About $876 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for moving companies, updated June 2025
Trucking and transportation
Moving company insurance
For local and interstate household goods movers: what coverage costs, how FMCSA cargo and released value rules shape your liability and what to have ready for a quote.
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What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto
- About $876 a month
- Workers’ comp
- About $755 a month
- General liability
- About $120 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What moving company insurance costs
About $755 a month
Workers’ comp
Insureon median for moving companies, updated June 2025
About $120 a month
General liability
Insureon median for moving companies ($1 million/$2 million limits), updated June 2025
Insureon’s medians for moving companies that apply for quotes through it come to about $10,512 a year for commercial auto, $9,058 for workers’ comp and $1,440 for general liability. Workers’ comp stands out: crews lift and carry all day, so it costs movers nearly as much as insuring the trucks. Cargo coverage for customers’ belongings is priced separately. Your own premium depends on your trucks, whether you move locally or across state lines, your payroll and how much valuable furniture, art or antiques you carry.
What moves your price
- Number, size and value of your trucks
- Local moves only or interstate long-distance work
- Payroll for movers, packers and drivers, and how each is classified
- Driving records of everyone behind the wheel
- The cargo limit you need to back Full Value Protection on your largest shipments
- Pianos, antiques, art and other high-value items you handle
- Your claims history and the deductibles you choose
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A dresser dropped on a Full Value Protection move
Unless the customer waives it, an interstate shipment moves under Full Value Protection, so you must repair the item, replace it or pay its replacement value. FMCSA’s handbook puts the minimum shipment value at $6.00 per pound times the weight, far more than the federal cargo filing minimum.
A released value waiver that was never signed
Released value of 60 cents per pound per article applies only if the shipper waives full value in writing, under 49 CFR 375.201. Lose the waiver, or fail to explain your limits clearly, and a $1,000 stereo the handbook says would pay $6 can become a full replacement claim.
A mover hurt carrying a sofa down the stairs
Back and shoulder injuries from lifting heavy furniture are the core workers’ comp claim for movers, which is why Insureon’s median comp premium for movers is about $755 a month, close to the cost of the auto policy.
A customer trips over your dolly
Insureon gives this as the typical general liability claim for movers: a customer injured at the home on moving day, or their phone broken in the fall.
A loaded moving van in a serious crash
A loaded box truck or tractor-trailer can cause serious injuries even at low speed on a residential street. FMCSA requires interstate household goods carriers with vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more to file at least $750,000 in liability.
A damage claim months after delivery
Interstate customers have 9 months from delivery to file in writing. FMCSA’s handbook gives you 30 days to acknowledge a claim and 120 days to resolve it, and arbitration is binding on you for claims of $10,000 or less if the shipper asks for it.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
Commercial auto liability
Pays for injuries and damage your trucks cause to others; your federal BMC-91 or state Form E filing is made against it.
How commercial auto works →Household goods cargo
Pays for customers’ belongings lost or damaged in your care and backs the BMC-34 cargo filing. Set the limit by your biggest Full Value Protection shipment, not the $5,000 federal minimum.
General liability with bailee coverage
Covers injuries and property damage at a customer’s home. Insureon notes the care, custody and control exclusion means movers add bailee coverage for goods entrusted to them.
How general liability works →Workers’ compensation
Covers medical bills and lost wages for crews hurt lifting, loading or driving. California makes a certificate, or a signed statement that you have no employees, a condition of the household mover permit.
How workers’ compensation works →Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive for your own trucks. Insureon notes it is one of the options that raises the auto premium, so match it to each truck’s value.
How commercial auto works →Storage and warehouse cover
Cargo policies are written for goods in transit. If you hold customers’ goods in storage between moves, confirm in writing how they are covered while in your facility.
Umbrella or excess
Adds limits above your auto and general liability when a commercial client, building manager or relocation company asks for more than your primary limit.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Requirements and filings
Interstate household goods movers answer to FMCSA for both liability and cargo insurance and to 49 CFR Part 375 for how they value and settle customers’ claims. Local movers follow their state, which can set higher cargo limits than federal rules.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Federal liability minimum | For-hire interstate household goods carriers with vehicles of 10,001 lb or more | $750,000, filed by your insurer on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X, per FMCSA’s insurance filing requirements under 49 CFR 387.303. |
| Federal cargo minimum | Interstate household goods motor carriers | $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 for losses at any one time and place under 49 CFR 387.303(c), filed on Form BMC-34 or BMC-83. |
| Full Value Protection | Every interstate move for an individual shipper | You are liable for replacement value up to the declared value under 49 CFR 375.201(b). FMCSA’s handbook sets the minimum at $6.00 per pound times shipment weight. |
| Released value waiver | Shippers who choose the no-charge option | Liability drops to 60 cents per pound per article only with the shipper’s written waiver, under 49 CFR 375.201(c), and you must disclose your limits clearly. |
| Extraordinary value items | Articles worth more than $100 per pound | If the shipper does not list them in writing, your liability can be limited to $100 per pound per article, under 49 CFR 375.203. |
| Arbitration program | Interstate household goods carriers | Binding for claims of $10,000 or less when the shipper requests it, with a decision due within 60 days, under 49 CFR 375.211. |
| Texas TxDMV registration | Movers hauling household goods for pay within Texas, at any vehicle weight | $300,000 liability for trucks under 26,000 lb, plus cargo of $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 aggregate, filed by the insurer on Forms E and H and I, per TxDMV. |
| California household mover permit | Household movers operating in California | $250,000/$500,000 bodily injury and $100,000 property damage, or $600,000 combined, plus $20,000 cargo, under Business and Professions Code 19248; workers’ comp certificate or no-employee statement under 19239.1. |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Use a written valuation form on every interstate job so any released value choice is signed and on file, as 49 CFR 375.201 requires.
- Ask customers to list items worth more than $100 per pound in writing before loading, which keeps your liability for unlisted items capped under 49 CFR 375.203.
- Teach safe lifting and use dollies, straps and stair equipment; Insureon names lifting training as a way to cut workers’ comp costs.
- Classify payroll correctly between drivers, packers, helpers and office staff, since workers’ comp is priced by class.
- Hire drivers with clean records and weigh a higher deductible, two levers Insureon lists for auto premiums.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- USDOT and MC numbers, or your state permit such as a TxDMV number or California household mover permit
- Truck schedule with VINs, weight ratings, values and any lienholder
- Driver list with license numbers, dates of birth and experience
- Split of revenue between local and interstate moves
- Your tariff valuation options and the declared value of your largest shipments
- Payroll by role: drivers, movers, packers and office staff
- Storage facility address, security and typical value of goods held
- Loss runs from current and prior insurers, plus your customer claims log
Common questions
Moving company insurance: questions
What is the difference between released value and Full Value Protection?
Released value is free to the customer and pays no more than 60 cents per pound per article. Full Value Protection is the default for interstate moves and requires you to repair, replace or pay replacement value for lost or damaged items.
Is released value the same as moving insurance?
No. Valuation is your liability as the carrier under your tariff. FMCSA says a mover may also sell separate third-party insurance, but if you do and fail to give the customer a copy of the policy, you are liable for damage caused by your negligence.
How much cargo insurance does a household goods mover need?
The federal filing minimum is $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence; California requires $20,000. At FMCSA’s $6.00 Full Value Protection minimum, an 8,000-pound shipment (an illustration) is worth $48,000, so many movers carry far more.
Do I need household goods authority to deliver furniture from a store?
No. FMCSA says carriers delivering furniture or appliances from a factory or store to a home are not household goods carriers and do not need household goods operating authority.
How long does a customer have to file a damage claim?
For interstate moves, 9 months from delivery, or from the date delivery should have happened if the whole shipment is lost. You then have 30 days to acknowledge the claim and 120 days to resolve it.
Does general liability cover a customer’s furniture?
Usually not. Insureon notes that general liability excludes property in your care, custody and control, so movers rely on cargo or bailee coverage for customers’ belongings.
Is workers’ comp required for a small moving company?
It depends on the state. California requires a workers’ comp certificate or a signed no-employee statement for a household mover permit, while Insureon notes coverage is optional in Texas.
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Sources (8)
- Insureon: moving company insurance cost (updated June 2025)
- FMCSA: insurance filing requirements
- Cornell LII: 49 CFR 387.303, security for the protection of the public
- eCFR: 49 CFR Part 375 subpart B, liability, arbitration and shipper information
- FMCSA: Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (2023 handbook)
- FMCSA FAQ: furniture delivery and household goods authority (May 2023)
- Texas DMV: TxDMV number and insurance requirements
- California BHGS: household movers law book (effective January 1, 2025)
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.