Two public databases exist specifically to help you check a moving company’s credentials before you hand over a deposit. The California Public Utilities Commission database covers movers operating within the state.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database covers companies authorized to move goods across state lines. A licensed moving company will have verifiable numbers in both, not just names on a website. Checking takes less than ten minutes. Here is how to do it.
Why License Verification Matters Before You Book
California has a genuine problem with unlicensed movers. Some run under a professional-sounding name with a clean website and no permit behind it. Others are brokers who take your booking and pass it to a third party without telling you. In either case, if something goes wrong, you have no real recourse.
A licensed mover holds a permit tied to a public record. If they damage your belongings, fail to show, or bill more than the written estimate, there is a filing path through a state agency. Without that permit, that path does not exist.
What Is a California PUC Number and Who Needs One?
The California Public Utilities Commission licenses and regulates every moving company operating within the state. A legal mover must hold a CPUC Motor Carrier Permit identified by a CAL MTR number. This is not a general business license. A company can be legally incorporated without holding a moving permit. The CAL MTR number is the specific authorization to transport household goods or commercial freight within California.
How to Look Up a Mover’s California PUC License
Go to cpuc.ca.gov and use the carrier search tool. Search by company name or by the CAL MTR number the mover gives you. The result shows the license status and the name under which the permit is registered.
Check two things: the status should be active, and the name on the permit should match the name of the company you are talking to. An expired or suspended permit means they are not currently authorized to operate. A name mismatch is worth asking about directly before you commit to anything.
Maison Moving’s CAL MTR number is 0190726. It has been active since the company started operating in Southern California in 1984. You can look it up at cpuc.ca.gov any time.
What Is a USDOT Number and When Does It Apply?
The USDOT number is issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and is required for any company that moves goods across state lines. Moving from Tustin to Arizona, Nevada, or Texas requires the company to have active interstate authority, either under its own USDOT registration or through an authorized agent relationship with a federally licensed carrier.
A company holding only a California CPUC permit cannot legally haul your belongings out of state. If the move is long-distance, ask for the USDOT number before you sign anything.
How to Verify a USDOT Number
Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov and run the company search. Enter the name or USDOT number and look for “Authorized for Hire” under the operating authority section. Check the safety rating and any out-of-service incidents while you are there.
If the company cannot give you a USDOT number when you ask, they either lack interstate authority or they are passing your move to someone else who holds it. Either way, you should know that before you sign.
What to Do If a Mover Cannot Produce Their License Numbers
Ask plainly: Can you give me your CAL MTR number and your USDOT number? A legitimate, full-service operator answers that question without hesitation. If the response is evasive or the numbers do not match those in the public database, stop.
Do not pay a deposit. Do not sign anything. Call a different company.
Our Credentials at Maison Moving
Maison Moving is licensed under CAL MTR# 0190726 and has been active since 1984. Verify it at cpuc.ca.gov whenever you want.
For moves out of California, Maison Moving operates as an authorized agent of National Van Lines, which carries the federal interstate authority for all out-of-state hauls. You deal with the Maison Moving team directly from quote to delivery, backed by a national carrier network. The company holds a B+ BBB rating, is a member of the California Moving and Storage Association, and has completed more than 60,000 moves over the past 40 years.
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