FMCSA to Crack Down on Household Mover Scams
It has been established through numerous regulations in the past that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) provides not only physical safety to its constituents, but also financial safety. The FMCSA took this one step further when it announced on May 20th a new program to crack down on scams relating to the interstate transport of household goods.
Details
The FMCSA calls the enforcement arm against these actions Operation Protect Your Move.
“Americans deserve a fair deal when they move into a new home—and we’re cracking down on moving companies that hold people’s possessions hostage,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This initiative will build on last year’s progress holding scammers accountable and is another example of the measures the Biden administration is taking to better protect consumers.”
The FMCSA’s Acting Deputy Director Sue Lawless had similar comments. “We take our consumer protection role seriously and aim to help educate and protect those who may be moving their household goods from one state to another. We are committed to this work, and we are putting forth even more resources to make a greater impact, including increasing the number of HHG investigators on staff and establishing additional partnerships with state attorneys general offices.”
The FMCSA plans to forward any particularly egregious performers of such fraud to the Department of Justice.
Conclusion
The FMCSA is using consumer complaints as well as direct FMCSA violations in its decision to start putting its thumb on the scale for removing particular moving companies’ licenses and driving Authorities. The only advice we can really give to all the moving companies out there is to drive safely; while you cannot control unruly customers from giving a bad one-sided review and crying scam even when it is invalid, drivers are almost always in control of their FMCSA violations. As long as the company keeps a solid rapsheet of safety, the chances of being put on Operation Protect Your Move’s radar stays slim.
You can read the announcement from the FMCSA about Operation Protect Your Move on the relevant webpage.
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