For every move there are a number of things you can do to make your planning or travel much more simple. One of these things is to check the USDOT of the moving company you are using such as Woody and Sons. You may wonder what a USDOT is. It is a census number that is given out to transport companies of passengers and cargo by the FMCSA. Most states only give out this number to companies that ship from state to state, but some states require any moving company to have it with even intrastate moves. This is a unique number given to each and every transport company, which gives information about the mover’s compliance with a number of regulations.
Planning transport and moving for your household items must start somewhere when beginning the relocation process. There are a few instructions that you should follow when hiring a moving company. The USDOT will reveal a number of these important details.
The first thing when you find out the USDOT of any moving company is to read about their operating status. It will be clearly printed if the company is out of service, active, or authorized for(…). If a company is listed as out of service, they have either gone out of business or are not regulated for moving in your state, or any state for that matter. If a company is listed active, they are allowed to work and transport in your states and other states as well. Extra additions to active will follow with “authorized for…”. This will describe what extra activities and transporting the company is eligible for.
The next item on the list after finding the USDOT is the contact details. This will provide you with the name, and phone number of the moving company, allowing you to contact and gain any useful information that may not be given over the website.
Another number, which may be unclear at first is the MC/MX/FF numbers. These are given out again by the FMCSA, which gives the company permission for interstate operations. It is issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission and should be represented in this field.
Power units are another field represented when reviewing the USDOT number. Power units are the number of leased vehicles by the relocation company. Many people are moving in the summer months, and this number can change temporally by the demand for moving from that company.
Carrier operations are listed with the USDOT as well. Carrier operations are a more detailed list than the operating status for a company. This gives more detail on the states allowed for transport, and operations that they company is allowed to carry out.
A very important number listed as well, and hopefully is zero, is the number of crashes a company has been apart of. You would not want your personal items and valuables being handled by a moving company with a history of accidents.
The last area to view is the Carrier safety rating, which shows the compliance of the moving company with the FMCSA’s Safety Regulations. This ratings is to a large extent, given based on an interview with the management of the moving company. The best result would be if this field shows “satisfactory”. This results in that there were no major non-compliances with the safety regulations of the FMCSA. If it says “conditional”, it means there was some non-compliance with one or more safety requirements. Lastly, “unsatisfactory” rating shows the mover is greatly out of compliance with the safety regulations and should not be hired.
The information given may sound unimportant but every step you make towards selecting a moving company will help you make a better choice. Checking the USDOT number is just the first thing to do out of several steps before hiring a moving company and planning your move. Obtaining the USDOT number is very useful and a great start for your relocation company research.