Do I Need An Arbitration Program?

Does a Moving Company Need An Arbitration Program?


  1. Arbitration is Legally Required By the USDOT
  2. What is the Process of Arbitration?
  3. Can a Mover Be At Risk Without Arbitration?
  4. Why Choose Moving Authority?
  5. Moving Season is Among Us
  6. Importance of Being Compliant with the Law
  7. Arbitration
  8. Tariffs
  9. Moving Authority


1. Arbitration Legally Required by the USDOT


Yes, arbitration is a requirement for all moving companies before they begin their moving business. Movers must have an active movers arbitration in their individual DOT classification. Your company's arbitration certificate must be placed on the wall in plain view at your company's corporate headquarters and the arbitration program must be renewed every year. Check out What is the Movers Arbitration Program for Interstate Movers.

The administrative costs required to provide arbitration is very low when arbitration is purchased through Moving Authority.

Aribitration program movers

2. What is the Process of Arbitration?



An Arbitration process became a part of the requirements set forth by the US DOT. Information about household goods arbitration for damaged furniture must be placed in the body of moving contract forms allowing consumers and/or shippers to contact their arbitrator parties directly if their claim is not fulfilled to their standards. For further details visit Moving Companies Arbitration.

When a customer thinks his or her items have been damaged by a moving company, they can file a dispute with the company through arbitration.

An Arbitrator will take into account the argument of both parties and make a decision on who owes who money. It should be noted that when the arbitrator makes the final decision, it cannot be changed. It is rare to see a decision through arbitration disputed.

You need to request this so that processing can begin and fees can be collected. Starting A Trucking Company Cost. Processing can take a couple of weeks.


3. Can a Mover Be At Risk Without Arbitration?



Operating your moving company without Arbitration in place is a common violation that inexperienced movers receive when they are audited or inspected. The law requires Arbitration if you are transporting household goods over state lines.

The US DOT made this a requirement so that the US court systems would decrease their cases with moving companies. Arbitration also protects the moving company and gives it an option before having to go to court. Most judges know about this law and can often dismiss cases due to the fact that the consumer was not allowed the use of the option of the information of the arbitration before going to court. Check out Moving Arbitration Program vs. Small Claims Court.


4. Why Choose Moving Authority?



Using Moving Authority for your moving arbitration program will allow you to stay up to date and you will receive annual notifications about your renewal so you are always in compliance. Ask us about monthly specials and deals on combined products for your moving company. Receive help from one of our staff so your company can be both profitable and compliant with all the laws.

We have consistently held up the title of one of the best arbitration certification program in the United States. With this title comes a lot of responsibility toward our customers. We hold arbitrator training programs for all of our new employees. This is one of the ways we ensure quality service for each case we handle. If you would like to know more, watch our video about the arbitration program we provide. Check out Arbitration Request Form.


When it comes to being a business owner, it can be both exciting and overwhelming. There is an opportunity to make lots of money if you run your business correctly but no matter how professional you may be there are always problems that can come up along with way.

The Moving Business can lend itself to problems because when it comes to people's homes being uprooted people tend to be more irritable and the moving of a large volume of things over long haul distances leads to many unforeseen factors to arise. Trucking Paperwork. This is why it is important to protect your business against any unexpected events that can occur along the way. In addition to protecting yourself, certain services have now become the law. The Department of Transportation (DOT) now legally requires household goods arbitration programs, especially when you are transporting goods across a state line or even multiple state lines.

A common question is regarding what a household goods arbitration program is and how binding is it. Well any company that is a transporter of household goods needs to have a way to legally deal with any disputes that may arise between a company and a client. Either the company or the client can ask for the use of the arbitration services that are in place, so basically, arbitration services are ways to settle disputes outside of a courtroom. An arbitrator (s) is a neutral third party that can settle a dispute and help the two parties come to an agreement. The arbitrator also determines what each party has to pay for services but legally the shipper cannot pay more than 50% of the costs. Also if the client asks to go to Arbitration, the mover is legally bound to go for claims of $10,000 or less. The arbitrator must reach a decision within 60 days and their decision can include any remedies to the dispute they deem appropriate. That 60-day period can be extended if the mover does not provide the needed information on time or in a clear and concise manner. Check out Movers Arbitration.

Make sure that your moving company is in compliance with the law, and has purchased an arbitration program as well as presented a brochure outlining your program is presented to the client before starting any moving job.

Knowing the law will make sure you have a successful business, and keeping up to date with all the current laws of the DOT is the best way to ensure your business is running smoothly for years to come.

5. Moving Season is Among Us



The summer moving season is about to heat up in the next few weeks.For all of the moving companies and potential moving companies out there this means a boom in business from May-September.

On average, 1.6 million Americans uproot their homes and move state to state, making this nation look like a giant game of musical chairs. Moving Authority offers services for Moving Companies such as custom Tariffs and Arbitration. This way you and your company can have one less thing to worry about. Check out Arbitration Program Protection.


6. Importance of Being Compliant With the Law



Because of this heightened time for business, it's important for existing moving companies to be compliant. Starting A Trucking Company Successfully. Entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of this time season to start their own moving business are compliant with all the laws and regulations to make for smooth driving. instead of going down the rocky road of non-compliant paperwork and legality issues.

7. Arbitration



Movers Arbitration services are legally required by the Department of Transportation. These services provide both the moving company and the client an arbitrator (or mediator) that can help settle any disputes outside of court. This basically means instead of having to go to small claims court. Moving Authority offers Arbitration packages for only $185.95 a year, and we make sure to notify you when you need to renew to make sure your company is always compliant with the law. For more information visit Arbitration after selling.

8. Tariffs

Tariffs for household goods packages are made easy with the amazing services that Moving Authority offers moving companies the ability to build custom packages that fit every company’s exact needs.

9. Moving Authority

Moving Authority’s goal is to make sure the moving business strives to maintain a high level of standards by providing companies the legal help and compliant paperwork to make sure they can get out from under the red tape and back on the road. For further details visit Arbitration Dispute Settlement Brochure.


Arbitration Program Cost Details





The basic fees of participating in an arbitration program are part of the Arbitration dues that you pay annually. There are other fees associated with processing an arbitration request. Arbitration requests cost $25 a piece for five or less requests; with the first request is free of charge. Processing 6-29 requests is $20 each, and it is $15 for each additional request. The counts refresh on January first of each year. In addition to the Moving Authority Association fees, FORUM (the national forum for arbitration) charges administrative fees for each case. The cost for services will be broken down as follows:

To promote the use of arbitration programs, the consumer will always pay a smaller amount than the carrier.

The arbitration agency can choose to revise the fees associated with requesting arbitration, based on the specific case.

Get arbitration program now