Reference
FMCSA glossary for people hiring a mover
Last updated
29 terms that turn up on a carrier's federal record or in a moving contract, defined without the circularity that makes most regulatory glossaries useless. Where a term deserves more than a paragraph, there's a link to the guide that covers it.
Identifiers and registration
- USDOT number
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The permanent identifier FMCSA assigns to a motor carrier. Digits only, attached to the company rather than to a vehicle or a trading name. Safety inspections, crash reports, insurance filings and consumer complaints all file against it.
- MC number / docket number
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The number attached to a grant of operating authority, usually written with an MC prefix. It records permission to transport regulated cargo for hire, and unlike a USDOT number the authority behind it can be revoked, surrendered or left inactive.
- Operating authority
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Federal permission to be paid to transport regulated cargo across state lines. Granted per class of cargo — authority to haul general freight is not authority to move household goods.
- Household goods (HHG)
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The cargo class covering personal belongings moved from a residence. Interstate household goods carriers are subject to consumer-protection rules in 49 CFR Part 375 that do not apply to general freight.
- Broker
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A company that arranges moves rather than performing them, handing the job to a carrier. Brokers hold a different kind of authority than carriers, and a broker’s quote does not bind the carrier who arrives.
- Interstate vs. intrastate
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Interstate moves cross a state line and are regulated federally by FMCSA. Intrastate moves stay within one state and are regulated by that state, with protections that vary considerably.
- MCS-150
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The Motor Carrier Identification Report a carrier files to register and must update periodically. It is self-reported, and is the source of fleet size and mileage figures on a carrier record.
- BOC-3
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A filing designating a process agent in each state where a carrier operates, so it can be legally served with court papers. Required to obtain and keep operating authority.
- Unified Registration System (URS)
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FMCSA’s long-running programme to consolidate registration and identify carriers by USDOT number alone, retiring the docket-number series. Its implementation has been deferred repeatedly; both numbering systems remain in use.
Insurance and liability
- BIPD (bodily injury and property damage)
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Public liability insurance covering injury and damage a carrier causes to other people and their property. A minimum level must be filed with FMCSA and kept current to hold operating authority. It does not cover your belongings.
- Cargo insurance
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Coverage for the goods being transported. Federal minimums for household goods carriers are set per vehicle and per occurrence and are far lower than the value of a typical household.
- On file
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An insurer has certified coverage to FMCSA as of a date, and the filing appears in the Licensing & Insurance system. It is evidence of coverage at that time, not proof a policy is in force today.
- Valuation
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The level of liability the mover accepts for loss or damage to your goods, recorded on the bill of lading. It is the carrier’s liability under the transport contract, not an insurance policy you hold.
- Released Value Protection
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The free default valuation option, calculated by weight at a flat rate per pound per article rather than by what an item is worth. Light, expensive items are barely covered.
- Full Value Protection
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The paid valuation option under which the mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged articles, and may repair, replace or settle in cash depending on the plan’s terms.
Safety and enforcement
- Safety rating
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The outcome of an FMCSA compliance review: Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory. Most carriers are Not Rated, which means no review has produced a rating — not that one was failed or passed.
- Compliance review
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An on-site examination of a carrier’s records — driver qualifications, hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, maintenance, crash history — that can result in a safety rating being assigned.
- Out-of-service order
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A federal order prohibiting a carrier from operating. The most serious status that can appear on a carrier record; operating in defiance of one carries substantial penalties.
- Revocation
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FMCSA withdrawing a carrier’s operating authority, commonly for a lapsed insurance filing and sometimes following enforcement. Distinct from a voluntary surrender, where the carrier hands the authority back.
- National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB)
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FMCSA’s system for complaints against interstate movers, searchable by USDOT number. A complaint is a filing, not a finding — it has not necessarily been investigated or substantiated.
- SAFER
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FMCSA’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records system. Its Company Snapshot is the public single-carrier lookup showing identity, fleet and safety data.
- Licensing & Insurance (L&I)
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The FMCSA system holding operating authority status, authority history and insurance filings. It is the authoritative source for whether authority is currently active.
Moving paperwork
- Bill of lading
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The contract between you and the mover, and the receipt for your shipment. It must be issued before goods are transported, and it is the document every later dispute is decided on.
- Binding estimate
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An estimate that fixes the price for the goods and services listed on it. Adding services later changes the price; the listed work does not.
- Non-binding estimate
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A good-faith estimate of charges that may change. The 110% rule applies: the mover must release the shipment on payment of no more than 110% of the estimate, billing any legitimate balance afterwards.
- Tariff
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The mover’s published schedule of rates, rules and charges. The bill of lading incorporates it, and it governs charges not itemised elsewhere.
- Inventory
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The itemised list of what was loaded, with condition noted. It is the baseline against which loss and damage claims are assessed, which is why signing one blank is a serious mistake.
- Accessorial charges
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Charges for services beyond basic transportation — long carries, stair carries, shuttle service, packing, storage in transit. A common source of an estimate diverging from a final bill.
- Storage in transit (SIT)
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Temporary warehouse storage of a shipment while it is still under the bill of lading, usually when a destination isn’t ready. It is time-limited and billed separately.
Where this comes from
This page summarises federal rules in plain language. It is not legal advice, and the authoritative text is the regulation itself.
- FMCSA — Protect Your Move ↗ FMCSA’s consumer guidance and its own glossary of moving terms.
- 49 CFR Part 375 — Transportation of household goods ↗ Definitions for estimates, bills of lading and delivery obligations.
- 49 CFR Part 387 — Minimum levels of financial responsibility ↗ Insurance terms and required minimums.