Compare Quotes puts two to four moving estimates side by side and reports the differences that can be counted: the lowest starting amount among them, how many are binding, and how many leave out a USDOT number or a written delivery window.
It never names a winner. The lowest figure can belong to the least complete estimate, and an estimate that lists packing, stairs and storage describes a different job from one that leaves them out.
How to use it
- 01
One column per estimate
Enter the mover, the USDOT number and the amount from each written estimate. Add a column for a third or a fourth estimate; four is the limit.
- 02
Set the type from the paper
Mark each estimate binding, non-binding or binding not-to-exceed only where the estimate says so, and leave the rest as unknown.
- 03
Compare fuel treatment
For every estimate, record whether the written total includes fuel, lists it separately, permits a written adjustment, or does not say. Ask for a current written total before comparing the headline amounts.
- 04
Tick the services that are listed
Tick packing, storage and stairs only where an estimate lists them, so a gap between columns shows up as a gap rather than as a difference in price.
- 05
Add the deposit and window, then compare
Enter the deposit and the delivery window as written. Nothing is saved or sent: the values stay in the page until you close it.
What the comparison reports
A worked example
Three estimates: $4,850 non-binding with no USDOT number and no delivery window, $5,200 binding, and $5,600 binding not-to-exceed. Compare Quotes reports a lowest starting amount of $4,850, 2 binding estimates, 1 missing a USDOT number, 1 missing a delivery window, and 1 with unclear fuel treatment.
Why the lowest figure is not automatically the lowest bill
In that example the lowest figure belongs to the only non-binding estimate. Under 49 CFR 375.703 a mover can demand up to 110 percent of a non-binding estimate at delivery, $5,335 here, which is more than the $5,200 binding estimate before any later-requested services are added to either.
What it leaves out
The comparison is a field-by-field reading of what you typed. It applies no market index, weighs no service against another and adds nothing up, so a missing field is reported as missing, never filled in.
Where the result goes wrong
- Picking the lowest starting amount without checking what each estimate includes.
- Comparing estimates written for different inventories, dates or delivery windows as if they priced the same move.
- Treating a service that is not ticked as excluded. It may be unlisted rather than excluded, so ask the mover.
- Ignoring the estimate type, which decides what can be collected at delivery.
- Treating a changing diesel benchmark as a uniform mover surcharge. Compare written fuel terms and revised totals instead.
Keep going
- Check one estimate in detail with Quote Check
- Look up each mover’s USDOT number
- How to compare moving quotes
- Binding vs non-binding estimates
- Insurance versus valuation
Primary sources
What this page was checked against
- 49 CFR 375.703: What is the maximum collect-on-delivery amount I may demand at the time of delivery?
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked 2026-09-12
Used for: The most a mover may demand at delivery: the binding estimate, or 110 percent of a non-binding estimate, plus later-requested services and impracticable operations capped at 15 percent of the other charges due.
- 49 CFR Part 375, Subpart D: Estimating Charges
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked 2026-09-12
Used for: The rules for providing binding estimates (§ 375.403) and non-binding estimates (§ 375.405).
- Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
U.S. Energy Information Administration · checked 2026-09-28
Used for: Weekly, dated on-highway diesel price benchmark; not a carrier surcharge or household-goods moving rate.