Everything the Senate Found About Moving Fraud in 2012 Is Still True in 2026

In September 2012, the Senate Commerce Committee under Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) published 'Internet Moving Brokers: A New Consumer Protection Problem in the Household Goods Industry.' The investigation documented a pattern of consumer fraud centered in South Florida. The Committee held a hearing: 'Taking Consumers for a Ride.'

Fourteen years later, every finding in the 2012 report has a 2026 equivalent. The companies have changed names. The patterns have not.

The Senate found that internet-based HHG brokers 'do not clearly identify themselves as brokers to consumers' and 'often hold themselves out as actual moving companies.'

2026: The industry's own trade association (ATA Moving and Storage Conference) confirmed in March 2024 FMCSA comments that registered brokers claim 'We're a full-service moving company' on their websites, show stock photos of moving trucks with company logos and crews in uniforms, and operate without disclosing broker status. In a documented 2026 case, a sales rep at Howards Van Lines explicitly told a consumer the company 'was a carrier' and 'operated its own trucks.' It dispatched to a different company on moving day.

The Senate staff reviewed Bills of Lading for moves arranged through internet brokers and found that '90% of those reviewed showed increases from the broker estimates.'

2026: Trunk's documented cases show the same pattern. Eagle Moving: $4,727 estimate, $14,299 charged (202% increase). Noble Moving: $6,166 estimate, $17,972 charged (191% increase). Relocation Express: $6,840 estimate, $18,480 charged (170% increase). The 2025 FMCSA violation data shows 30 violations for 'collecting more than the original amount of the binding estimate' across 167 HHG investigations.

The Senate found that '75% of the consumers who filed complaints did not know they had hired a broker rather than a motor carrier.'

2026: FMCSA FOIA-obtained complaint records for Eagle Moving Group show consumers stating they were 'never informed Eagle was a broker, never shown a carrier list as required by 49 CFR 371.109, and never told who would actually handle their belongings.' The consumer learned they had hired a broker when a different company's truck arrived on moving day.

The Senate investigation centered on Aldo DiSorbo's network: Colonial Van Lines, Nationwide Relocation Services, All State Van Lines, Moving Squad, and others. DiSorbo had been banned from the industry in 1997 and jailed in 2000. The Committee documented 613 combined NCCDB complaints across his companies and 135 hostage loads.

2026: In December 2022, Aldo DiSorbo filed a new company, Colonial Van Lines of California LLC, with the Florida Secretary of State. Same Pompano Beach address. Same name as manager. The Lomnitzer Law Firm, which has represented DiSorbo's companies for over 20 years, now simultaneously represents DiSorbo's Colonial Van Lines and Safe Ship Moving Services (404 complaints, the most in the FMCSA database) in coordinated lawsuits against a consumer protection nonprofit.

The Senate documented movingcost.com, a website DiSorbo used to capture search traffic for moving cost queries and redirect consumers to his brokerage operations. The site appeared to be an independent review and cost comparison resource. It was a lead generation tool.

2026: VerifiedMovers.com gives 5-star ratings to Howards Van Lines (166 complaints) and Menards Moving (290 complaints). It lists 'Sponsored Companies' at the top of search results with an 'Advertising Disclosure' tab that most consumers never click. The mechanism is identical to movingcost.com: a site that appears to be independent consumer guidance but functions as paid lead generation for high-complaint companies.

The Senate report noted that consumers 'often lack access to resources or mechanisms to pursue meaningful relief or compensation for significant harm incurred by hostage loads violations.'

2026: From 2015 to 2020, FMCSA had a policy for compensating hostage load victims through Settlement Agreements. The agency cancelled it after the 2019 Riojas decision stripped its civil penalty authority. Nothing replaced it. In FY 2025, FMCSA closed zero broker enforcement cases. A consumer who sued his mover pro se had the case dismissed and now owes the carrier $9,665 in attorney fees.

The Senate hearing contributed directly to the MAP-21 Act (2012), which ordered FMCSA to create proficiency examinations for HHG applicants, establish hostage load remedies, and review consumer protection standards.

2026: The proficiency exam does not exist. The hostage load remedy rules have not been written. A Congressionally mandated Working Group submitted 19 recommendations in 2017. Twelve remain in 'evaluating' status seven years later.

The Senate documented the problem. Congress directed the agency to fix it. The agency promised to evaluate. Fourteen years later, the only thing that has changed is the company names.