Broker (Moving Broker)
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.
Brokers are legal — they must hold federal MC-Broker authority — but they introduce a layer of risk. The customer has no direct relationship with the crew that shows up; the broker can assign the job to any carrier on its network, including ones the customer has never heard of and can't vet. Most published consumer complaints in the moving industry involve brokers and the carriers they assign.
A simple test: if the company's quote doesn't disclose which carrier will perform the move, it's likely a broker. Boston Best Rate Movers is a carrier, not a broker — the company that quotes the move is the company that performs it.
Related Terms
Carrier
A carrier is the moving company that physically picks up, transports, and delivers the customer's shipment — using its own trucks, employees, and equipment.
USDOT Number
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.
MC Number (Motor Carrier Number)
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.
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