If your movers never showed up, document the no-show immediately, contact the company in writing rather than by phone, dispute any deposit with your credit card issuer, and file at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov against both the carrier and any broker involved. A no-show is different from a delay, and the difference matters for what you do next.
This is one of the worst moments in a move, because you are usually out of your old home with a deadline and nothing to load your belongings into. Here is the order to work in.
First, work out which situation you are in
| What happened | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Running late, still answering the phone | Operational delay. Annoying, usually resolves |
| Rescheduled to another day | Capacity problem. Get the new date in writing |
| Not answering, no explanation | Serious. Start documenting now |
| You booked a broker and no carrier was assigned | Common failure point. File against both |
| Phone disconnected, company unreachable | Treat as a disappearance |
The broker case is worth understanding. Brokers do not own trucks. They sell your job to a carrier. If no carrier accepted it, there was never a truck coming, and the broker knew before you did.
Do these today
1. Document the no-show
Photograph the empty driveway with a timestamp. Note the agreed pickup date and window from your order for service or bill of lading. Log every call you made, with times.
This sounds excessive at the time. It is what makes a complaint and a chargeback work later.
2. Switch to writing
Send a text or email, not just calls. State the agreed date, that nobody arrived, and ask for a written explanation and a firm new date by a specific time.
You want a dated record. Phone calls leave nothing behind, which is exactly why struggling operators prefer them.
3. Start the refund immediately
Do not wait to see whether they turn up tomorrow. If you paid a deposit by credit card, open a dispute on the grounds of services not rendered. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act you generally have 60 days from the statement containing the charge.
You can always withdraw a dispute if they perform. You cannot recover a window that closed.
If you paid by check and it has not cleared, call your bank about a stop payment today.
4. Find another mover, carefully
You are now under time pressure, which is exactly when people get scammed twice. Take the five minutes anyway: get the USDOT number, check it at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov for active status, insurance on file, and household goods authority, and ask directly whether they are a broker or a carrier.
Be wary of anyone who can start immediately at a suspiciously good price. Legitimate carriers are usually booked.
5. File the complaints
nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov, against the carrier and the broker separately if both were involved. They are separate registered entities with separate records.
Then your state Attorney General’s consumer protection division. Taking money and failing to perform is a deceptive trade practice.
Can I recover what the no-show cost me?
Possibly, and it is worth understanding how this works.
If a mover fails to perform on the agreed date and you incur expenses you would not otherwise have had, such as hotel nights, meals, storage, or truck rental, you may be able to claim them.
Be clear-eyed about the route. FMCSA states plainly that it has no authority to order a mover to pay such claims. If the company refuses, your remedy is a civil action.
Keep every receipt from the disruption. Hotel, food, rental, storage, the lot. Without receipts there is nothing to claim.
One thing worth doing before you ever book: ask what compensation a company offers if it delays or fails to provide service through its own fault, and get the answer in writing.
If the company has vanished entirely
Different situation, different approach.
Start with the USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov to get the legal entity name and address on file, which is often nothing like the brand you hired. Then search your state’s corporate records for the registered agent, who is legally required to accept legal documents.
If they took a deposit and disappeared, that is closer to fraud than to a service failure. File a police report as well as the FMCSA and Attorney General complaints.
How to reduce the risk next time
- Confirm in writing 48 hours before. Ask for the crew’s arrival window and, if you booked a broker, the assigned carrier’s name and USDOT number
- Verify that carrier yourself at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov before the day
- Avoid large deposits, and pay by credit card when you do pay
- Do not cancel your backup options until the booking is fully documented
- Ask about their no-show policy in writing before you sign
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if my movers never showed up?
Document the no-show with timestamps, contact the company in writing rather than by phone, start a credit card dispute on any deposit, book a verified replacement carrier, and file complaints at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov and with your state Attorney General.
Can I get compensation if movers do not show up?
You may be able to claim expenses you would not otherwise have incurred, such as hotel and storage costs. FMCSA cannot order a mover to pay such claims, so if they refuse your route is a civil action. Keep all receipts.
Why did no truck arrive when I booked through a broker?
Brokers do not own trucks; they sell your job to a carrier. If no carrier accepted the job, no truck was ever scheduled. File complaints against the broker and the carrier separately.
Should I wait a day before doing anything?
Document and write to them today, and open any card dispute today, because time limits run. You can withdraw a dispute if they perform, but you cannot reopen a window that has closed.
What if the moving company has disappeared?
Use the USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov to find the legal entity, then search state corporate records for the registered agent. If a deposit was taken, file a police report alongside your FMCSA and Attorney General complaints.
Related reading
- Should you pay a moving deposit?
- How to dispute the charges and get your money back
- How to track down a mover that stopped answering
- Moving broker or carrier: how to tell the difference
- How to file a complaint with the FMCSA
Get the full playbook
Moving Scam Secrets is the complete field guide, written from twenty years inside the industry. It covers the verification steps that stop a bad move before it starts, the documentation that wins claims, and the pressure points that get moving companies to settle.