Reference
Moving Industry Glossary: Terms Explained
Movers, customers and new hires all run into the same jargon. Here are the moving industry terms that come up most, in plain English. Rules quoted apply to interstate household goods moves in the US unless noted.
Updated 2026-11-05 · By the MoveitPro team
Estimates and paperwork
- Binding estimate
- A written estimate that guarantees the price for the services and items listed. Extra services or items added later can be charged on top.
- Non-binding estimate
- An estimate of the likely cost, with the final price based on actual weight or time. On interstate moves, the mover can't require the customer to pay more than 110% of a non-binding estimate at delivery; the rest is billed later.
- Binding not-to-exceed
- The customer pays the lower of the binding estimate or the actual cost. Sometimes called a guaranteed price.
- Order for service
- The document confirming the services, dates and estimate a customer books. See moving company forms.
- Bill of Lading (BOL)
- The contract and receipt for a move. See the moving Bill of Lading.
- Inventory
- The itemized list of goods and their condition, signed at pickup and delivery.
- Change order
- A signed update to the services or charges after the estimate, such as added items or access issues.
- In-home survey
- A walk-through of the home (in person or virtual) to list what's moving and build an accurate estimate.
- Cubic feet
- The space goods take up in the truck. Many movers estimate weight from volume at around 7 pounds per cubic foot.
- Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move
- The FMCSA booklet interstate movers must give customers before the move.
Coverage, claims and liability
- Valuation
- The level of liability the mover accepts for loss or damage. It is not insurance, though it is often confused with it.
- Released Value Protection
- The basic, no-extra-cost coverage on interstate moves: the mover's liability is limited to 60 cents per pound per article.
- Full Value Protection
- Coverage under which the mover repairs, replaces or pays the current value of lost or damaged items, up to the declared value. It costs more than released value.
- Declared value
- The total value the customer states for the shipment under Full Value Protection.
- Extraordinary value item
- An item worth more than a set amount per pound, such as jewelry or art, that must be listed for full coverage.
- Claim
- A customer's written request for payment for loss or damage. Interstate claims must be filed within nine months of delivery; the mover must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve within 120 days (49 CFR 370).
- Arbitration program
- The dispute settlement program interstate household goods movers must offer for unresolved damage claims.
- Certificate of insurance (COI)
- Proof of the mover's insurance, often required by apartment buildings and offices before move day.
Charges and services
- Accessorial charges
- Charges for services beyond basic transport, such as packing, stairs, long carries or shuttles.
- Long carry
- A charge when the truck can't park within a set distance of the door and crews carry goods farther.
- Stair carry / flight charge
- A charge for carrying goods up or down stairs beyond a set number of flights.
- Elevator charge
- A charge when goods must go by elevator, which slows the job.
- Shuttle
- A smaller truck used when the main truck can't reach the home, adding a transfer between trucks.
- Crating
- Building a custom wooden crate for fragile or valuable items such as glass, art or marble.
- Full-service packing
- The mover packs everything. Partial packing covers only some rooms or fragile items.
- Travel time
- Time billed for the crew's drive to the first stop and back from the last, common on hourly local moves.
- Minimum hours
- The least number of hours billed on an hourly move, regardless of how long it takes.
- Fuel surcharge
- An added charge tied to fuel prices, common on long-distance moves.
- Line haul
- The base charge for transporting goods over the road on a long-distance move, usually by weight and distance.
- Tariff
- A mover's published list of rates, rules and charges. Interstate movers must keep one and follow it.
- Peak season
- Summer, roughly May through September, when demand and prices are highest.
Operations and long-distance terms
- Storage-in-transit (SIT)
- Temporary storage at a warehouse during a long-distance move, before final delivery.
- Delivery window
- The range of dates during which a long-distance shipment will be delivered.
- Tare weight / gross weight / net weight
- The empty truck's weight, the loaded truck's weight, and the difference: the shipment's weight, used for weight-based pricing.
- Certified scale
- A scale approved for weighing trucks, used to determine a shipment's weight.
- Reweigh
- The customer's right on an interstate move to ask that the shipment be weighed again before delivery.
- Consolidated shipment
- Several customers' goods on one truck, common on long-distance moves.
- Origin agent / destination agent
- Local companies that handle the pickup or delivery end of a long-distance move for a van line.
- Van line
- A national network of agents operating under one interstate authority and brand.
- Deadhead
- Driving an empty truck, such as on the return trip from a long-distance delivery.
- Pad wrap
- Wrapping furniture in moving blankets instead of boxing it.
- DVIR
- Driver Vehicle Inspection Report: the record of a driver's pre-trip or post-trip vehicle inspection.
Licensing and regulation
- USDOT number
- The US Department of Transportation number that identifies a commercial carrier. Interstate movers must have one.
- MC number
- The operating authority FMCSA issues to for-hire carriers that move household goods across state lines.
- FMCSA
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates interstate movers.
- Household goods carrier
- A mover that transports personal belongings from a home, regulated by FMCSA when moving between states.
- Moving broker
- A company that arranges a move and hires a carrier to do it, but doesn't move goods itself. Brokers must be registered with FMCSA and say they are brokers.
- Intrastate move
- A move within one state, regulated by that state rather than FMCSA.
Frequently asked questions
Valuation is the mover's liability for loss or damage, set by the coverage level the customer chooses. Insurance is a separate policy from a third party. Many customers buy extra insurance on top of valuation for high-value goods.
The price is guaranteed for the items and services listed. If the customer adds items or services, those can be charged on top.
Temporary warehouse storage during a long-distance move, used when the customer can't take delivery right away.
The identifier the US Department of Transportation assigns to commercial carriers. Interstate movers must have one and display it.
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