Do movers need a license in Tennessee?

A for-hire carrier moving household goods within Tennessee operates under Intrastate Authority from the [Tennessee Department of Revenue](https://www.tn.gov/revenue/motor-carrier/intrastate-authority.html), which requires proof of liability and cargo insurance. A mover that crosses state lines must also be registered with FMCSA and carry a USDOT number. For a move inside [Nashville and Davidson County](/nashville/), the state authority is the one to ask about.

Does homeowners insurance cover damage caused by movers?

Generally no. The [Insurance Information Institute](https://www.iii.org/article/getting-the-right-insurance-coverage-for-moving) notes that homeowner’s and renter’s policies cover belongings in transit and in storage but not damage done while movers are handling them. That damage is settled under the valuation level in your moving contract, so choose it deliberately.

How do I check whether a moving company is insured?

Ask for a certificate of insurance and read which coverages it lists: auto liability, workers’ compensation and cargo, with the limits. For interstate movers, the [FMCSA mover search](https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg/search.asp) also shows registration status and authority type. You can ask us for the same papers when you request [a free written estimate](/contact/).

What Licensed and Insured Movers Means in Tennessee

October 8, 2026 · by Michael Blair, Nashville's Mover

Licensed and insured is printed on nearly every moving truck in Middle Tennessee, and on its own it tells you very little. Licensed by whom depends on whether the move stays inside the state or crosses a state line. Insured can mean coverage for the truck on the road, for the crew carrying your dresser down the stairs, or for the cargo, and none of those is the same as what the mover owes you when a lamp arrives in pieces. Here is what each part means for a household move out of Nashville, and how to check us or anyone else before the truck is booked. If you want the short version for a move across town, our local moving page covers how we run one.

Licensed means a state or a federal registration

For a move that starts and ends in Tennessee, the registration is Intrastate Authority, issued by the Department of Revenue, not by the Public Utility Commission as many people assume. The Tennessee Department of Revenue’s Intrastate Authority page describes it as what lets a for-hire carrier use the state’s public highways to haul property in intrastate commerce. A new applicant files through the state’s TNTAP system with a designated agent for legal papers and proof of insurance on two forms: Form E for liability and Form H for cargo, which the state requires of carriers hauling household goods.

Once the move crosses a state line, the regulator is federal. An interstate mover is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and carries a USDOT number. The federal moving booklet, published as 49 CFR Part 375, Appendix A on the eCFR, tells shoppers to avoid brokers and movers not registered with FMCSA, and requires the bill of lading to show the mover’s name as registered and the USDOT numbers of every carrier on the job. Nashville to Murfreesboro is an in-state move; Nashville to Atlanta is an interstate one, and our long-distance moving page explains how that changes the paperwork.

Insured covers the truck, the crew and the cargo separately

The first policy is liability for the truck on the road, the coverage that answers if it hits a car or a mailbox. For interstate work, 49 CFR 387.9 on the eCFR sets the floor for a for-hire carrier hauling nonhazardous property in a vehicle rated at 10,001 pounds or more at $750,000 in public liability. In-state, the Form E filing is the state’s proof that this coverage is in place.

The second is workers’ compensation for the crew. A piano on a narrow staircase or a sleeper sofa going down a split-level’s half flight is where moving injuries happen, and the policy that answers for a hurt crew member belongs on the company’s certificate of insurance, not on yours. Ask to see it named there.

The third is cargo coverage, which protects the mover when goods are lost or damaged in its care. The federal rule that once set a household goods cargo minimum, 49 CFR 387.303 on the eCFR, carries a note that it was suspended indefinitely, so there is no enforced federal number to lean on. Ask the mover what its cargo limit is and get it on paper.

What the mover owes you is set by valuation, not by its insurance

The mover’s cargo policy backs the company. What you are paid for a broken table is decided by the level of liability written into your contract. Under the federal booklet for interstate moves, Full Value Protection is the level you get unless you waive it in writing, and it means the mover repairs, replaces or pays for the item. If you waive it, you are on released value, under which the mover is liable for no more than 60 cents per pound, per article. The booklet’s own example is a 10-pound stereo component worth $1,000 that would bring no more than $6.00.

That is the whole problem with light, expensive things in a truck. We go through the two levels, the deductibles and the items you need to declare in what moving coverage actually pays, so read that before you sign anything that asks you to choose.

Your homeowner’s policy, and checking any mover

A homeowner’s or renter’s policy is not the backstop many people think it is. The Insurance Information Institute’s guide to moving coverage says those policies cover belongings at your residence, in transit and in storage, but will not pay for damage done while the movers are handling them. Breakage by the crew falls back to the mover’s valuation, which is why the level you choose matters.

For any interstate mover, the FMCSA mover search looks up a company by name, USDOT number or MC number and shows its registration status, authority type and complaints. It lists only interstate movers, so a company that works only inside Tennessee may not appear there. For in-state work, ask for the company’s Intrastate Authority and a certificate of insurance; we have not found a public search for in-state authority on the Department of Revenue’s site. Ask us for every item below before you book, the same as you would anyone else, and see checking a moving company before you book for the rest of the vetting.

Interstate: the USDOT number, checked in the FMCSA mover search
In-state: Tennessee Intrastate Authority from the Department of Revenue
A certificate of insurance showing auto liability, workers’ compensation and cargo
The valuation level in writing on the estimate and the bill of lading
The same company name on the paperwork as on the truck

Sources

Tennessee Department of Revenue, Intrastate Authority (Motor Carrier) — In-state authority for for-hire carriers, filed through TNTAP, with Form E liability and Form H cargo required for household goods carriers.
49 CFR Part 375, Appendix A, Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (eCFR) — FMCSA registration and USDOT numbers on the bill of lading; Full Value Protection versus released value at 60 cents per pound per article.
49 CFR 387.9, Financial responsibility, minimum levels (eCFR) — The $750,000 public liability minimum for for-hire interstate carriers of nonhazardous property at 10,001 pounds and up.
49 CFR 387.303, Household goods cargo liability (eCFR) — The federal household goods cargo minimum, noted as suspended indefinitely.
FMCSA, Search Movers — Look up an interstate mover by name, USDOT or MC number; interstate movers only.
Insurance Information Institute, Getting the right insurance coverage for moving — Homeowner and renter policies do not pay for damage done while movers handle belongings.