Does FDACS registration apply to your move?
For a household move conducted entirely within Florida, search for the mover or moving broker through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Florida requires intrastate movers and moving brokers to register with the department, which also provides complaint resources. Search using the company’s legal name rather than relying only on a brand name, website, truck logo, or salesperson’s name. Compare the result with the name shown on the written estimate and contract. Florida law generally requires a written estimate and contract before an intrastate household move, subject to statutory requirements and exceptions. Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — Moving Companies: https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Rights-and-Responsibilities/Moving-Companies Source: The Florida Senate — Chapter 507, Household Moving Services: https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0507/0507.html
When should you check federal authority?
If the household shipment crosses a state line, verify the business through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Protect Your Move resources. Interstate household-goods movers must be registered with FMCSA, where consumers can review company and complaint information. Do not treat a USDOT number displayed in an advertisement as sufficient verification. Enter it in the federal lookup, confirm the company identity, and compare the record with the party named on your paperwork. A move between two Florida addresses is generally intrastate even if the route is long; a shipment leaving Florida is interstate. Source: FMCSA — Protect Your Move: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move
Is the business a carrier or a broker?
Ask one direct question: “Will your company physically transport my belongings, or will you arrange for another company to do it?” A carrier performs transportation. A broker arranges transportation with a carrier and may not be the company that arrives on move day. If a broker is involved, request its legal name and registration details, the carrier’s legal name and USDOT number when identified, and a written explanation of who issues the estimate, collects payment, performs the move, and handles loss or damage claims. Do not assume that registration as a broker means the broker is authorized to operate the moving truck.
What should match, and which warning signs matter?
Compare the legal business name, any trade name, physical or mailing address, registration or USDOT number, phone details, and stated carrier-or-broker role across the official record, estimate, contract, payment instructions, and other paperwork. For a Florida intrastate move, review the written estimate for the identified mover, services, charges, pickup and delivery information, and valuation or liability terms. Pause before paying if the business will not provide its legal name, uses a registration number that resolves to another entity, changes the contracting party without explanation, avoids written terms, or will not explain subcontracting. Also examine complaint information through FDACS for an intrastate provider or FMCSA for an interstate provider. A registration record is a baseline check, not proof of service quality or a substitute for reading the contract. For a broader preparation sequence, use the planning move checklist at /resources/planning-move-checklist/. If you are comparing transportation beyond Florida, review interstate moving at /services/interstate-moving/.