Moving Glossary

A USDOT number is a unique identifier issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to commercial vehicles that transport cargo or passengers across state lines or within certain states.

An MC number is a separate federal operating authority issued by the FMCSA to motor carriers that transport regulated commodities — including household goods — in interstate commerce.

An MDPU number is a state license issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities authorizing a moving company to perform household-goods moves within Massachusetts.

The FMCSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for regulating, licensing, and tracking the safety record of commercial motor carriers — including interstate moving companies.

AMSA ProMover is a certification from the American Trucking Associations' Moving and Storage Conference (formerly the American Moving and Storage Association) awarded to moving companies that meet ethical, financial, and operational standards.

A binding estimate is a written quote from a moving company that locks in the price for the move, regardless of how long the move takes or how much it weighs.

A non-binding estimate is a written quote that represents the mover's best projection of the cost, but the final price is determined by actual hours worked (for local moves) or actual shipment weight (for long-distance moves).

A binding not-to-exceed estimate caps the move at the quoted price — the customer never pays more, but pays less if the actual hours or weight come in under the estimate.

Accessorial charges are extra fees added to a moving bill beyond the base rate for services like long carries, stair carries, shuttle service, crating, appliance servicing, and storage-in-transit.

An hourly moving rate charges the customer for the actual labor time the crew works on move day, typically with a minimum number of hours required.

Peak season for movers is the May-through-September window — and especially around September 1st in Boston — when demand surges and most moving companies apply premium rates.

Released-value protection is the minimum cargo coverage a federally regulated mover must provide at no cost, paying 60 cents per pound per damaged item.

Full-value protection is moving insurance that reimburses the customer for the full repair or replacement cost of any item the mover damages or loses, minus any deductible.

Valuation coverage is the umbrella term for the mover's liability for loss or damage to a customer's belongings — it is not the same as insurance, even though it functions similarly.

Cargo insurance is a third-party insurance policy that protects against loss or damage to the goods being transported in a moving truck.

A Certificate of Insurance, or COI, is a one-page document from a moving company's insurer confirming that the company holds active insurance coverage with specific policy limits and effective dates.

A bill of lading is the legal contract between the moving company and the customer that describes the goods being moved, the agreed price, and the terms of service.

An inventory sheet is a numbered, itemized list of every item the moving company picks up, including its condition at pickup, used as the reference for loss-and-damage claims after the move.

A full-service move is a moving package where the moving company handles every step: packing, loading, transporting, unloading, and unpacking, with all materials included.

A self-pack move is a move where the customer packs their own boxes — only the loading, transport, and unloading are handled by the moving crew.

White-glove delivery is a premium moving service where the crew not only delivers items inside the home but also unpacks, assembles, places, and removes all packing debris.

Crating is the process of building a custom wooden box around a fragile or high-value item — such as a piece of art, a glass tabletop, a marble slab, or a chandelier — to protect it during transport.

A carrier is the moving company that physically picks up, transports, and delivers the customer's shipment — using its own trucks, employees, and equipment.

A moving broker is a company that sells a moving job to a customer but does not perform the move — the broker assigns the job to a third-party carrier and takes a margin.

A long carry is the additional charge most movers add when the truck cannot be parked close to the entrance and crews must walk an extended distance to load or unload.

A shuttle service is when the moving company uses a smaller truck to ferry belongings between the customer's address and a larger long-haul truck parked elsewhere — typically because the larger truck cannot access the address.

Storage-in-Transit, or SIT, is short-term storage provided by the moving company between pickup and final delivery — typically because the customer's destination isn't ready to receive the shipment.

Stair carry is the fee most moving companies add for each flight of stairs the crew must navigate when loading or unloading — typically $50 to $75 per flight.

The line-haul charge is the portion of a long-distance moving bill that covers the cost of physically transporting the shipment between origin and destination — usually calculated based on weight and distance.

September 1st is Boston's single busiest moving day of the year — roughly 70% of Boston rental leases turn over on that date, creating citywide traffic, parking, and crew-availability strain.

A Boston moving permit is a temporary No Parking permit issued by the City of Boston's Transportation Department that reserves a curbside parking space for a moving truck on a specific date — typically costing $60 to $120.

A triple-decker is a three-story wood-frame apartment building with one unit per floor — a housing type extremely common across Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, and Dorchester that creates specific moving challenges due to narrow interior staircases.