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Short answer: on October 24, 2026, 24 of the 270 companies with a Los Angeles address registered with the federal government to move household goods were cleared to do it: active operating authority plus liability insurance on file. That is 9%, against 15% nationally. Three more had a revocation under way. Before you book a long-distance mover in LA, check the company on our Los Angeles mover check, which reads the federal files live. It takes about two minutes.
Where the numbers come from
Every company that moves household goods across a state line has to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and carry a USDOT number. FMCSA publishes its carrier, census, insurance and revocation registers on data.transportation.gov. Our mover check reads those files each time a page loads.
For this article we counted the same file ourselves on October 24, 2026: every row in FMCSA's carrier authority file with a household-goods registration and a business address in the city, one row per USDOT number. "Cleared" means active authority, liability insurance on file and no revocation pending, which is the same rule the mover check uses. Our count matched the live Los Angeles page exactly. It's a filing, not a recommendation. We haven't rated these companies or watched them pack a box.
| Los Angeles movers on the federal register, October 24, 2026 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Registered to move household goods | 270 |
| Cleared to operate (authority and insurance on file) | 24 |
| Share cleared | 9% (15% nationally: 7,971 of 52,563) |
| Revocation under way | 3 |
| Authority but no liability insurance on file | 1 |
| No active authority | 242 |
| Liability cover on the cleared filings | $750,000 (23 companies) to $1,000,000 (1) |
| Cleared companies with cargo insurance on file too | 21 of 24 |
| Cleared companies running 5 trucks or fewer | 19 of 24 |
| Largest cleared fleet on file | City Moving Inc (trading as Move Happy Acme), 31 trucks |
These numbers move. A company can file new insurance tomorrow, and another can lose its authority next week. Check on the day you book. Don't rely on anything you read months earlier, this article included.
Los Angeles is more than one city on the register
FMCSA files a mover under the city on its business address, not the metro area. A company in the San Fernando Valley shows up as Van Nuys or North Hollywood, not Los Angeles. So if you're comparing quotes across LA County, the mover you're looking at may sit in a different city on the register. Here's what nearby cities looked like on the same day, counted the same way:
| City on the register | Cleared | Registered | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 24 | 270 | 9% |
| Van Nuys | 5 | 93 | 5% |
| North Hollywood | 3 | 46 | 7% |
| Glendale | 3 | 37 | 8% |
| Torrance | 5 | 35 | 14% |
| Long Beach | 2 | 32 | 6% |
| Burbank | 2 | 17 | 12% |
| Pasadena | 0 | 11 | 0% |
| Santa Monica | 0 | 5 | 0% |
The small cities have too few companies for the percentages to mean much. The pattern is the point: across the area, most registrations aren't cleared. Every company has its own page on the mover check, wherever it's filed. Search by USDOT number.
Why are most Los Angeles movers not cleared?
The register doesn't say why, and we won't guess about any one company. In the filing itself, "not cleared" usually means one of these:
- No active authority. That was 242 of the 270 in Los Angeles. The company has a USDOT number but no current permission to carry goods for hire across state lines. Many are old registrations from businesses that stopped trading, changed name or never started.
- No insurance on file. Authority without a current liability filing isn't enough to be cleared (one Los Angeles company).
- A revocation. FMCSA is revoking the authority, often because insurance lapsed or a filing wasn't kept up (three companies).
So a low share doesn't mean 246 bad actors are waiting for you. Much of the register is dead weight. But dead registrations still show up in ads and directories, and a company trading on one can't legally carry your things to another state.
How to check an LA mover before you book
- Ask for their USDOT number. An interstate mover must have one, and it belongs on their website and paperwork. If they won't give it to you, that's your answer.
- Look it up. Put the number into the mover check, or scan the Los Angeles page, where cleared companies are listed first.
- Check the name matches. Many movers trade under a different name from the one on the filing. At least 10 of LA's 24 cleared companies trade under a name clearly different from the legal name on the filing: Bravo Moving, for example, is filed as Salam Trade World LLC. Make sure the USDOT number on your estimate belongs to the company you're talking to.
- Read the whole record. A company page shows authority, insurance, cargo cover, fleet size and any past revocations.
- Ask for the insurance certificate. The register shows that a filing exists; the certificate shows the policy and its limits.
- Get written estimates from at least three movers. That's FMCSA's own advice in its moving checklist.
Moving within California is a different register
FMCSA covers moves that cross a state line. If you're moving from San Diego or the Bay Area to Los Angeles, that's an intrastate move, and California regulates it instead. Household movers working inside California need a permit from the state's Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Ask for that permit number and look it up there. Our mover check reads the federal files only, so it won't show a California-only permit.
What "insured" does and doesn't cover
The liability figure on a mover's federal record ($750,000 for almost every cleared LA company) is the company's own business cover. Your belongings are covered separately, by what FMCSA calls valuation. For an interstate move, the mover must offer you two options: Full Value Protection, where the mover repairs, replaces or pays for lost or damaged items, and Released Value, which costs nothing extra but caps the mover's liability at 60 cents per pound per article. FMCSA's liability guide explains both. Read it before you sign anything that waives Full Value Protection.
Questions people ask
How many movers in Los Angeles are licensed?
On October 24, 2026, 24 of 270 Los Angeles movers on the federal register were cleared, meaning active authority to move household goods plus liability insurance on file. The live figure is on the Los Angeles mover check.
How do I know if a Los Angeles moving company is legitimate?
For a move out of state, look up its USDOT number: it should show active authority and insurance on file. For a move inside California, ask for its permit from the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Then get written estimates and the insurance certificate.
Does a USDOT number mean a mover is licensed?
No. A USDOT number is a registration. To move your household goods across a state line, the company also needs active operating authority and insurance on file. 246 of the 270 Los Angeles registrations lacked one or the other on October 24, 2026.
Why is my mover listed under Van Nuys or Glendale, not Los Angeles?
FMCSA files each company under the city on its business address. Many LA-area movers are filed under neighborhoods and nearby cities such as Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Glendale or Torrance. The record is the same either way; search the mover check by USDOT number.
Is the mover check free?
Yes. It's free for anyone moving, with no sign-up. It reads FMCSA's published files and shows what is filed. Swift Agent Sites doesn't arrange moves.
Before you pick the truck, pick the neighborhood
If Los Angeles is on your list and flooding is on your mind, FloodFireCheck's Los Angeles page shows which neighborhoods flood, from FEMA maps and claims.
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