Missouri Moving Complaints
Who regulates intrastate movers in Missouri, and where to file when a move stays inside the state.
Who regulates intrastate movers
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) — Household Goods Transport
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) — Household Goods Transport →
Where to file a complaint
File with Missouri Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division →
If your move started and ended inside Missouri, it is an intrastate move. The federal FMCSA household-goods rules — including the 100%/110% release rule — do not apply. Missouri regulates these moves instead.
The state regulator is the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), through its Motor Carrier Services division. A company moving household goods within Missouri must obtain intrastate operating authority from MoDOT before operating, file a tariff if it is a common carrier, carry the required insurance, and display its USDOT number followed by “MO” on its trucks. Missouri law also conditions that authority on workers’-compensation coverage — the state will not issue or renew a household-goods certificate without proof of it (RSMo 390.054). MoDOT also publishes consumer resources — a “Moving in Missouri” guidebook, an authorized-transporters list, and a moving-fraud red-flags checklist — that are worth reading before you book.
To report a problem with an in-state move, you can raise the authority side with MoDOT Motor Carrier Services, and file a separate consumer complaint with the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
This page is general information and does not predict how any particular dispute will be resolved.
An in-state dispute, step by step
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Get all your paperwork in hand
The written estimate(s), the contract, receipts, and any texts or emails. Every step below needs these. Photograph everything.
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Put the dispute to the mover in writing
State what the paperwork says, what happened, and what you are asking for. Many disputes end here, and the written record strengthens every later step.
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File with the state moving regulator
For a move inside Missouri, the regulator-side complaint goes to the office that oversees movers in the state.
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) — Household Goods Transport →
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File a consumer complaint with the state
The consumer-protection office handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints, and a moving dispute is squarely that.
File with Missouri Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division →
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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 particular charge qualifies depends on the facts; the guide covers what counts.
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Small claims court or a local attorney
Intrastate moves run on state law, so the money path is the state's own courts — and a licensed attorney in Missouri can read the contract.
Did your move actually cross a state line? Then the federal rules apply instead — start with the Coverage Checker or, if goods are being held right now, the emergency page.
Sources
Every legal claim above links to one of these official sources. Rules change — check the source if you're acting on this.