Choose the route first. Then fill in every bracketed field and delete the brackets before you send anything. A complaint reports a rule violation; a claim asks the mover for money for lost or damaged goods. They go to different places.

Where each route accepts the text

Route by problem
Problem	Route	How it accepts the text
Interstate mover or broker broke a rule	FMCSA Complaint Center	Online form with a details field and a place to upload the estimate, bill of lading and inventory. Phone at 1-888-368-7238, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday (FMCSA).
In-state mover broke a rule	The regulator or attorney general listed on your state page	Each office uses its own complaint form, email address or mailing address. Open the link on the state page and use the method that office publishes (USAGov).
A scam, by a mover of any kind	ReportFraud.ftc.gov	Online form. Paste the same narrative you wrote for the complaint (FTC).
Lost or damaged goods	The moving company	A letter or the company's claim form. The claim must be in writing within nine months of delivery; the company's form is optional (FMCSA).
The mover's offer is too low	The mover's arbitration program, then court	Submit the same claim with the mover's dispute settlement program. For a claim of $10,000 or less, the mover must agree to arbitration if you ask (49 CFR 375.211).

Fields to collect first

Your name, mailing address, phone and email.
The mover's legal name as it appears on the estimate, plus its address and phone.
USDOT and MC numbers, and the state credential name and number if your state issues one.
Pickup and delivery dates, and the full origin and destination addresses.
The estimate amount and whether it was binding or non-binding.
The bill of lading number and the inventory page numbers for each item.
Photos, receipts, repair estimates and any written messages with the company.

The license check walkthrough shows where to find the company's identifiers. The complaint guide explains what each office can and cannot do.

Template 1: complaint narrative

Use this for the FMCSA Complaint Center, a state regulator, a state attorney general or the FTC. Paste it into the form's description field or send it as the body of a letter. Attach the estimate, bill of lading and inventory pages where the route allows uploads.

To: [FMCSA Complaint Center / state regulator / state attorney general]
From: [YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR PHONE] | [YOUR EMAIL]

Company: [LEGAL NAME ON THE ESTIMATE]
Company address: [ADDRESS FROM THE ESTIMATE OR WEBSITE]
Company phone: [PHONE]
USDOT number: [NUMBER, IF ANY]
MC number: [NUMBER, IF ANY]
State credential: [NAME AND NUMBER, IF THE STATE ISSUES ONE]

Move origin: [STREET, CITY, STATE, ZIP]
Move destination: [STREET, CITY, STATE, ZIP]
Date of pickup: [DATE]
Date of delivery: [DATE]
Estimate: [BINDING / NON-BINDING], [AMOUNT]
Bill of lading number: [NUMBER]

What happened, in order:
[DATE] - [WHAT THE COMPANY DID OR SAID]
[DATE] - [WHAT THE COMPANY DID OR SAID]
[DATE] - [WHAT YOU PAID AND WHAT YOU WERE TOLD IT COVERED]

What I want the agency to review:
[THE RULE YOU BELIEVE WAS BROKEN, FOR EXAMPLE THE AMOUNT
COLLECTED AT DELIVERY OR A REFUSAL TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED
FEDERAL BOOKLET]

Documents attached: [ESTIMATE] [BILL OF LADING] [INVENTORY]
[PHOTOS] [RECEIPTS] [OTHER]

I certify that the statements above are true to the best of my knowledge.

Signed: [YOUR NAME]
Date: [DATE]

Template 2: written loss or damage claim

Send this to the moving company, not to a regulator. Federal rules require the claim to identify the shipment, assert the mover's liability and state a specific or determinable amount (49 CFR 370.3). Send it by a method that gives you proof of delivery; FMCSA suggests certified mail (FMCSA).

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR PHONE] | [YOUR EMAIL]

[DATE]

[LEGAL NAME OF THE MOVING COMPANY]
[COMPANY ADDRESS]
[COMPANY EMAIL OR FAX, IF THE BILL OF LADING LISTS ONE]

RE: Written claim for loss or damage
Bill of lading number: [NUMBER]
Move dates: [PICKUP DATE] to [DELIVERY DATE]
Origin: [ADDRESS]
Destination: [ADDRESS]

I am filing a written claim for loss or damage to the shipment
identified above.

1. Shipment. The shipment moved under bill of lading [NUMBER],
   from [ORIGIN] to [DESTINATION], delivered on [DATE].

2. Liability. I believe [COMPANY NAME] is liable for the loss or
   damage described below. The items were [LOST / DAMAGED /
   DELAYED] while in the company's custody.

3. Items and amounts.
   Inventory no. [NUMBER] - [ITEM] - [WHAT HAPPENED] - $[AMOUNT]
   Inventory no. [NUMBER] - [ITEM] - [WHAT HAPPENED] - $[AMOUNT]

4. Amount claimed. $[TOTAL AMOUNT], calculated from the
   [REPLACEMENT COST / REPAIR ESTIMATE ] of each item, less any
   amount already paid.

5. Attachments. [BILL OF LADING] [INVENTORY PAGES]
   [PHOTOS] [REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT ESTIMATES] [RECEIPTS]

Please acknowledge this claim in writing and tell me what further
information you need.

Signed: [YOUR NAME]
Date: [DATE]

What happens after you send

The mover must acknowledge a written claim within 30 days, unless it has already paid or denied it in writing (49 CFR 370.5).
The mover must pay, deny or make a firm settlement offer within 120 days, or explain the delay in writing every 60 days after that (49 CFR 370.9).
FMCSA does not resolve claims for money. It uses complaints in deciding which companies to investigate (FMCSA).
Do not sign a delivery receipt or release that gives up your right to claim. Federal rules bar that language on delivery receipts (liability guide).

Sources

FMCSA Complaint Center , Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
File a Moving Fraud Complaint , Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
What if there are problems? , Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
49 CFR 375.211, arbitration program , Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
49 CFR Part 370, loss and damage claims , Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
State attorneys general , USAGov
Avoid scams when you hire a moving company , Federal Trade Commission
ReportFraud.ftc.gov , Federal Trade Commission

Complaint and damage-claim templates