YardPermit

Moving Estimate Red Flags: What to Check

YardPermit does not publish a red-flag score. It lists what the regulation attaches to a written estimate, so a gap on yours becomes a question rather than a guess.

DueRiva · checked against sources Sep 12, 2026

What the regulation attaches to an estimate

For an interstate household-goods move, the written estimate must be based on a physical survey of the goods unless you waive the survey in writing before loading, it must say whether it is binding or non-binding, and it must specify the form of payment the mover will honor at delivery, such as cash, a certified check, a money order or a named credit card (49 CFR 375.401).

With the estimate, the mover must give you, as a copy or a link to the FMCSA website, two publications: “Ready to Move?” and “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.” Before the bill of lading it must also furnish an accurate estimate, a notice that the relevant sections of its tariff are available for inspection or copies, a summary of its arbitration program, and a summary of how it handles complaints and inquiries (49 CFR 375.213).

Fields a usable estimate makes explicit

The legal name as registered with FMCSA and the USDOT number, which every advertisement is required to carry (49 CFR 375.207); the origin and destination; the estimate type; the amount; each service included, since the bill of lading later incorporates the services on the estimate (49 CFR 375.505); the agreed dates or periods for pickup and delivery; and the form of payment.

What a missing field means

A missing field is a document defect, not a probability of fraud. An estimate with no survey and no signed waiver, no stated type, dates given only by phone, or no form of payment is an estimate the regulation says is incomplete, and the right response is a written revision before you sign anything. YardPermit does not turn gaps into a score, because a score would be an invented number.

One gap deserves a direct question: if the company arranging the move is a broker, it must say so and must give you the list of carriers it uses with their USDOT and MC numbers (49 CFR 371.107 and 371.109). An estimate that names no carrier tells you the identity question is still open.

Where to take it

Quote Check reads the fields you enter and lists the missing ones as questions to ask before booking. If a mover or broker will not correct a defective estimate, or demands more at delivery than the regulation allows, complaints against moving companies and brokers go to FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database.

Sources