Most people checking a mover look at reviews. Reviews tell you about the last twenty customers. Licensing tells you whether the company is operating legally and carrying insurance, which is what matters on the day something goes wrong.
It takes about five minutes and both registers are public.
Two different licences, depending on where you are going
Moving within North Carolina is regulated by the state. Household goods carriers operating intrastate are required to hold authority from the North Carolina Utilities Commission, and that authority is a matter of public record.
Moving across a state line is federal. Interstate household goods carriers register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and are issued a USDOT number and, for household goods, an MC number. Those are searchable on the FMCSA’s public database.
A company can hold one and not the other. That is the trap. A mover perfectly legitimate for a local move may have no interstate authority at all, and a large national van line may not be the right registration for a move across Durham.
What to ask for, and what a straight answer looks like
- The registration number itself. A licensed mover will give it to you without hesitation. Hesitation is the answer.
- A certificate of insurance. Ask for it naming the coverage and the limits, not a verbal assurance.
- The legal business name. Trading names and legal names often differ, and the register is under the legal one.
- How long at the current address. Easy to verify and a reasonable proxy for stability.
- Whether the crew is employed or subcontracted. Both can be fine. You are entitled to know which.
Valuation is not insurance, and the difference costs people money
Interstate movers are required to offer two levels of liability. Released value is the basic option and it is calculated by weight, which means a heavy, cheap item is covered generously and a light, expensive one is barely covered at all. Full value protection costs more and behaves the way most people assume coverage works.
The mistake is assuming the default option is insurance. It is a liability limit. If you are moving anything genuinely valuable, ask specifically which applies and get the answer in writing.
Warning signs worth taking seriously
- A quote given over the phone for a large move, with no survey and no questions about access.
- A large deposit requested up front.
- No written estimate, or an estimate that does not name the legal entity.
- A company that will not give a registration number.
- Trucks with no company name on them.
Do it before you compare prices
Check the licence first, then compare the quotes that pass. A cheaper number from an unlicensed operator is not a cheaper move, it is a different product. Our guide on questions to ask a moving company covers what to ask once the licensing checks out.
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