A missing carton, an unexplained delivery bill, and a truck that will not unload are different problems. Sending the same long complaint to every government office can waste time and may leave a required claim unfiled. Start by naming the result you need: the carrier to locate goods, correct a bill, pay for loss or damage, release a shipment, or explain a delay. Then choose the channel that can actually address that result. You can use more than one channel when the facts warrant it, but each has a different job.
For an interstate household move, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates carrier and broker conduct and accepts complaints about possible violations. FMCSA says it does not resolve individual loss-and-damage claims for consumers. The carrier’s claim process, its dispute settlement program, and sometimes a court are separate routes. FMCSA’s problem guidance and complaint page explain the division. A move wholly within one state generally belongs first with the state’s moving regulator and the company, not with the federal interstate complaint system.
Contact the company that has the shipment first
If the truck is late, a piece is missing, or the invoice is wrong, contact the carrier named on the bill of lading. Use its published customer-service or dispatch number and include the shipment number. Ask for a specific action and deadline: locate carton 47 by tomorrow, send the weight tickets and itemized bill, or confirm the revised delivery period in writing. FMCSA’s before-service guidance says consumers should first seek a satisfactory response from the mover’s local agent, sales representative, or assigned driver and that interstate movers must maintain a complaint-and-inquiry procedure.
If a broker arranged the move, tell it about the issue, but identify the actual carrier as well. A broker may be able to help coordinate, yet the carrier took custody of the household goods and issued the shipping documents. A complaint about the broker’s own representations or assignments may be separate from a claim against the carrier for a damaged sofa. Save both companies’ legal names and U.S. DOT or MC numbers, if available, so your reports do not merge them into one business.
Ask for a written case or claim number and the name of the person handling the issue. If the first representative cannot answer, request the supervisor or office with authority. Confirm a phone conversation by email, especially when the answer changes a delivery date or payment amount. Your message can be brief: “Our bill of lading is 1234. The driver says carton 47 is on another truck. Please confirm its location and expected delivery in writing.” A precise request is easier to route than a general statement that the move went badly.
Do not let repeated customer-service calls replace a required written claim. A phone report of damage may alert the carrier, but FMCSA says an interstate loss-or-damage claim must be filed in writing with the mover within nine months of delivery. If the carrier promises to investigate by phone, ask for its claim instructions and submit the written claim while you still have time. Keep proof it received the claim.
For loss or damage, use the carrier’s claim process
Start with the pickup inventory, delivery notations, bill of lading, photographs, and an item-by-item description of the loss. Ask the mover for its claim form and submission address. FMCSA’s guidance says the written claim need not use the company’s form, but it should identify the shipment and loss clearly. Send it through a method you can document. Record the date submitted, any acknowledgment, and the carrier’s response.
FMCSA regulates how interstate movers process claims, but the agency does not decide how much your individual broken table is worth or order a carrier to pay your specific claim. If the carrier denies the claim or offers an amount you dispute, ask for the reason and the applicable valuation terms. The mover must offer a neutral dispute settlement program for certain unresolved issues; the program details should have been given to you before the move. FMCSA’s dispute guidance describes arbitration and court as possible routes when direct resolution fails.
Do not confuse the mover’s valuation responsibility with a separate insurance policy. The bill of lading and valuation election govern the carrier’s liability option. A homeowners, renters, or separately purchased moving-insurance policy may have its own claim notice, deductible, exclusions, and deadline. If you have such a policy, read it and notify the insurer as required while also preserving any claim you have against the mover. Neither claim automatically substitutes for the other.
If you suspect the carrier mishandled the claim process itself, you may also report that conduct to FMCSA. The federal complaint is about possible regulatory noncompliance; the written claim with the mover still seeks payment for your item. Keep the two submissions separate and attach the facts each one needs.
For fraud or regulatory conduct, use the FMCSA Complaint Center
FMCSA accepts complaints about interstate household-goods carriers and brokers, including alleged deceptive estimates, withheld shipments, and other commercial-rule violations. Its moving fraud complaint page says reports become part of the company’s file and help the agency decide what to investigate. An enforcement investigation is possible, not guaranteed. The complaint is not a mechanism that directly awards a refund or replaces a lawsuit.
Use the current FMCSA Complaint Center instructions to submit online, or use the contact options listed on FMCSA’s site. The agency’s moving-contact page lists 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) for moving scams and driver complaints. Online systems and hours can change, so check the official page before relying on a saved phone number or old brochure. If there is an immediate threat to personal safety, contact local emergency services rather than waiting for a regulatory complaint to be reviewed.
Prepare the basics: your name and contact information; the carrier or broker’s legal name and contact details; origin and destination; U.S. DOT and MC numbers if available; dates; and a short account of the specific conduct. FMCSA’s complaint page asks for the estimate, bill of lading, and inventory pages. Include the relevant messages and invoice rather than an unorganized folder of hundreds of screenshots. State which company did what. A statement such as “carrier refused delivery on October 3 after I offered the documented amount due” is clearer than “the whole move was a scam.”
Keep a copy or confirmation number. If the agency says the report is not actionable, read its reason and see whether another channel fits the underlying problem. You may still have a carrier claim or a contract dispute. A regulator’s decision not to open an investigation does not by itself decide whether you suffered a compensable loss.
If goods are being withheld, act on the immediate problem
A truck refusing to unload unless you pay a disputed amount calls for fast, documented contact with the carrier’s billing office. Compare the binding or nonbinding estimate, later authorized services, tariff-based charges, and amount demanded. Make a clear offer to pay the amount you believe is due under the interstate delivery rules by an accepted method. Record the driver’s and office’s responses, the time, and the truck or warehouse location. Keep copies of the documents and payment proof.
FMCSA’s rights booklet says to contact FMCSA immediately if an interstate mover refuses to deliver unless you pay an amount it is not entitled to charge. The agency’s dispute guidance also says it lacks the resources to obtain a court injunction on an individual consumer’s behalf. Reporting matters, but it may not secure same-day release. If the shipment remains held, a qualified lawyer or local legal-aid office may be able to explain the available civil options. Do not physically confront the crew or assume police can adjudicate a complex estimate dispute at the curb.
A withheld shipment report should be exact about the amount offered, amount demanded, and supporting papers. If the problem is really that you cannot pay the amount legitimately due, describe that honestly; the legal and practical options may differ. If a carrier claims a storage fee, request the tariff or contract basis and warehouse address in writing. Preserve every new demand because the amount may change during the dispute.
For final charges, separate a billing dispute from a regulatory report
A final invoice may include a charge you did not expect even after delivery. Ask the carrier for the calculation, weight tickets if weight is relevant, tariff provision, and authorization for any added service. Compare those materials with the signed estimate and amendments. If the company made an arithmetic or coding error, a direct billing correction may resolve it faster than a complaint. If it will not explain or correct a charge that appears contrary to interstate rules, a regulatory report may also be appropriate.
FMCSA says arbitration can address certain disputes about charges billed after delivery, as well as loss-and-damage disputes. Whether to use that process or a court depends on the amount, the program rules, and your circumstances. Do not miss a bill’s response date while waiting for a complaint-center reply. Ask the company in writing whether a disputed amount will be held during review, and keep paying or addressing any undisputed balance according to the applicable terms.
Use the final-charge reconciliation guide to examine each charge before you describe it as improper. A higher nonbinding final total is not automatically a violation; the amount collectible at delivery and the amount ultimately owed are different questions. A precise account of the disputed line helps the carrier, an arbitrator, or a regulator understand the issue.
For timing problems, preserve the agreement and notices
If pickup or delivery missed the agreed period, begin with the order for service, bill of lading, and any written change. Record when the company knew of the delay, what notice it gave, and the alternative dates it proposed. Ask dispatch for the current plan and the written record. FMCSA’s complaint guidance includes failures to honor agreed dates without proper notice among issues consumers may report. A late delivery may also raise a separate contract or cargo-delay claim; the regulatory complaint itself is not a reimbursement request.
If the carrier says the delay was caused by your inability to accept delivery, save the messages showing your availability and any building restrictions you communicated. A fair chronology includes the shipper’s requests and changes as well as the mover’s. Do not describe a mutually agreed postponement as a unilateral carrier delay. The record should let a reader see the original dates, each proposed change, and what was accepted.
Verify that the move belongs in the interstate system
An interstate move may cross a state line for only a short distance. A wholly in-state move, even a long one, is ordinarily overseen by the relevant state authority. FMCSA’s FAQ explains how to determine interstate status in less obvious situations. If your goods traveled across state lines under a single arrangement, do not assume the job was local because the pickup and delivery cities were nearby. If the job stayed in one state, find that state’s moving regulator or consumer-protection agency and check its rules.
An auto transporter, storage company, insurer, or broker may also be involved. Route a complaint to the entity whose act you are questioning. If a separate insurance policy denied a claim, use the insurer’s appeal process or state insurance regulator for insurance issues; the moving carrier’s claim process concerns its own liability. If a broker misrepresented the carrier identity, document the broker’s statements separately from the carrier’s handling of the goods.
When you contact an office, state what you want it to do. “Investigate whether this carrier violated interstate moving regulations” is different from “pay $800 for my broken desk.” The first fits a regulator’s enforcement function; the second begins with the carrier’s claim process and may move to arbitration or court. Both can arise from one move, but neither should be left to stand in for the other.
If the company name changed during the move
Sometimes the first obstacle is identifying the right respondent. A broker's website may be the name you remember, while the bill of lading names a different motor carrier and the delivery truck bears an agent's name. Use the signed shipping documents, vehicle identification, dispatch messages, and FMCSA's official mover search to map those entities. The carrier that accepted the goods should be identifiable on the bill of lading. The broker's role in arranging the move should be documented separately. If you noticed a mismatch at loading, the pickup carrier-check guide explains which identifiers to preserve.
Do not file against a company simply because its logo appears on a box or an online advertisement. A subcontracted packing crew, local agent, broker, and interstate carrier may have different duties. Ask the booking company for the legal name and U.S. DOT number of the carrier assigned to the shipment, then compare that answer with the bill of lading. If a company refuses to identify the carrier, record the refusal and the documents it supplied. FMCSA's complaint form can accept the numbers when available; lack of a number need not prevent you from reporting what happened, but a correct number helps the agency match the report.
For a missing or damaged item, send the written claim to the carrier responsible under the shipping documents. You may copy the broker if it can help, but copying a broker is not a substitute for giving the carrier timely notice. For an allegation that the broker misrepresented its service or failed to make required disclosures, describe that conduct under the broker's name. Keeping the two narratives distinct avoids blaming one entity for an act performed by another.
Keep a compact file for each route
For the carrier, send the shipment number, a concise request, and the records directly tied to it. For FMCSA, provide the company identity, route, dates, alleged rule-related conduct, and core documents. For an insurer, follow the policy’s proof and notice requirements. Do not send identity documents or unrelated private records to every recipient merely because they are in the moving folder. Keep a master file yourself and share only what the channel needs.
Preserve the original versions of the estimate, order for service, bill of lading, inventory, delivery receipt, bills, payment proof, and messages. Label a short chronology with dates and people rather than changing the originals. If you later discover a mistake in your report, correct it promptly and keep the first version. Accuracy matters more than presenting the most dramatic version of a dispute.
The fastest useful step is often a question to the carrier that names the precise missing record or decision. If that fails, choose the next channel for the actual remedy you need. FMCSA can receive and investigate reports of possible interstate violations; it does not become the carrier, insurer, arbitrator, or court for your individual claim. Knowing that boundary helps you act before a claim deadline or delivery decision passes.
Sources
- FMCSA, What if there are problems?
- FMCSA, File a Moving Fraud Complaint
- FMCSA, How to File a Complaint
- FMCSA, Resolving Disputes with My Mover (Subpart I)
- FMCSA, Before Requesting Services from Any Mover (Subpart B)
- FMCSA, FAQ
- FMCSA, Search for a registered mover