ScammedByMovers

How to File an FMCSA Complaint About a Moving Company

If an interstate mover is demanding more than the federal threshold at delivery, the federal place to report it is the National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), run by FMCSA. This guide walks through how to file and — just as important — is honest about what that filing does and does not do.

This is general information, not legal advice, and it does not assess your specific situation. If real money is at stake, consider speaking with a licensed attorney in your state alongside, or instead of, the steps below.

Step 1 — Gather your documents first

A complaint is far stronger with the paperwork attached, and for a “hostage load” report the two core documents are your written estimate and your bill of lading. The estimate establishes the agreed scope and your 100% / 110% release ceiling; the bill of lading is the receipt and contract for the shipment and shows what the mover actually demanded.[4]

Useful to have ready:

Step 2 — File at the NCCDB

You can file online or by phone.

The database is specifically for reporting moving companies, brokers, and other carriers believed to have violated commercial regulations; the complaints feed FMCSA’s decisions about which companies to investigate.[3]

What filing will — and won’t — do

This is the part most pages skip. Filing matters, but it is important to be clear-eyed about its limits.

What filing can do:

What filing generally will not do:

For egregious, criminal-pattern conduct, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) runs a hotline that handles fraud and serious misconduct involving DOT programs, including some moving-fraud schemes.[5] That is a complement to, not a replacement for, the NCCDB.

If your move stayed in one state

The NCCDB is for interstate moves — FMCSA’s jurisdiction. If your move began and ended within a single state, FMCSA generally will not act on it, because intrastate moves are regulated by the state, not the federal government. If that is your situation, see your state’s regulator and complaint path and the scope guide, Interstate vs. intrastate, to find the right office.

The full escalation path

Filing the NCCDB complaint is one rung. Here is the ordered ladder it sits on, end to end.

What you can do, step by step

  1. Get all your paperwork in hand

    The written estimate(s), the bill of lading, your contract, and any texts or emails. Every step below needs these. Photograph everything.

  2. Calmly point to the contract and the rule

    Show the mover the estimate and the 100% / 110% release figure, and ask for an itemized bill in writing. Many disputes end here. It won’t force release if the mover refuses.

  3. File an FMCSA hostage complaint — interstate moves only

    File with the National Consumer Complaint Database and upload your estimate and bill of lading. It puts the mover on the federal enforcement radar. It cannot recover your money or act instantly.

    NCCDB: nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov  ·  1-888-368-7238 (1-888-DOT-SAFT).
    How to file, step by step →

  4. File with your state attorney general’s consumer-protection division

    This is the office that can actually investigate — and the only real path for an intrastate (in-state) move.

    Find your state’s office →

  5. File a BBB complaint

    Public pressure and mediation. No legal force, but it creates a record and sometimes moves a mover to settle.

  6. If you paid by credit card: a dispute may be available

    The Fair Credit Billing Act lets a cardholder dispute a billing error in writing — including a charge for services not delivered as agreed — generally within 60 days of the statement. Whether a charge qualifies depends on the facts.

    How a card dispute works →

  7. Local law enforcement or a civil attorney

    For a true refusal to deliver, a police report and a consultation with a civil attorney are the paths to getting goods back or recovering money.

Sources

Every legal claim above links to one of these official sources. Rules change — check the source if you're acting on this.

  1. FMCSA — National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB)
  2. FMCSA — National Consumer Complaint Database FAQs
  3. FMCSA — Eligible Complaints
  4. FMCSA — Can movers hold your stuff hostage?
  5. U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General — Hotline