Hiring someone to move a household’s belongings means letting strangers into a home, often for an entire day, with access to every room and every box. The regulatory system behind that transaction is split across two layers that get confused constantly. A separate federal registration process applies to companies that move goods across state lines, a different and far less uniform state permit system applies to companies that move goods only within one state, and neither layer is the same thing as a criminal background check on the people actually carrying the boxes. This guide separates the three, with the actual federal rules and where state authority picks up.
Interstate movers register with FMCSA, not a licensing board
A company that moves household goods across state lines does not get a license from a state board. It registers with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for operating authority, including the specific household goods authority category, and obtains a USDOT number before it can legally transport a shipment across state lines for compensation. The underlying consumer protection rules for this registration, including written estimates, the order for service, the bill of lading, and required notices to the shipper, are set out in 49 CFR Part 375, the federal regulation governing transportation of household goods in interstate commerce. The statutory definitions that drive this whole framework, including what counts as a household goods carrier and what counts as household goods, sit in 49 U.S.C. 13102, the definitions section of the federal motor carrier statute.
Registered household goods carriers also have to maintain a process agent in each state they operate in, a formal point of contact for legal service, and federal law requires most household goods carriers engaged in interstate transportation to participate in a dispute settlement, or arbitration, program for claims a customer brings after a move. That arbitration requirement comes directly from 49 U.S.C. 14104. None of this registration process involves a criminal history check on the company’s owners or on the crew members it employs. It is a transportation and consumer protection framework, built around estimates, paperwork, insurance, and a complaint process, not a screening program. Anyone hiring a mover, or hiring one as an employer bringing on a crew, can look up a specific company’s USDOT number, operating status, and safety record directly through the FMCSA SAFER system before trusting the registration claims on a website or quote.
Intrastate movers answer to state regulators, and the rules are not uniform
A move that stays entirely inside one state generally falls outside federal operating authority and instead depends on whatever that state has set up. Some states run a permit or registration system through a department of transportation, a public utilities or service commission, or a consumer affairs office, and a handful of those states ask licensing questions that touch on a business’s compliance history or require proof of insurance and a surety bond as the main consumer protection mechanism. Other states have little to no state level permit requirement at all for intrastate household moves beyond the general business licensing every company needs. Whether a state requires a criminal history check as part of mover registration, for the business, for a responsible officer, or for individual crew members, genuinely varies by state and by which agency has jurisdiction, and it can change. The only reliable way to know what applies in a specific state is to check that state’s own transportation or consumer protection agency directly rather than assume a rule that exists somewhere else also exists there.
| Type of move | Governing authority | Core requirement | Criminal background check built into licensing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate household goods move | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | USDOT number, household goods operating authority, process agent, written estimate and bill of lading rules, arbitration program participation | Not part of the federal registration itself |
| Intrastate household goods move | The individual state’s transportation, public utilities, or consumer affairs agency | Varies widely, from a simple business registration to a permit with insurance and bonding proof | Varies by state, confirm directly with the state agency with jurisdiction |
| Commercial driver operating the moving truck | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, through the employing carrier | Valid commercial driver’s license, driver qualification file, medical certification, controlled substance and alcohol testing | Employment history investigation and a Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse query are required, but these are employer screening duties, not a license applicant check |
CDL drivers go through a separate federal screening process
Many household goods moves, especially interstate ones, are driven by a commercial driver’s license holder, and that driver is subject to a federal screening framework that is independent of whatever licensing or permit rule applies to the moving company itself. Before a carrier can let someone drive, it has to build a driver qualification file that includes an employment application, a review of the driver’s safety performance history with previous employers, a road test or an accepted equivalent, and a current medical certification, all required under 49 CFR Part 391, the driver qualification regulation. Carriers also have to follow the federal controlled substances and alcohol testing program under 49 CFR Part 382, which includes pre employment drug testing before a new driver can operate a commercial motor vehicle. Before putting a driver behind the wheel, a carrier also has to query the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for any record of a prior violation that would keep the driver from performing safety sensitive functions until a return to duty process is completed. None of this is optional paperwork. It is a federally mandated screening sequence that exists specifically because the person is operating a commercial vehicle, separate from any background check the moving company runs for other reasons.
Screening the crew that enters the home
A moving crew’s exposure inside a customer’s home goes well beyond the driving task, and many moving companies choose to run employment background checks on crew members for reasons that have nothing to do with FMCSA or state permit rules. This is private employer screening, and when a company orders a report from a consumer reporting agency rather than doing the digging itself, the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs the process. The statute requires a standalone disclosure to the applicant, written authorization before a report is pulled, and, if information in the report could lead to a decision not to hire or to end employment, a pre adverse action notice followed by an adverse action notice that gives the person a copy of the report and a summary of their rights. The underlying federal consumer reporting framework is set out at 15 U.S.C. 1681, the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A background check run this way can help confirm identity, verify work history, and surface reportable criminal or driving records depending on the state, but what actually appears in a report varies by state law and by how far back records can be reported, so no employer should assume a report will show every past incident in every case.
For movers who also drive, employers should layer the FCRA process on top of the federally required driver qualification file and Clearinghouse query rather than treat either one as a substitute for the other. A driving record pull and a criminal history check serve different purposes than the safety sensitive drug and alcohol testing program, and a company that only completes the federal driver file while skipping its own crew screening is leaving half the picture unchecked, especially for crew members who never hold a CDL and are never covered by Part 391 or Part 382 at all.
Frequently asked questions
Do interstate moving companies need a state license to operate?
No. A company moving household goods across state lines registers with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for a USDOT number and household goods operating authority rather than obtaining a state issued license. States still retain authority over purely intrastate moves.
Does FMCSA registration include a criminal background check on the moving company?
The federal registration and household goods consumer protection rules in 49 CFR Part 375 center on estimates, paperwork, process agents, and the required arbitration program. They do not include a criminal history check on the company’s owners as a condition of registering.
Does every state require a background check to license intrastate movers?
No, and this is one of the areas where state rules genuinely differ. Some states tie intrastate moving permits to insurance and bonding with little else, others ask more of the business and its principals. Anyone needing a definitive answer should contact the specific state transportation or consumer affairs agency with jurisdiction.
Are moving truck drivers screened differently than the rest of the crew?
Yes. A commercial driver’s license holder operating the truck goes through a federally required driver qualification file, an employment history review, and controlled substance and alcohol testing, including a Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse query, under separate FMCSA rules. Non driving crew members are not covered by those specific federal rules, which is why many moving companies run their own FCRA compliant background checks on the whole crew.
How can a customer or employer verify a mover’s federal registration?
The FMCSA SAFER system lets anyone look up a carrier’s USDOT number, registered operating authority, and safety record directly, which is a useful check before relying on claims made in an advertisement or a quote.
Can a background check promise a moving crew member has no criminal record?
No report can promise that every past record will appear. What is reportable depends on state law and how far back records can be included, and a background check is one part of a hiring decision, not a stand alone promise that nothing was missed.
Related reading: for the federal rules that apply specifically to the person driving the truck, see our CDL truck driver background check requirements guide, and for more on the safety record tool carriers and employers rely on, see our overview of the FMCSA PSP report. To run an FCRA compliant background check on a moving crew or any other hire, visit Reveal Background.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Federal and state rules for moving companies and background screening vary and can change, so verify current requirements with FMCSA, the relevant state agency, or qualified counsel before making a licensing or hiring decision.
