A moving estimate is a contract. Most people skim it like an Uber receipt and find out the hard way that the line that mattered was on page three.
Below: the two estimate types and the cap that applies to one of them, the lowball patterns that show up in cluster quotes, and the words to look for before you sign.
This is for interstate or long-distance moves in the U.S. Local moves are governed differently and have their own bag of issues.
Two estimate types, and only one has a guarantee
Federal rules (49 CFR 375.401) require an interstate mover to give you a written estimate before the bill of lading, and to say on it whether it is binding or non-binding. A verbal quote is not an estimate. Before writing one, the mover must survey your goods, on site or by video, unless you waive the survey in writing.
Non-binding estimate
The mover's best estimate. Final charges are based on the actual weight of your shipment and the mover's published tariff, so the bill can come in above the estimate or below it.
What the rule does cap is delivery day. A mover cannot require you to pay more than 110 percent of a non-binding estimate to get your goods off the truck (49 CFR 375.407). That does not erase the rest: the mover bills any remaining charges after 30 days from delivery, so you still owe them.
A non-binding estimate with a real survey behind it is a reasonable deal for a short move. For a cross-country move, plan on 110 percent of the number on the front page and expect a bill for anything above that. If you want a number that does not move with the scale, ask for a binding estimate.
Binding estimate
The number on the page is the number you pay at delivery, for the quantities and services listed on the estimate. If your load turns out to hold more than the estimate says, the mover has to do one of three things before loading: reaffirm the estimate, write a new binding one, or convert it to non-binding if you agree. If it does none of them and loads anyway, the original number stands.
Two limits to know. Unforeseen conditions at the destination, such as an elevator, stairs or a parking permit, can still be billed 30 days after delivery. And a binding estimate has to rest on a physical survey of your goods unless you sign a waiver before loading. If a mover offers a firm price from a phone call alone, ask where the waiver is.
Some carriers also sell what they call a binding not-to-exceed estimate, a maximum price that drops if the actual weight comes in lower. That is a carrier's term, not one of the two federal estimate types, so ask for it by name and read what the contract says.
Federal rules require the estimate to say on its face which type it is, and a non-binding one must also state the 110 percent limit (49 CFR 375.403 and 375.405). An estimate that doesn't say which type it is, is a reason to stop and ask.
The lowball pattern
Say you requested three quotes. Two came back at $7,800 and one at $4,200. The $4,200 looks like a steal. It is a question, not a steal.
A lowball quote tends to rest on a few weak points:
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No survey. No walkthrough, no video. The mover takes your word for "three-bedroom" and quotes a rough average. Federal rules expect a physical survey unless you waive it in writing.
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Non-binding estimate type. The price recalculates against actual weight. By the time the truck is loaded with your stuff a thousand miles away, you have very little room to argue about line items.
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Hostage-load endgame. The truck reaches the destination, the crew says you have more than the estimate allowed for, and the mover holds your goods until you pay a new price. Federal rules say a mover must give you possession once you pay 110 percent of a non-binding estimate or 100 percent of a binding one, plus the charges for any services you asked for after the bill of lading was issued. Refusing after that is a failure to deliver with reasonable dispatch (49 CFR 375.407 and 375.403), and FMCSA's booklet calls it holding your shipment hostage. Enforcement is slow, and you're standing on an empty driveway with your kid's bedroom in someone else's truck.
No regulator publishes how low a quote must be to count as too low. FMCSA says to compare written estimates from several movers. The one far under the others is the one to question first, and the first question is what survey it was based on.
What's actually in the estimate
Six numbers determine your final bill. They live in different sections of the estimate; track them like you'd track line items on a renovation contract.
Linehaul rate. The base transport cost, calculated from weight and distance against the mover's published tariff. Ask which tariff applies and how the weight will be determined.
Origin and destination services. Stair fees, long-carry fees and shuttle service are separate line items. Tell the mover about every flight of stairs, elevator and long carry at both ends. A mover that doesn't ask has to deliver your goods and bill you for those charges 30 days later (49 CFR 375.401(f)), which is a bill you didn't budget for.
Packing services. Optional. Check the estimate for a packing line you didn't ask for, and if you don't want it, make sure the line is zeroed out. Ask for labor and materials priced separately.
Valuation coverage. This is not insurance. It is the level of the mover's liability for your goods. Under federal rules Full Value Protection is the default unless you waive it in writing: the mover repairs or replaces a damaged item, up to the declared value of the shipment. The waiver, called Released Value, pays no more than 60 cents per pound per article, so a destroyed 50-lb stereo worth $1,800 pays $30. The first estimate you receive has to include Full Value Protection, and it costs extra. Each mover prices it in its own tariff: on Wheaton World Wide Moving's chart for shipments loading in 2026, a house-size shipment declared at $50,000 to $60,000 costs $220 to $661, depending on the deductible. Check which option is marked before you sign, and don't initial the 60-cent waiver without doing the arithmetic on your own stuff.
Storage-in-transit. If your destination isn't ready, the mover can store your goods under the same contract. The mover's tariff sets the rate, usually by weight and by day or month, and hauling the goods out of storage is a separate charge priced by weight and distance. Guides print monthly figures, but none cites a tariff. Get the rate, the time limit and the delivery charge in writing before you sign.
Fuel surcharge. A percentage applied to the haul and tied to diesel prices. Ask for the percentage and what it applies to.
Sum these and compare across quotes. The headline number alone is misleading.
Red flags in the paperwork
Before you sign, scan for these. Each one is worth stopping to ask about.
- Blank pages. A mover may not make you sign a blank document. The only gap that is acceptable before loading is information that can't be known yet, such as the actual weight on a non-binding estimate or unforeseen charges.
- A bill of lading that doesn't match the estimate. The estimate and the inventory are attachments to the bill of lading (49 CFR 375.505), and you should receive the bill of lading to sign at least 3 days before loading, with 3 days to rescind it without penalty. If the two documents disagree on the type of estimate or the services, ask the mover to point to the line that controls.
- Cash-only or large-deposit demand. No deposit cap appears in the federal rules, but FMCSA and the FTC both list a demand for cash or a large deposit as a red flag. The form of payment has to be named on the estimate and the bill of lading, and the mover must honor it at delivery.
- No USDOT number. Every advertisement must show the mover's name and U.S. DOT number (49 CFR 375.207), and the bill of lading carries its registered name and address. Look the mover up at FMCSA's Protect Your Move. If you can't find a registration, don't hand over a deposit.
What to do before you sign
Three things, in this order.
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Run your own cubic-foot estimate so you can sanity-check the mover's. A quote that's far from your number deserves a question: either the mover is fishing or they spotted something you missed. Use the calculator for a defensible baseline.
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Ask for a binding estimate with a documented inventory and survey. If the mover only offers non-binding, ask what 110 percent of its number is, and decide whether you can pay that on delivery day.
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Read the bill of lading alongside the estimate. They're separate documents and they should agree. Mismatches are exactly what to ask about while you can still say no.
The estimate is the single most important document of the move. Spend 20 minutes reading it before you spend 8 hours arguing with a driver about it on a Tuesday morning.
Take this with you
Pre-quote, get a number on your own cubic feet so the conversation has a defensible baseline. The calculator is here, no signup, no follow-up calls, no data sold to mover networks. Walk into the quote with the number; walk out with a contract that matches it.