Oregon moving company license, rules and marketing

Do you need a license to move households in Oregon?

Yes. Oregon requires a motor carrier certificate of authority from ODOT for anyone who transports, or offers to transport, household goods for hire between points in Oregon. Your tariff must be approved before the certificate is issued. Offering or doing moves without a certificate can bring a civil penalty for each violation, but labor-only pack and load services are exempt as long as they do not provide or operate the truck.

Movers in Oregon are regulated by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Commerce and Compliance Division (ODOT CCD). The permit is called the Oregon Intrastate Certificate to Transport Household Goods.

1. Register your business, and any assumed business name, with the Oregon Secretary of State. Get your FEIN from the IRS and your Oregon Business Identification Number from the Department of Revenue.
2. Get a USDOT number from the FMCSA and file an Application for Motor Carrier Account (form 9075) with ODOT.
3. Line up a tariff: join an existing tariff bureau with a power of attorney (the most common way), have a tariff bureau or publishing agent publish one for you, or submit your own tariff for ODOT approval.
4. Fill out the Application for an Oregon Intrastate Certificate to Transport Household Goods (form 735-9057). It asks for a financial statement, the territory you want to serve, your equipment list, vehicle registrations or leases, and your terminal lease if you rent the property.
5. Include criminal background checks for all owners, corporate officers and managers, covering every state they lived in during the past five years.
6. Have your insurer file proof of cargo insurance, plus liability insurance if your trucks are over 26,000 pounds, and pay the $300 application fee.

What insurance and paperwork does a Oregon mover need?

• Cargo insurance or other surety of at least $10,000 to protect customers against loss or damage, in effect and on file with ODOT.
• Bodily injury and property damage insurance of at least $750,000 if you work only in Oregon and run vehicles or combinations over 26,000 pounds. If you also run interstate, your federal insurance filing covers this.

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

• Give every prospective customer ODOT’s General Information Bulletin for Moving Household Goods in Oregon (form 735-9943), have them sign the Mandatory Receipt and keep it for three years.
• Estimates must be free, in writing, non-binding and based on an in-person inspection or a live or recorded video of the goods. Added services need a signed addendum.
• You may not underestimate. If the final charge is more than 10 percent over the estimate and addenda, the customer can pay the estimate plus 10 percent at delivery and defer the rest for 15 days, and you must release their goods.
• Offer Released Value or Replacement Cost Protection and get the customer’s choice in writing. Without a written choice, the move goes under Replacement Cost Protection at the customer’s expense.
• Customers have three months after delivery to file a loss or damage claim. Acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within 120 days.

Do Oregon movers need a USDOT number?

Plan on it. ODOT’s application checklist tells household goods applicants to register with the FMCSA and put their USDOT number on the Application for Motor Carrier Account, even for Oregon-only work.

If you take jobs that cross the Oregon 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 Oregon?

• Moves between Portland and Vancouver, Washington cross a state line and fall under federal rules. Portland-area movers who take those jobs need federal authority on top of their ODOT certificate.
• Western Oregon’s wet season runs from fall into spring, so plan for floor protection, covered loading and slower days. In summer, wildfire smoke and fire-related road closures can hit southern and central Oregon.
• Trips over the Cascades to Bend and central Oregon cross mountain passes that can see snow and chain requirements in winter.
• Eugene and Corvallis are college towns, so expect busy weeks around the start and end of the school year.
• Labor-only competitors may pack and load, but Oregon does not let them provide the truck. ODOT warns customers about pack and load ads that offer a truck once they call, so being fully certified is worth saying out loud.

Most moves in Oregon happen around Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro, Salem, Eugene and Springfield, Bend, Medford and Corvallis.

How do you market a moving company in Oregon?

• Show your ODOT certificate number on your website, estimates and trucks. ODOT tells customers to ask movers for it, so make it easy to find.
• Because Oregon estimates are non-binding, sell trust: explain the 10 percent rule, how your tariff rates work and how you protect floors in the rain. Use our moving price calculator to sanity-check your hourly and crew pricing.
• Make a page for each zone and town you serve, such as Portland’s suburbs, Salem and Keizer, or Eugene and Springfield. Customers search by town, and your certificate territory is set by zone and county anyway.
• Ask for a review right after delivery, when the customer has seen their things arrive dry and in one piece. Automatic review requests make it a habit.