and damage claims:

Loss and Damage: 5,074 complaints (11.3% of all complaints) Claim Settlement: 4,982 complaints (11.1%) Insurance: 515 complaints (1.1%)

Together, these categories account for 10,571 complaints, nearly one in four filed against movers. Loss and damage is the fifth largest complaint category overall, behind Estimates/Final Charges (8,902), Deceptive Business Practices (7,163), Shipment Documents (5,293), and Pickup and Delivery (5,227).

The true volume of claims is significantly higher. Most consumers file claims directly with the moving company and never escalate to a federal complaint. FMCSA complaint data represents the cases where consumers were dissatisfied enough with the carrier's response to file federally.

Loss and damage complaints have remained consistently high:

2023: 1,478 loss/damage complaints, 1,403 claim settlement complaints 2024: 1,414 loss/damage, 1,539 claim settlement 2025: 1,533 loss/damage, 1,541 claim settlement 2026 (through September): 649 loss/damage, 499 claim settlement

Claim settlement complaints grew 10% from 2023 to 2025, suggesting consumers are increasingly dissatisfied with how carriers handle claims, not just that damage occurs.

Insurance-specific complaints have declined from 193 (2023) to 141 (2025), but this category is narrow and does not capture the broader coverage gap problem.

Full Value Protection is the federal default for interstate moves (49 CFR 375.201). Under FVP, the carrier is liable for the full replacement value of lost or damaged items. To drop to Released Value at $0.60 per pound per article, the consumer must sign a written waiver opting out (49 CFR 375.203).

In practice, carriers and brokers routinely pressure consumers into signing this waiver without adequate explanation, often as part of a stack of moving-day paperwork. Many consumers do not understand what they signed until they file a claim.

At $0.60 per pound, the math is devastating. A 50-pound television worth $1,500 is covered for $30. A 200-pound antique dresser worth $4,000 is covered for $120. A 4-pound laptop worth $2,000 is covered for $2.40.

Neither FVP nor Released Value is insurance. Both are expressions of liability assumed by the carrier. If the carrier is insolvent or refuses to pay, the consumer's recourse is limited to the $5,000 BMC-34 cargo bond required by FMCSA, which may be shared across multiple claimants.

Federal regulations (49 CFR 370.9) require carriers to acknowledge a claim within 30 days and resolve it within 120 days. Consumers report three common failures:

First, carriers that simply do not respond to claims. The consumer files, follows up, and never receives acknowledgment. This is most commonly reported against smaller operators and carriers connected to broker fraud networks.

Second, carriers that deny claims by citing the Released Value waiver. The consumer files a claim for a $3,000 damaged sofa, and the carrier responds that coverage is $0.60 per pound, offering $120. The consumer did not understand the waiver they signed.

Third, carriers that offer settlements far below replacement value even under Full Value Protection, citing pre-existing damage, improper packing by the consumer, or failure to declare items of extraordinary value.

Trunk does not have systematic data on claim denial rates or resolution times. FMCSA does not publish this data. If you have documentation of a denied or delayed claim, report it at trunk.lorea.ai/report-mover.

1. Check what coverage you have. Look at your Bill of Lading for a Released Value waiver signature. If you did not sign a waiver, or if you were not given adequate information to make an informed choice, the waiver may not be enforceable under the informed waiver doctrine (AGCS Marine Insurance Co. v. Chillicothe Metal Co., 651 F. Supp. 3d 954, C.D. Ill. 2023).

2. If you paid by credit card, file a chargeback. This is often the fastest path to recovery.

3. Document everything. Photographs of damage, the original inventory, the Bill of Lading, all communications with the carrier, and any claim correspondence.

4. If the carrier does not respond within 120 days, they are in violation of 49 CFR 370.9.

5. Report the experience at trunk.lorea.ai/report-mover. Consumer reports on Trunk are published permanently and cannot be removed by the company.