How Does Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Affect Your Relocation Experience?

The US Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a primary mission to prevent all kinds of commercial and motor vehicle-related injuries and fatalities. But, when it comes to long-distance moving, they can help you protect your entire move by helping you learn your rights and responsibilities and valuable tips for a successful move. They offer plenty of helpful information on avoiding scammers and fraud during relocation.

What Is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and What Is Their Mission?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was established within the US Department of Transportation more than twenty years ago in order to ensure security in motor carrier operations. They search and target commercial motor vehicle drivers and high-risk carriers and help them improve their technologies by giving important answers.

In order to accomplish all of these tasks, the agency – FMCSA works with federal, state, and local enforcement agencies, as well as the motor carrier industry. In simple terms, they help drivers, trucks, bus companies, and other carriers to learn how to share the road safely, move safely, and arrive at their destination successfully without possible damage.

The Short History of the FMCSA

The FMCSA was established as a separate agency on January 1st, 2000, within the US Department of Transportation, also known as DOT. The agency is headquartered in Washington DC and employs over a thousand people in all fifty states, including the District of Columbia. Before the DOT was established in 1966, there was an agency responsible for trucking industry security regulations for three decades called the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Today, the FMCSA continues to promote safe transport in order to prevent commercial motor vehicle accidents. One of the most recent initiatives from the agency was the Clearinghouse, a system that does the search and tracks commercial driver’s licenses as well as drug and alcohol testing program violations. If you wish to learn more about this agency, watch the video below.

Learning About the Safeness Regulations When Moving Across the Country Is a Necessary Step

Suppose you are currently preparing to relocate to a new state. In that case, you are probably eager to find all the possible information you need, including relocating hacks and numerous long-distance relocating tips. Especially if you are relocating for the first time in your life, you want to know as much as you can about relocations in order to prepare well for the process and organize your move in the best way possible.

However, it’s one thing to read about packing tips for relocating, learning about the best packaging materials, and informing yourself about the security of you and your belongings during the move. The one thing that must not be overlooked is the importance of staying safe when relocating to a new home.

Before Hiring a Relocation Company, You Should Get in Touch With the FMCSA

One of the most important tasks on your relocating to-do list should be getting in touch with the FMCSA. Every proper relocating guide will direct you to inform yourself about all the important security regulations through the mentioned agency. They will help you learn about your rights and responsibilities in order to understand your legal rights.

Hiring cross-country moving services comes with a lot of legal issues, contracts, and signing documents, so it’s important to know exactly what these service companies can get for you. They will also provide you with plenty of safeguards for your move, so your move goes smoothly and stress-free relocating. The FMCSA will help you learn all about:

• Company safeness data,
• Certification,
• Driver safeness,
• Carrier safeness,
• Hazardous materials,
• Reporting violation,
• Coercion/Harassment.

The Agency Will Help You Learn How to Prepare for Your Move Adequately

One of the crucial steps in preparing for a move is choosing the right relocating company. Staying safe and avoiding relocating scams when changing states can be pretty hard when you don’t know a lot about the procedures of relocating and you’re not sure what to expect from your long-distance movers. This is why the agency can help you learn all about your legal rights and how to ensure the relocation company is legitimate and whether you should hire them or not.

On Their Official Website, You Will Find Helpful Resources and Tools on How to Spot Scamming Companies

Spotting a scamming company is hard if you are not sure how a legitimate company is supposed to act. If you are preparing a list for relocating for the first time, remember to include learning about some red flags that you should be aware of when searching for a company.

On the official site of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry, you can find all the useful pieces of information about a company you seek to hire.

The federal government, governments of the states, and local law enforcement agencies do all they can to help combat relocating frauds, but you also must do your part by researching the company on your own.

You Will Understand Everything You Need to Know About Liability and Protection During Your Move

Working with a professional relocation company can be quite nerve-racking, especially when you have to let strangers handle your entire household inventory and all of your precious possessions. But, in order to make it less stressful, the agency can help you learn how to prepare yourself for movers by learning all the important stuff about liability and the protection of your personal belongings.

Learning to Choose Between Full Value Protection and Released Value Protection

Under federal law, interstate movers are obligated to offer you two different liability options of valuation coverage, also known as Full Value Protection and Released Value. The agency will help you understand your rights and responsibilities, as well as the obligations of the professionals you are hiring.

Getting insurance is one of the most important tasks in order to protect yourself well, but it’s important to know that you’re choosing the right type of insurance. Because every state has its own rules and regulations, the FMCSA will help you understand some issues you should be aware of. This way, you will ensure that all of your stuff which was packed in a relocation truck through professional service, arrives safely at your future home.

When Shipping a Car, FMCSA and Department of Motor Vehicles Are Unavoidable Partners

In the past years, the agency has received quite a dramatic rise in complaints against car shipping companies and auto transporters. Because cars are usually one of the priciest items people own, it requires caution when choosing who you are going to hire. It is quite an important task to understand the difference between auto transporters and auto brokers.

Staying safe between these two parties when shipping a car cross country is not an easy task. Luckily the Administration and DMV can help you figure out everything you should know about car transportation. Both auto brokers and transporters are required to be registered with the FMCSA and a unique six-digit “MC Docket” number.

Auto transporters must also be issued with a seven-digit “USDOT” number, so you can check the validity of any transporter or broker by doing research on their licenses. Car shipping has plenty of benefits, and you should not be scared of working with certain service companies just because there are some fraudulent ones. Every unpleasant situation can be avoided if you search well, inform and educate yourself.

Even With All the Precautions During the Move – Don’t Hesitate to Contact the Federal Agency

Once your relocation is over, you must check your inventory list before you start unpacking in order to ensure that all your belongings have safely arrived at your home. In case you realize that some of your belongings are missing or broken or you have been charged more than it was said at the beginning – it is quite possible that you have been scammed.

This is when you should immediately contact the government and the Administration in order to get help and helpful instructions. You can do certain things, such as referring to your mover’s dispute settlement program and filing a claim for lost or damaged goods, depending on the type of problem you’re dealing with.

On Their Site, You Can Find a Contact From Which You Will Receive Useful Feedback

Even though FMCSA does not have the authority to resolve claims against companies, you will get useful help once you contact them to file a complaint. The government agency deals with problems like this all the time, and plenty of people come each day with similar problems. Some usual advice you will get for fighting fraud is contacting local authorities.

Staying Safe Should Be Your Number One Priority When Relocating to Another State

When organizing your move, it’s easy to get caught up in the euphoria of relocating to a different city and starting a new chapter in your life. This way, you might easily forget about some crucial things like your protection and security.

Staying safe during a move should be your number one priority, especially when you’re hiring relocating services and paying other people for packing services or maybe car transportation. Remember that getting proper relocating insurance is essential and that your best friend during a move should be the Federal Administration. Good luck!