How to check a Texas moving company before you hand over the house keys

Start with the license, then the paperwork, then the people

A legitimate Texas mover holds an active Texas Department of Motor Vehicles household goods certificate, and any mover that crosses state lines also needs a USDOT number with interstate authority. Look both up yourself before you book. Then insist on a walk-through and a written proposal before anything is loaded, and walk away from anyone who quotes sight unseen, asks for a large cash deposit or answers the phone with just "movers." Those three checks screen out most of the trouble.

We at IMS Relocation have been licensed movers in Carrollton, just north of Dallas, since 1991, and we still get calls from families who booked the cheapest quote online and ended up with their furniture on a truck and a new, higher price before the crew would unload. It is avoidable. This is the checklist I would give a friend, and it works just as well on us as on anyone else.

How to verify a mover in ten minutes

For a move that stays inside Texas, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says every household goods mover operating in the state must hold an active TxDMV certificate number, from the major van lines down to a local company with a truck and trailer. The agency's Truck Stop database will confirm whether a mover is properly licensed, and its Enforcement Division can tell you about a mover's complaint history. TxDMV also warns that unlicensed movers tend to arrive in rental or unmarked trucks, without the company name and TxDMV number a licensed mover's truck carries.

For a move to another state, the federal side applies. TxDMV points consumers to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Protect Your Move site, and notes that interstate movers must have a valid USDOT number and proper operating authority to carry household goods across state lines. Our own numbers are on our website and on our paperwork: TxDMV Household Goods Certificate No. 005069032C and USDOT No. 125563. Any company you consider should hand you theirs just as easily.

• Ask for the TxDMV certificate number and look it up yourself
• For interstate moves, ask for the USDOT number and check its authority
• Match the legal name on the license to the name on the estimate
• Ask TxDMV or the Better Business Bureau about complaint history
• Confirm a real local address you could drive to

The red flags regulators warn about

The federal regulator publishes a list of warning signs, and almost every bad moving story I hear includes at least one of them. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration warns about movers who give an estimate over the phone or online without inspecting your belongings, who will not put the estimate in writing or say they will set the price after loading, and who demand cash or a large deposit before the move.

The same list includes being asked to sign blank documents, a website with no local address or registration information, a claim that all your goods are covered by the mover's insurance, a rental truck showing up instead of a marked company truck, and a mover who suddenly says you have more belongings than estimated. TxDMV adds generic contact details: no local business address, a cell phone as the business line, and a vague greeting when you call. If you see two or three of these together, keep looking.

• A price given sight unseen, by phone or web form only
• No written estimate, or a price to be decided after loading
• Cash only or a large deposit up front
• Blank or incomplete documents to sign
• No local address, no license number, unmarked or rental trucks
• A sudden claim on moving day that you have more than estimated

Paperwork a licensed mover hands you before loading

In Texas, the paper trail is part of how you know you are dealing with a real company. TxDMV says movers must give you a written proposal before loading your items, either binding at an exact price or not-to-exceed at a maximum price, and a copy of the moving services contract before loading as well. The contract should name you and the mover, list the origin and destination and clearly state the mover's liability for loss or damage.

For interstate moves, TxDMV notes that movers are required to give you the federal booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" before the move begins, along with a written estimate signed by both of you, an inventory and a bill of lading. Do not sign anything blank or half filled in, and do not rely on a verbal promise that is not written into the contract.

Questions that separate a solid company from a lucky one

A license tells you a company is legal. It does not tell you how your move will go. These questions do, and a good mover answers them without hesitation.

Ask who will actually be in your house. Some companies send day laborers hired for the week; ours are full-time IMS employees, and the average tenure on our team is 14 years. Ask whether the company owns its warehouse or hands your goods to someone else, and whether that warehouse is climate-controlled, which matters for wood furniture and electronics in a North Texas summer. Ask who your single point of contact is and how a date change is handled. Ask how protection works and what it pays per item. Then ask what happens if something goes wrong, and listen for a real process instead of reassurance.

• Are the movers your employees or hired for the day?
• Who is my coordinator from estimate to delivery?
• Do you own the storage facility, and is it climate-controlled?
• Is the price binding or not-to-exceed, and what could change it?
• Which protection levels do you offer, and what does each pay?
• How do I report damage, and how long does a claim take?

Brokers, van line agents and local movers are not the same thing

Many websites that rank for moving searches are not movers at all. They are brokers or lead sellers who take your details and pass them to whichever carrier will take the job, sometimes without you knowing who will show up. A broker is not automatically a problem, but you should know whether the company you are talking to will perform your move or sell it to someone else, and you should verify the company that will actually load the truck.

A van line agent is different again. We are an agent for Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines, which means a long-distance move is planned and handled by our local team and carried through those national networks. When you get a quote, ask a simple question: whose crew will pack and load my home, and whose name will be on the bill of lading?

The same question applies to storage. If your goods will be stored, ask where: in the mover's own facility, or in a warehouse run by someone else. You should be able to drive to it, and you should know who is responsible for your belongings while they sit there.

Reviews, references and how complaints were handled

Read reviews, but read them for patterns rather than the star average. Look at the most recent ones, look at the negative ones, and look at how the company responded. Every mover eventually breaks something or misses a time window. What matters is whether the company owned it and fixed it.

The Better Business Bureau is one more place to check, and TxDMV suggests it alongside its own complaint records. We have been BBB accredited since 1994 with an A+ rating, and we are a certified Pinnacle Mover with the Southwest Movers Association. For specialized moves such as fine art or a medical office, ask for a reference from a customer with a similar job. A company that does that work regularly will have one.

Compare estimates the right way

Get two or three estimates from licensed companies that have seen your home, in person or by video. Then compare them line by line, not just at the bottom. Make sure each one covers the same rooms, the garage and any storage. Check whether packing materials are included, which protection level is assumed and whether the price is binding or not-to-exceed. A price that is far below the others is usually a sign that something is missing, not a bargain. Our guide on what drives the cost of a move explains each line you will see.

Pay attention to how each company treats the estimate itself. Did the estimator open the closets and the garage, ask about both addresses and talk about your dates? Or did you get a number after a two-minute call? The care that goes into the estimate is a fair preview of the care that goes into the move.

If you already booked and something feels wrong

If you have booked a mover and the warning signs are piling up, look them up now, before moving day. If they are not licensed, cancel in writing and keep a copy. If the crew arrives and the price changes before loading, you do not have to let them load. Once goods are on a truck, your leverage drops.

If something goes wrong after the move, TxDMV accepts complaints online, by phone or by email for moves within Texas and offers free mediation for fee and damage disputes, while interstate complaints go to the federal regulator. Our guide on what to do when movers damage or lose something walks through the claim timelines, and our guide to choosing full value protection explains the coverage decision that shapes any claim. In the Dallas area, we are glad to give you a second opinion on any written estimate, ours or not.

Questions people ask me