Moving industry know-how
Local, intrastate and interstate moves
The three kinds of move in the moving business, who regulates each, and how MoveBoard tells them apart.
- 2 min read
- Checked against MoveBoard
- For owners & admins, sales
Movers sort every job into one of three kinds. The kind decides how the move is usually priced, which rules apply, and what paperwork the customer gets.
Local moves
A move within a short distance — commonly up to 50–100 miles, inside one state. Local moves are usually priced by the hour (labor plus travel time), with a minimum. The rules come from your state (and sometimes your city): many states license movers and some set tariffs or consumer rules.
Intrastate long distance
A longer move that stays inside one state. Many companies price it like interstate — by weight or volume and distance — but the rules are still the state's. Some states regulate intrastate movers closely (licensing, tariffs, required forms); others hardly at all.
Interstate moves
A move that crosses a state line — however short. For household goods, interstate movers are regulated by the federal FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) under 49 CFR Part 375. That brings:
- A USDOT number and MC operating authority — see FMCSA, USDOT and MC numbers.
- A written estimate, binding or non-binding — see Binding, non-binding and not-to-exceed estimates.
- Required booklets — see "Your Rights and Responsibilities" and "Ready to Move".
- A bill of lading with set contents, weighing on certified scales, delivery spreads, delay notices and claims rules.
Even a 20-mile move from one state into the next is interstate.
In Canada
The words become intraprovincial and interprovincial. There is no federal household-goods code: the provinces set the conditions of carriage. See Moving in Canada.
How MoveBoard decides
For each move type you set three distance ranges — Local (Settings › Services & packing › Local moves), Intrastate and Interstate (Settings › Long distance). MoveBoard measures the distance between the addresses and picks the kind. Switch on Switch to interstate if crossing state lines so any move that leaves your Main State/Province is treated as interstate, as the law sees it. See Long distance in MoveBoard.
Related guides
- Long distanceLong distance in MoveBoardHow MoveBoard decides a move is long distance, how it is priced, and where the delivery is planned — the map of everything long-distance.
- Moving industry know-howFMCSA, USDOT and MC numbersWho the FMCSA is, what a USDOT number and MC operating authority are, when a mover needs them, and where they must appear — including in MoveBoard.
- Moving industry know-howTariffs: mileage, 400N and CWTWhat a moving tariff is, why interstate movers must have one, and how the common kinds — mileage, 400N-style, CWT, cubic-foot and flat — price a shipment.
- OrdersWhen a move becomes long distanceWhat MoveBoard asks when an address change turns a local move into a long-distance one (or back), and what each answer does.
- SettingsIntrastateWhether in-state long-distance moves are offered for each move type, their default estimate type, and the distance range they cover.
- SettingsInterstateWhether out-of-state moves are offered for each move type, their default estimate type, and the distance range they cover.
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