Missouri moving company license, rules and marketing

Do you need a license to move households in Missouri?

Yes. MoDOT says household goods carriers must get operating authority from MoDOT Motor Carrier Services before operating in or between Missouri municipalities, including inside commercial zones. Missouri law also bars hauling until your schedule of rates is filed and published. You will need liability and cargo insurance on file and a financial statement every year.

Movers in Missouri are regulated by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services (MoDOT MCS). The permit is called the Missouri intrastate operating authority for household goods.

1. Get a USDOT number. MoDOT requires one before it grants intrastate operating authority.
2. Open a MoDOT Carrier Express account and complete the Application to Operate Intrastate (MO-1 form) online.
3. In the application, show safety fitness and financial fitness and list each vehicle's type, model year, make, value and ownership.
4. Have your insurance company file liability proof (Form E or G) and household goods cargo proof (Form H or J) with MoDOT electronically.
5. File your household goods tariff of rates and charges. MoDOT posts sample hourly and distance tariffs and a household goods tariff circular to follow.
6. Pay $10 per power unit if you are not in the Unified Carrier Registration program, then renew decals and file your financial statement every year.

What insurance and paperwork does a Missouri mover need?

• Liability insurance of at least $100,000 for injury or death of one person, $300,000 for one accident and $50,000 for property damage in one accident (7 CSR 265-10.030).
• Household goods cargo insurance of at least $2,500 for loss or damage on any one vehicle and $5,000 for losses at any one time and place.
• All insurance filings go in electronically through MoDOT Carrier Express, from an insurer authorized in Missouri. Insurers must give MoDOT at least 10 days' notice before canceling.

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

• If a customer asks, give a written non-binding estimate of total charges before the move. Binding estimates are optional, but if you offer them you must offer them to every customer who asks.
• Issue a bill of lading for every move and keep a file of consecutively numbered bills of lading for at least two years.
• Offer the customer an inventory, and make one when the goods share a truck with another load, go into storage, or either side asks for one.
• Missouri rule 7 CSR 10-25.040 requires a written notice to consumers from household goods carriers. Check its timing and contents with MoDOT.
• MoDOT's consumer guide tells customers that movers have 30 days to acknowledge a loss or damage claim and 90 more days to offer a settlement.

Do Missouri movers need a USDOT number?

Yes. MoDOT requires a USDOT number before it grants intrastate operating authority, and Missouri is on FMCSA's list of states that require one for intrastate carriers.

If you take jobs that cross the Missouri 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 Missouri?

• Both big metros sit on state lines. Moves from St. Louis to the Illinois side or from Kansas City, Missouri to the Kansas suburbs are interstate, so you need federal authority if you want that work.
• The University of Missouri in Columbia and Missouri State in Springfield bring student and staff moves at the start and end of each semester.
• Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base bring military families who may need help with a move on a tight timeline.
• Lake of the Ozarks and Branson have many second homes, condos and rentals, so jobs often mean hilly drives, narrow roads and furniture moves between seasons.
• Older St. Louis and Kansas City neighborhoods have brick homes and multi-family buildings with tight stairways, so realistic time estimates matter.

Most moves in Missouri happen around Kansas City, St. Louis metro (St. Louis County, St. Charles), Springfield, Columbia, Independence and Lee's Summit, Jefferson City, Joplin and St. Joseph.

How do you market a moving company in Missouri?

• Build town pages for the suburbs you serve, like Lee's Summit, Independence and Liberty around Kansas City or Chesterfield, O'Fallon and St. Charles around St. Louis.
• Show your MoDOT authority on your website. MoDOT's consumer guide tells people to check its list of authorized movers before they hire anyone.
• Explain how you price, by the hour or by distance and weight, the same way your tariff does. A moving cost calculator can give customers a rough idea before they call.
• MoDOT's guide tells customers to get more than one estimate, so speed wins. Calls and texts answered 24/7 keep you from losing jobs to whoever calls back first.
• In the Ozarks, market to second-home owners and rental managers who need furniture moved between seasons.