Illinois moving company license, rules and marketing

Do you need a license to move households in Illinois?

Yes. It is unlawful to move household goods for pay between points in Illinois without a license from the Illinois Commerce Commission. You must prove the service is needed and that you are fit to provide it, which includes a seminar and a written test. You start on temporary authority and earn a permanent certificate after passing an ICC compliance audit. You may not advertise until the ICC grants your authority.

Movers in Illinois are regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission, Transportation Division (ICC). The permit is called the Household Goods License (certificate of public convenience and necessity).

1. Study the ICC's Applicant's Handbook for Household Goods Moving Service, attend a Commission-approved seminar and pass the ICC's written test with a score of 75% or better.
2. File the Application for Household Goods Authority with the ICC, with the application fee, a balance sheet and projected income statement, your safety record and evidence that the service is needed.
3. Once the ICC grants temporary authority, you have 60 days to file your tariff, proof of liability and cargo insurance, proof of workers' compensation coverage (or a notarized statement that you are not required to carry it) and franchise fees for each truck.
4. Operate under temporary authority for up to one year. During that year the ICC audits your insurance, estimates, bills of lading, inventories, ads, tariff and vehicle paperwork.
5. Pass the audit to receive your permanent certificate. Buy an ICC cab card for every truck and renew cab cards by December 31 each year.
6. File your annual report with the ICC by May 15 each year and keep your business records for at least three years.

What insurance and paperwork does a Illinois mover need?

• Public liability and property damage insurance of at least $750,000. Hauling hazardous materials can require more.
• Cargo insurance of at least $10,000.
• Workers' compensation coverage as required by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act, or a notarized certification that you are not required to carry it.
• Insurance must stay on file with the ICC. If your liability, cargo or workers' compensation coverage lapses, you must stop operating until you are back in compliance.

When you work with customers in Illinois, plan for these rules:

• Give a written estimate on an ICC-approved estimate form, signed by you, before the move starts. It must show your ILCC number, the trucks and crew you plan to use, the estimated hours or weight, extra services and the total.
• If the final charges are more than the estimate plus 10%, the customer may wait 30 days to pay the amount above 110%. With no written estimate, the customer gets 30 days of credit on the whole bill.
• Give every household customer the ICC's consumer guide, Household Moves in Illinois, before the move, and note that you did so on the estimate form.
• Issue a numbered bill of lading at pickup. The customer chooses your liability, either 60 cents per pound per article or a declared lump sum value, by initialing or signing next to the option.
• Prepare a signed inventory for any shipment going into storage and for moves over 50 miles that do not stay within the seven Chicago-area counties.
• Allow at least 90 days to file a loss or damage claim. Acknowledge claims within 30 days and pay, decline or make a firm offer within 120 days. ICC staff can mediate disputes, and the customer can ask for ICC arbitration.
• Show your company name as licensed and your ILCC number in every ad, including your website, and display your Illinois motor carrier number on both sides of each truck.

Do Illinois movers need a USDOT number?

Illinois is not on FMCSA's list of states that require a USDOT number for intrastate-only carriers, and ICC-licensed movers display their ILCC number on their trucks instead. You will need a USDOT number as soon as you move customers across a state line, for example into Indiana or Wisconsin.

If you take jobs that cross the Illinois state line, federal rules apply on top of the state rules:

• USDOT number: every mover that carries household goods across state lines needs one from the FMCSA.
• Operating authority (MC number): for-hire household goods movers need FMCSA authority before taking interstate jobs.
• Insurance on file: your insurer files proof of liability and cargo coverage with the FMCSA.
• Process agent (BOC-3): someone in each state who can accept legal papers on your behalf.
• Unified Carrier Registration: a yearly registration, priced by fleet size.
• Customer paperwork: a written estimate, a bill of lading, the FMCSA booklet “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and access to an arbitration program for loss and damage claims.

The licenses and insurance guide explains each one.

What is the moving market like in Illinois?

• Chicago means walk-ups, three-flats, courtyard buildings and high-rises with elevator bookings. Ask about stairs, elevators and truck parking at the estimate, because Illinois rules make you put the crew size and trucks in writing.
• Moves between Chicago and suburbs like Evanston, Schaumburg, Naperville or Joliet usually stay inside the seven-county area where hourly pricing is allowed.
• College towns like Champaign-Urbana, Normal, DeKalb and Carbondale bring a rush of student and staff moves at the start and end of each school year.
• Winters are cold and snowy, especially near Lake Michigan. Plan for ice on stairs and sidewalks, salt tracked onto floors and short daylight from late fall into early spring.
• Downstate towns are far apart, so a move from the Quad Cities to Springfield or from Peoria to Carbondale is a long day. Longer moves outside the Chicago area are priced by weight and distance under your tariff.

Most moves in Illinois happen around Chicago, Naperville and Aurora, Joliet, Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal.

How do you market a moving company in Illinois?

• Put your ILCC number on every page of your site, on your Google Business Profile and in every ad. Illinois requires it, and it tells customers you are licensed. A moving company website can carry it in the header or footer.
• Build a page for each neighborhood and suburb you serve, such as Lincoln Park, Evanston, Oak Park or Naperville, and mention the buildings, stairs and parking you handle there. Searchers type neighborhood names, and local SEO helps you show up for them.
• The ICC runs a public search for licensed movers, and your ads must use the name on your license. Make sure your website, Google profile and trucks all use that exact name.
• Downstate, promote student and faculty moves in Champaign-Urbana, Normal and DeKalb before May move-out and August move-in.
• Leases tend to turn over around the first of the month, so answer calls and quote fast in the last two weeks of each month during spring and summer.