Every mover wants more leads, and moving lead generation usually means more ads: search ads, social ads, lead sellers, flyers. For interstate household goods movers, every one of those ads has to follow a federal rule. This article explains what the rule says, where your USDOT number and registered name belong, and who the rule covers.
Moving Company SEO is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work. This article is general information, not legal advice.
What the rule says
The rule is in the FMCSA’s household goods regulations, 49 CFR Part 375, at section 375.207. It applies to interstate household goods movers. In its own words: “You and your agents must publish and use only truthful, straightforward, and honest advertisements.” It then requires that all advertisements include two things:
- Your name or trade name, as it appears on the FMCSA document assigning your U.S. DOT number (or the name of the motor carrier under whose operating authority the advertised service will originate).
- Your U.S. DOT number, shown in the form the rule sets: “U.S. DOT No.” followed by the assigned number.
Put simply: if you move households across state lines, federal rules require your USDOT number, and the name you are registered under, in your ads.
Where the number belongs
The rule says all advertisements, for all services, including accessorial services that are part of interstate household goods transportation. Which of the places below count as advertisements for your company is a question for a lawyer; the cautious habit is to check every place your company is promoted and make sure the registered name and the number are there:
- Search ads and their landing pages.
- Facebook, Instagram and other social ads.
- Your website, especially the long-distance page and the footer every page carries.
- Trucks and trailers.
- Flyers, door hangers, cards and print listings.
- Anything a lead seller or agency publishes for you.
Short ad formats leave little space. Ask a lawyer how the rule applies to each ad format you run, and show the name and number on the page the ad sends people to as well. If you are unsure whether something counts as an advertisement, ask a lawyer too.
“You and your agents”
The rule’s first words matter: “You and your agents”. The duty to publish only truthful, straightforward and honest advertisements is not only yours; the rule names your agents too, and requires you to make your agents include the name and number. Whether an agency or a lead seller counts as one of your agents is a question for a lawyer. Either way, if an agency writes your ads, or a lead seller runs ads that bring customers to you, ask how they show your registered name and number, and check what they publish.
The FTC’s endorsement guides make a similar point about marketing in general: advertising agencies and similar intermediaries may be liable for their roles in creating or spreading endorsements they know or should know are deceptive. You and the people marketing for you share responsibility for what goes out in your name.
Use the registered name everywhere
The rule asks for the name or trade name as on your USDOT registration. That is a good reason to use one name everywhere: the registration, the trucks, the website, the paperwork and your Google Business Profile. Google’s own guidelines say a profile name should reflect the business’s real-world name as used consistently on its storefront, website and stationery. One name, used the same way in every place, keeps both rules simple.
Truthful, straightforward, honest
The other half of the rule is about what the ads say. Claims you cannot back up, prices that are not real, or wording that hides who will do the move all sit badly with “truthful, straightforward, and honest”. Plain ads that say what you do, where you go and how to reach you are safer, and they tend to bring customers who know what they are booking.
A quick checklist
- Find the exact name on your USDOT registration and your U.S. DOT number.
- Check every live ad, landing page and profile for both.
- Add both to your website footer and long-distance page.
- Check your trucks and print materials.
- Ask any agency or lead seller how they show both in ads for you.
- Review new ads before they go live.
A good agency builds this into every campaign from the first day. To get a written proposal from an independent agency that works with movers, send the form. Asking is free and you never have to hire anyone. For more on paid channels, see Google Ads for moving companies and moving company advertising.
Questions movers ask
Does the USDOT advertising rule apply to local movers?
Section 375.207 is part of the federal rules for interstate household goods movers. Moves within one state can fall under state rules; check yours or ask a lawyer.
Do I need the USDOT number on Google Ads?
The rule says all advertisements must include the registered name and U.S. DOT number. Ask a lawyer how that applies to each ad format, and show both on the landing page as well.
Does the rule cover ads a lead seller runs?
The rule’s words are ‘You and your agents’. Ask anyone advertising for you how they show your registered name and number, and ask a lawyer about your own case.