Moving Industry Glossary: 50 Terms Every Consumer Should Know

The moving industry has its own vocabulary. Some terms are straightforward, some are regulatory jargon, and some are deliberately confusing. This glossary covers the terms you will encounter when getting quotes, reading contracts, and dealing with movers. Each definition is written from the consumer's perspective: what the term means for your move, not what it means to the industry.

Carrier: A company that owns trucks and physically moves your belongings. Carriers have FMCSA operating authority and are responsible for your goods from pickup to delivery. When something goes wrong, the carrier is the entity that had your stuff on their truck. Look for 'common carrier' or 'contract carrier' authority in FMCSA records.

Broker: A company that arranges transportation but does not own trucks or move anything. Brokers take your deposit, then find a carrier to do the actual move. You may not know who your carrier is until moving day. Since the May 2026 Montgomery v. Caribe Transport Supreme Court ruling, brokers can be held liable for choosing bad carriers.

Van Line: A national network of independently owned moving companies operating under a shared brand (United, Atlas, Allied, Mayflower, North American). The local agent handles your move. The van line provides the brand, dispatch network, and interstate infrastructure. Quality varies by agent, not by brand.

Agent: A local moving company that operates under a van line's brand. When you hire 'United Van Lines,' you are actually hiring a local agent licensed to use the United name. The agent does the packing and loading. For long-distance moves, your shipment may transfer to a van line driver for the interstate leg.

Owner-Operator: A mover who owns their own truck and runs their own crew. Often a small operation (1 to 5 trucks). Owner-operators tend to have higher accountability because the owner is often on site. When the person quoting your move is the same person loading your truck, there are fewer communication breakdowns.

Freight Forwarder: A company that arranges the shipment of goods but may also temporarily take possession. In household goods moving, this term is less common but appears in FMCSA records for some companies that handle both storage and transportation coordination.

Binding Estimate: A written guarantee of the total cost of your move based on the items listed. The mover cannot charge more than this amount for the items on the estimate. If you add items on moving day that were not on the original list, the mover can revise the estimate. Get the binding estimate in writing before your move.

Non-Binding Estimate: An approximation of cost that is not guaranteed. The final price is based on the actual weight of your shipment or the actual services provided. Non-binding estimates frequently come in lower than the final bill. Federal law limits what a carrier can collect at delivery to 110% of the non-binding estimate. The rest must be billed within 30 days.

Not-to-Exceed Estimate: A binding estimate with a cap. If your shipment weighs less than estimated, you pay less. If it weighs more, you pay the estimated amount. This is the most consumer-friendly estimate type because it caps your downside.

Hourly Rate: Pricing based on time rather than weight or volume. Common for local moves. Typically quoted as a rate per hour per crew size (e.g., $150/hour for 2 movers). The clock usually starts when the crew arrives at your origin and stops when they finish at your destination, including drive time between locations.

Travel Fee: A flat charge covering the crew's travel time from the moving company's base to your home and back. Separate from the hourly rate. Typically $50 to $200 depending on distance.

Accessorial Charges: Extra fees for services beyond basic loading, transport, and unloading. Common accessorials include long carry (distance from truck to door), flight charges (stairs), shuttle service (smaller truck needed for tight access), bulky item fees (pool tables, pianos, safes), and packing materials.

Long Carry: An extra charge when the distance between the moving truck and your door exceeds a certain threshold (usually 75 feet). Common in apartment buildings, gated communities, or homes with long driveways.

Flight Charge: An extra fee for carrying items up or down stairs. Typically charged per flight. Elevators sometimes avoid this charge, sometimes do not, depending on the mover.

Shuttle Service: When a full-size moving truck cannot access your home (narrow streets, low bridges, building restrictions), a smaller truck shuttles your belongings between the large truck and your door. Shuttle fees range from $300 to $800.

Cubic Footage: A volume-based measurement used instead of weight, especially by brokers. Your shipment's total volume in cubic feet determines the price. Common in long-distance quotes. Accurate measurement requires a physical or video survey. Phone estimates of cubic footage are frequently low.

Bill of Lading: The most important document in your move. It is the contract between you and the carrier. It lists the origin, destination, agreed price, delivery date or window, liability coverage level, and inventory. Do not let the movers leave your origin without giving you a signed copy. If there is no Bill of Lading, there is no legal contract.

Order for Service: The document that initiates your move. It describes the services you requested, the pickup and delivery dates, and the estimated cost. Signed before the move begins. The Order for Service is not the same as the Bill of Lading.

Inventory Sheet: A detailed list of every item the movers load onto the truck. Each item is numbered and its condition noted (scratched, dented, stained). Review this carefully before signing. If damage is not noted on the inventory at pickup, it becomes harder to prove the movers caused it.

Tariff: A mover's published rate schedule. Interstate carriers are required by federal law to have a tariff on file. It specifies rates, rules, and accessorial charges. Consumers can request to see a carrier's tariff. In practice, most consumers never see it. Charging more than the tariff rate is a federal violation.

Valuation Declaration: The form where you choose your level of liability coverage. You typically choose between Released Value (free, minimal coverage) and Full Value Protection (paid, comprehensive). This must be presented before you sign the Bill of Lading.

Released Value Protection: The default, no-cost coverage. The carrier's liability is limited to 60 cents per pound per article. A 50-pound television worth $1,500 would be covered for $30. This is not insurance. It is the minimum liability required by federal law.

Full Value Protection: The higher coverage option. The carrier is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged items, or must repair or replace them. Carriers charge for this coverage, usually as a percentage of the declared value of your shipment. Deductibles may apply.

Declared Value: The total value you assign to your shipment for liability purposes. This number determines your Full Value Protection premium and the maximum the carrier is liable for. Undervaluing your shipment to save on premiums means less protection if something goes wrong.

Cargo Insurance: Insurance carried by the carrier covering damage to goods in transit. This is separate from your liability coverage. FMCSA requires carriers to maintain cargo insurance, but the amounts vary and accessing carrier insurance as a consumer is difficult.

Bond: A financial instrument (surety bond or trust fund agreement) that brokers are required to maintain with FMCSA. Currently set at $75,000. The bond exists to protect shippers, but recovering money from a broker's bond is a complex legal process that rarely makes consumers whole.

FMCSA: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The federal agency within the Department of Transportation that regulates interstate moving companies. FMCSA issues operating authority, maintains the SAFER database, and handles consumer complaints. FMCSA does not regulate movers who operate only within a single state.

USDOT Number: A unique identifier assigned by FMCSA to every commercial motor carrier operating in interstate commerce. Required for any mover crossing state lines. You can look up a company's safety record, authority status, and insurance by searching their USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

MC Number: Motor Carrier number. A separate identifier from the USDOT number that authorizes a carrier to transport regulated commodities (including household goods) in interstate commerce. A company can have a USDOT number without an MC number, which means it may not be authorized to move your belongings across state lines.

Operating Authority: FMCSA's authorization for a company to operate as a carrier, broker, or freight forwarder in interstate commerce. Authority can be Active, Revoked, or Not Authorized. Always verify a mover's authority is Active before hiring them.

NCCDB: National Consumer Complaint Database. FMCSA's system for tracking consumer complaints against moving companies. Complaints are categorized by type (hostage, estimate, loss/damage, pickup, delivery). Trunk aggregates and publishes this data for consumer research.

SAFER: Safety and Fitness Electronic Records. FMCSA's public database where you can look up any carrier or broker's registration, authority status, safety record, insurance, and inspection history. Available at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Interstate Move: A move that crosses state lines. Regulated by FMCSA at the federal level. The carrier must have active FMCSA operating authority.

Intrastate Move: A move within a single state. Regulated by state agencies, not FMCSA. Rules vary significantly by state. Some states (like California and Texas) have strict licensing requirements. Others have minimal regulation.

In-Home Estimate: A survey where a mover's representative physically visits your home to assess the volume and weight of your belongings. In-home estimates produce more accurate quotes than phone or video estimates. Required for moves over a certain dollar threshold by some carriers.

Video Survey: A virtual alternative to the in-home estimate. A mover's representative guides you through your home via video call, noting items room by room. More convenient but less accurate than in-person surveys. Became common during COVID and has remained standard for many brokers.

Packing Services: When movers pack your belongings into boxes and crates for you, in addition to loading and transporting them. Charged separately from the move itself, usually by the box or by the hour. Professional packing reduces damage risk but increases cost.

Storage in Transit (SIT): Temporary storage of your belongings when the delivery date has not arrived or when circumstances prevent immediate delivery. The carrier holds your goods in a warehouse. SIT is common for long-distance moves with flexible delivery windows. Charges accrue daily or monthly. Know where your goods will be stored and who has access.

Peak Season: May through September. The busiest and most expensive time to move. Prices can be 20 to 30% higher than off-peak months. Availability is limited. Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead during peak season.

Off-Peak: October through April. Lower prices, more availability, and more flexible scheduling. Midweek moves in winter months are typically the cheapest.

Hostage Load: When a carrier refuses to deliver your belongings until you pay a price higher than the agreed estimate. This is illegal under federal law (49 USC 14915) but remains the most common complaint in the FMCSA database. If your belongings are being held hostage, file a complaint with FMCSA immediately and contact your state attorney general.

Chameleon Carrier: A moving company that shuts down after accumulating complaints, then reopens under a new name with a clean record. Same owner, same address, same trucks, new USDOT number. FMCSA's registration system does not reliably detect this pattern. Trunk tracks chameleon carriers through address, phone, and owner matching across company registrations.

Double Brokering: When a broker passes your move to another broker instead of directly to a carrier. Your move may pass through multiple intermediaries before reaching the company that actually moves your belongings. Each intermediary takes a cut. Double brokering is prohibited by FMCSA regulations but enforcement is minimal.

Claims Process: The procedure for seeking compensation when a carrier damages or loses your belongings. You must file a written claim within 9 months of delivery. The carrier has 30 days to acknowledge receipt and 120 days to resolve or deny the claim. At Released Value coverage, expect pennies on the dollar.

Arbitration: A dispute resolution process that is an alternative to court. Many moving contracts include a mandatory arbitration clause. FMCSA requires carriers to offer arbitration for loss and damage claims. The arbitrator's decision may be binding, depending on the program. Arbitration is generally faster than court but consumers report mixed results.

PCS Move: Permanent Change of Station. A military-ordered relocation from one duty station to another. The government covers moving costs. Service members can choose a government-managed move or a Personally Procured Move (PPM).

PPM (Personally Procured Move): Formerly called DITY (Do It Yourself). The service member arranges and pays for their own move, then receives reimbursement from the government based on what the government would have paid a contractor. If you spend less than the government rate, you keep the difference.

GBL (Government Bill of Lading): The contract document for a government-managed military move. The Transportation Service Provider (TSP) is selected and contracted through the Defense Personal Property System.

TSP (Transportation Service Provider): The moving company assigned to handle a military PCS move through the government system. TSPs are selected through a competitive bidding process managed by US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).

Weight Allowance: The maximum weight of household goods the government will ship at no cost during a PCS move. Based on rank and dependency status. Exceeding your weight allowance means paying for the overage out of pocket.