How do you file a damage claim, and where, for a local versus interstate move?

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A damage claim is a written request to the moving company to pay for loss or damage to your shipment, and it is filed with the carrier that moved you, not with a regulator. A phone call asking for money is not a filed claim. The path and the timing differ between a Georgia local move and an interstate move, so it helps to know which one you made before you start.

What a claim actually is

A claim is a document. It identifies the shipment, lists the items lost or damaged, states their value, and asks the carrier to repair, replace, or settle. It goes to the mover because the mover is the party liable under the contract, the bill of lading. A complaint to a state or federal agency is a separate act for a separate purpose; the claim is how you ask to be made whole, and it lives with the company that did the move.

Interstate moves: the FMCSA path

For a move that crossed a state line, federal rules set the process. The basic path is straightforward:

  • Request the company’s claim form from the mover.
  • Complete it in writing, listing each damaged or lost item, an estimated value, and the bill of lading number.
  • Attach supporting material, photographs and your inventory help.
  • File it in writing with the carrier within 9 months of delivery.

Once you file, the federal clock runs on the mover. It must acknowledge your claim within 30 days and must deny it or make a settlement offer within 120 days. Interstate movers must also offer arbitration as a way to resolve a dispute that does not settle directly. Filing earlier than the deadline is wise, but the 9-month window is the outer limit for an interstate claim.

Local moves: the Georgia DPS path

For a move that stayed inside Georgia, the claim is governed by state rules under the Department of Public Safety. The structure is similar but the timing is different. You generally submit a written claim to the carrier within 90 days of delivery, and the carrier is expected to resolve it; DPS has authority to require a carrier to handle a claim to a conclusion within 90 days after it is filed. The claim still goes to the mover first, in writing.

Keep the claim and the complaint separate

These two channels are not interchangeable. The claim asks the carrier to pay. If the carrier ignores the claim, denies it unfairly, or the company is acting in bad faith, that is when a complaint to the regulator comes in, DPS for an in-state move, FMCSA for an interstate one. Filing a claim with the carrier does not bar you from complaining to the agency, and complaining to the agency does not replace filing the claim.

Before you file

Whichever path applies, document first. Note damage on the delivery paperwork before signing, photograph it, and keep your inventory and bill of lading. Then put the claim in writing to the carrier, on its form if it has one, and send it within your window, 9 months for interstate, 90 days for a Georgia local move. File in writing with the carrier, keep a copy of everything, and the claim has a record behind it from the start.

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