"Get three quotes" is the advice everyone gives. It's also the wrong way to choose a mover. Three quotes from three random Google results gets you three numbers and zero signal. What separates a real moving company from a bait-quote operator or a broker isn't the price. It's the answers they give to a handful of specific questions before you book.
Here are the eight questions to ask any mover before you sign a contract. And the five red flags that should make you hang up.
The 8 questions
1. What's your USDOT number?
Every legitimate interstate mover is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and has a USDOT number. Some intrastate movers also carry one. Ask for it during the call, then verify it on the FMCSA SAFER Web. The free tool tells you the company's safety record, insurance status, and operating authority. A mover who can't or won't share a USDOT number is not someone you want carrying your belongings.
(For reference: ours is USDOT #4298638. Public, verifiable, real.)
2. Are you the moving company, or a broker?
Brokers are sales operations that sell your move to a third-party carrier you've never spoken to. The truck that shows up belongs to a different company than the one you booked with. Brokers aren't inherently bad, but they introduce a layer of communication risk and they make accountability harder if something goes wrong. Ask directly: "Do you own the trucks and employ the crew, or are you a brokering my move to someone else?" The honest answer is usually obvious in the next sentence.
3. Can you send proof of insurance?
Movers carry several types of insurance: cargo (covers your stuff), workers' comp (covers the crew), general liability (covers the building). A real mover will email you a Certificate of Insurance on request, with their policy numbers and their insurer's contact info. If they hedge or claim "we're insured" but won't send proof, you don't have a relationship. You have a verbal promise.
4. What's your deposit policy?
Most reputable NJ movers ask for no deposit on local moves. Long-distance and specialty jobs sometimes require a small deposit to lock in a date, usually 10-25% of the estimated cost. A mover asking for 50% upfront is operating outside industry norms. A mover asking for full payment before the truck arrives is a scam. See our FAQ on deposits for the standard pattern.
5. Who's running my move: your crew or a subcontractor?
Even if a mover owns the trucks, sometimes the crew gets subcontracted out, especially on weekends. Ask explicitly: "Will the crew that shows up be your direct employees?" A direct-employee crew has accountability and training. A subcontracted crew might be excellent, or might be three day-laborers the mover found that morning. Both happen.
6. In-home estimate or virtual estimate?
For local moves under a certain size, a phone or virtual estimate is fine. The mover asks the right questions, you describe the inventory, and the number lands close. For larger moves, full packs, or long-distance jobs, an in-home (or live video) walkthrough is more accurate. A mover who insists on a virtual estimate for a 4-bedroom long-distance move is either inexperienced or about to surprise you at delivery.
7. What won't you move?
Every legitimate mover has a list: hazardous materials (paints, fuels, propane, ammunition), live plants, perishable food, personal documents and valuables. Federal regulations restrict some items; common sense restricts others. A mover who shrugs at the question hasn't thought about it. A mover who hands you a clear list has done this before.
8. What's your complaint resolution process?
Things sometimes break. The question is what happens next. A real mover has a written claims process: usually involving a specific email address, a deadline for filing, photos and documentation, and an insurance-backed resolution. Ask. A mover who has no process is one you don't want to be testing when something goes wrong.
The 5 red flags
1. No USDOT, no MC number, no proof of insurance
These are non-negotiable for any interstate mover and most intrastate ones. If a mover can't share both, they're either unlicensed (a real legal problem for them and a real safety problem for you) or they're operating outside the regulated industry. Either way: walk.
2. Deposit demands over 25%
As above. Anything past 25% is outside norms. Anything past 50% is a likely scam. A mover demanding payment in full before the truck arrives is the scam itself. They take the deposit, never show up, and the recovery process is brutal.
3. They'll only communicate by email, never by phone
Real moving companies pick up the phone. Sales operations that hide behind email are usually brokering. If you can't get a live person on a phone call before booking, you definitely won't be able to on move day.
4. The quote is dramatically lower than every other quote
If three movers quote you $2,000 and one quotes $900, the cheap one isn't doing the same job. They've either omitted a major surcharge, they're planning to add charges day-of, or they're not actually planning to do the work themselves. The cheap quote almost never wins after move day.
5. They can't or won't put it in writing
Every quote should arrive as a written estimate with the line items, the surcharges, the deposit policy, and the cancellation terms. A mover who refuses to put it in writing, or who insists on a verbal "we'll work it out," is setting up the next disagreement to be their word against yours.
What our answers look like
For the record: USDOT #4298638 (verify on SAFER Web). We own the trucks and employ the crew. Cargo, liability, and workers' comp insurance on every job. We'll send you a COI on request. No deposit on most local moves. Direct-employee crews, no subcontracting. We'll do a virtual estimate for smaller local moves and a live video or in-home walkthrough for larger jobs. Federal-prohibited items aside, we'll tell you what we won't move during the quote call. And we have a written claims process. Fortunately we rarely have to use it.
If you're shopping movers right now, ask every company on your list those eight questions. The ones that have clear answers stay on the list. The ones that don't, don't. See how we got here, scan the full FAQ, or tell us about your move when you're ready to talk specifics.
The cheapest quote almost never wins after move day. The right mover is the one whose answers you can verify.