Verify any mover before you book. Including us.
Every moving horror story starts the same way: nobody checked. California built free public lookups so you can verify any mover from your couch — here's the ten-minute routine, with our own numbers to practice on. If a company fails these checks, no price makes it a deal.
Four checks. Ten minutes. Catches nearly every scam.
Look up the CAL-T permit
Every legal household mover in California holds a CAL-T permit from the state's Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Search the number (ours is CAL T-192729) and confirm the status says Active. No CAL-T, no legal move — full stop.
Pull the USDOT record
Run the USDOT number (ours is 3801918) through the FMCSA's free SAFER database. You'll see operating status, fleet size, and whether the authority is real. A mover who won't give you this number just told you everything.
Ask for proof of insurance
Any legitimate mover can produce a certificate of insurance — cargo and liability — within a business day, and buildings with elevators usually require one anyway. "We're fully insured, trust us" is not a document.
Demand it in writing
A written, itemized Not-to-Exceed quote after a visual survey, from a company with a physical address you could drive to. Phone-only lowball quotes and big cash deposits are how hostage loads start.
Run the checks on Gorilla right now.
State permit — CAL T-192729
Search our number in the Bureau of Household Goods and Services lookup and confirm the permit is Active. Open the state mover search
Federal record — USDOT 3801918
This link opens our carrier snapshot directly in the FMCSA's SAFER database — operating status, authority, all public. Open our SAFER snapshot
Insurance — ask us for the COI
Call 619.600.5000 or use the contact page and ask for a certificate of insurance. Building managers get COIs from us the same day — yours takes one request.
The address test
Our warehouse is in Miramar and you're welcome to drive by — trucks, crews, the whole operation. Read what 289 customers say on our reviews page, then compare anyone else against the same bar.
Six warning signs. Any one is enough to walk.
The phone-only lowball
A price hundreds below everyone else, quoted in five minutes with no visual survey. It converts to a much bigger number once your things are on their truck.
The big cash deposit
Legitimate movers don't need half the job up front in cash or Zelle. A modest card deposit with a receipt is normal; "cash only, today" is not.
No written maximum
California movers must give you a written Not-to-Exceed price. A company that keeps the total vague until move day is keeping it vague on purpose.
No address you can visit
A real moving company has a warehouse and trucks with its name on them. If the only address is a P.O. box or a rented mailbox, your stuff has nowhere traceable to go.
Numbers that don't check out
License numbers missing from ads, or a CAL-T that comes back revoked, expired, or belonging to a different company. Two minutes on the state lookup catches all of it.
The broker in disguise
Some "movers" are brokers who auction your move to whoever bids. Ask directly: whose employees load the truck? If the answer is fuzzy, the crew will be too.
What California law guarantees you.
A written Not-to-Exceed price
The state requires a written maximum before your move. Your final bill can come in under it — never over it. Any quote without one isn't a California-legal quote.
Double drive time, explained
CA movers charge double the drive time between your addresses instead of billing the trip back to the warehouse. It's a consumer-protection rule, not a fee — but bad actors bury it and 'surprise' you on the invoice.
A valuation floor
Included released-value protection covers 60¢ per pound per item by law. It's a floor, not real coverage for valuables — which is why we explain full-value options before your move, in writing.
Numbers on everything
The CAL-T number must appear on a mover's ads, website, and trucks. That's what makes the ten-minute check possible — the state designed it so you can catch fakes from your couch.
Asked before booking, answered straight.
How do I verify a moving company license in California?
What if the license record shows a different company name?
What's the difference between a moving company and a broker?
Is a moving company required to give me a written quote?
What should a certificate of insurance show?
We passed your checks. Now let's pass your move.
30-second quote · written & itemized · same-week availability
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