What should you check before the moving truck leaves each address?
A two-side handoff checklist for the day your movers arrive: what to sign and inspect before the truck pulls away from your old address, and what to confirm again before the crew unloads at the new one.
Treat both ends of the move as a paper handoff and a physical handoff. At your old address, confirm the order for service, signed inventory, and bill of lading before the truck is loaded, then walk every room. At your new address, inspect every box and piece before signing the delivery receipt, write exceptions in plain language, and know the legal cap on what the mover can demand at the moment of delivery. Federal paperwork, inventory, and weight rules apply to interstate household-goods moves; if your move stays inside one state, the rules that govern it come from your state utilities commission or DOT instead, and the forms can look different.
The day a moving truck shows up is not the day to read the contract for the first time. The few minutes you spend at each address — once at pickup, once at delivery — decide most of what happens later if something is missing, broken, or overcharged. The same federal framework covers every interstate household-goods move in the US, and it gives you a defined set of documents to check and sign at each handoff. Most of what you actually need to do is the same whether you are leaving a third-floor walk-up or a single-family house, with a small number of building-access steps that only matter at condo or apartment addresses.
Before the truck leaves your old address
Paperwork to confirm before the truck is loaded
- Order for service
Signed by both you and the mover, with the mover's USDOT number, the agreed pickup and delivery dates, the form of payment that will be honored at delivery, and a description of any special or accessorial services ordered.
- Bill of lading
The actual contract for the move, presented by the driver before or at the time of loading. The information on it should match the order for service. Read it before you sign; if anything is wrong, do not sign until it is corrected.
- Item inventory
Prepared by the driver before or at loading, listing every item and its condition. If the driver skips it, you have the right to write your own. Note any disagreement with the condition entries in writing before signing each page.
- Special services note
A written record if you declined a service the mover thought was necessary to transport your goods safely (such as crating a fragile piece). The note protects both of you if damage later shows up.
- Contact and claim packet
A phone number for the delivering office or agent, the shipment identification number, and the maximum amount the mover can demand at delivery to release your goods.
Run the final walk-through in this order
- Start with the path
Check the front door, the hallway, and any stairs or elevator the crew will use. Confirm floor and door-frame protection is in place wherever the building requires it.
- Walk room by room as items go on the truck
Anything you see leave the home should be on the inventory and in the condition noted. If something is not on the list, ask the driver to add it before the box leaves the room.
- Open storage areas last, not first
It is easy to forget the attic, the back of the hall closet, the freezer, the washer and dryer drum, the outdoor bin, and the lockable cage. End the walk-through in those spots.
- Take time-stamped photos of pre-existing damage
The driver's inventory is the primary record, but your own photos of gouges, stains, or worn finishes are useful backup if a claim arises.
- Lock up on your own terms
Keep one copy of the inventory and the bill of lading with you — not in the truck. Hand over keys only per your own plan, and never to a driver who cannot produce a matching bill of lading.
Before the crew unloads at the new address
Delivery day is where the inspection actually matters, and it is also where many of the disputes start. Apartment and condo moves add one more layer before the truck can even reach the building: a reserved freight elevator, a certificate of insurance naming the building as additionally insured, and a legal place for the truck to sit. None of those items belong to the mover alone — they have to be in place before the truck arrives, or the clock starts running in the wrong place.
What to confirm before you sign the delivery receipt
- Inspect before signing
The delivery receipt is a separate document from the bill of lading. You have the right to physically check items room by room before signing it; do not let urgency pressure you into signing a clean receipt.
- Refuse liability-release language
Federal rules forbid the mover from putting language on a delivery receipt that releases or discharges them from liability. If the receipt contains that language, strike it out before signing, or refuse the receipt and ask for a corrected one.
- Write exceptions in plain English
Note missing items, dents, scrapes, water damage, or soiling directly on the receipt, not just verbally to the driver. Photos taken before the crew leaves are useful supporting evidence.
- Confirm how the shipment traveled
If a portion was on a second truck (common when a vehicle is transported separately), the mover can require payment for each portion as it is delivered unless they choose to wait. Ask before you write the check.
- Confirm the payment cap
Compare the amount being asked to the legal cap that applies to your type of estimate before paying. The form of payment (cash, certified check, etc.) was supposed to be specified on the estimate, order for service, and bill of lading.
Maximum amount the mover can demand at delivery
| Type of estimate | Cap on what you can be asked to pay on the spot |
|---|---|
| Binding estimate | The exact estimate amount, plus any extra services you added after signing, plus impracticable-operations charges (capped at 15% of the other charges due at delivery) |
| Non-binding estimate | 110% of the quoted approximate cost, plus any extra services you added after signing, plus impracticable-operations charges (capped at 15% of the other charges due at delivery) |
When federal rules do not apply to your move
Everything in the lists above is grounded in the federal framework that covers interstate household-goods moves — moves that cross state lines, including those handled by a national carrier that hands the shipment off to a local agent at either end. If your move is entirely inside one state, that federal framework typically does not run the show. Intrastate moves are regulated by the state, usually through the public utilities commission, the state DOT, or a parallel agency, and the mover you hire should hold a state license rather than (or in addition to) a USDOT number. The practical effect: the order-for-service form, the inventory format, the bill-of-lading wording, the delivery-receipt rules, the cap on what the mover can demand at delivery, and the claims process can all be different. Before you sign, ask the mover which state agency licenses them, request a sample of the documents they will use, and look up that agency's household-goods rules so you know what 'standard' looks like in your state. The same three handoff habits — signed documents before loading, a written item-by-item inventory, and a careful inspection before signing at delivery — still apply; the form they take just changes.
SUMMARY
The bottom line
The paperwork is the difference between a clean claim and a fight. The signed order for service, bill of lading, and inventory are the only documents that give you standing later if something is missing, broken, or overcharged. At the origin, take ten minutes to walk every room and add your own notes before the truck leaves. At the destination, take another ten minutes to inspect room by room before signing, and never sign a delivery receipt that tries to release the mover from liability. If your move stays inside one state, the federal forms are not the controlling documents, so run the same three-step handoff with whatever paperwork your state prescribes.
Common questions
Before you move on
Can the driver push me to sign the delivery receipt before I have inspected everything?+
No. You have the right to inspect before signing. If a box is still sealed or a piece is still wrapped, mark the receipt 'subject to inspection' on the relevant line, and you can reopen a claim later if damage shows up. The cleanest practice is to physically check items room by room while the crew is still on site.
What if I find new damage a day or two after delivery?+
You can still file a claim after the crew has left. Visible damage should be noted on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery, but concealed damage discovered later can be reported in writing within a reasonable window. The signed inventory from origin and your time-stamped photos of the item's pre-existing condition are the evidence that supports the claim.
Do I have to accept the first delivery window the mover offers?+
For interstate household-goods moves, the agreed pickup and delivery dates or periods are written into the order for service and the bill of lading, and the mover is expected to honor them. If the mover changes those dates, they should prepare a written amendment. If you have a guaranteed service, any penalty or per diem owed to you for a missed date should also be on those documents.
Does the same paperwork apply if I am only moving across town in the same state?+
Usually not exactly. Federal household-goods rules apply to interstate moves; an in-state move is governed by your state, generally through the public utilities commission or state DOT. The documents, the inventory form, the cap on what can be demanded at delivery, and the claims process can all be different. Ask your mover which state agency licenses them and request their standard forms before move day so you know what to expect.