Questions to Ask Before Hiring Movers in Las Vegas

Yes, and you can verify it yourself before you book. Movers operating in Nevada should be able to provide a USDOT number and, depending on the scope of their operation, an MC (motor carrier) number. You can look up a company's operating status directly through the FMCSA's SAFER system using their USDOT number. Ask for the company's USDOT number directly and check it. A legitimate company will give it to you without hesitation. Reluctance to share this, or a company that can't tell you their own number, is one of the clearest red flags in the entire vetting process.

Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and confirm what it actually covers. A COI shows liability insurance is in place, but ask specifically whether it covers your belongings during transport, not just general liability for the crew being on your property. If you're moving into a high-rise or gated community, you'll need this document anyway for building or HOA requirements, see our [high-rise guide](/blog/las-vegas-high-rise-condo-moving-guide) and [HOA guide](/blog/las-vegas-hoa-gated-community-moving-guide) for what those specifically require. Don't accept "we're insured" as an answer on its own. Ask for the document.

A reasonable deposit tied to a signed written agreement is normal. A large deposit requested before you've seen anything in writing is not. Legitimate movers typically don't require full payment upfront, and any deposit should be clearly stated in a written agreement that also spells out your total estimated cost, crew size, and cancellation terms. If a company is pushing for a large cash deposit before providing any paperwork, or won't provide a written agreement at all, treat that as a reason to keep looking.

Ask directly, this affects accountability if something goes wrong. Some moving companies operate with an in-house, W2 crew; others broker the job out to subcontracted labor, sometimes booked the same week as your move. Neither model is automatically bad, but you should know which one you're getting, because it changes who's actually accountable if your move goes poorly, the company you booked with, or a subcontractor they hired who you've never spoken to. A company that's vague or evasive about this question, or that won't tell you who's actually showing up on move day, is worth a second look.

Ask for reviews you can actually verify, not just a number they tell you. Coyotes Moving has 800+ 5-star reviews across our review platforms, but the point isn't the number a company quotes you, it's whether you can go look at real reviews yourself, tied to real names and real move dates, on a platform you trust (Google, Yelp, BBB). Be cautious of a company whose only reviews are on their own website with no way to verify them elsewhere, or a company with a suspiciously small number of reviews relative to how long they claim to have been in business.

Ask what the claims process looks like before your move, not after. A legitimate mover should be able to explain, in plain terms, how to report an issue, what documentation you'll need, and roughly how long a claim takes to resolve. If a company can't answer this clearly, or brushes off the question, that's a sign of how they'll handle it if it actually happens.

Get your quote in writing before move day, including crew size, hourly rate or estimate basis, and minimum hours. A verbal quote with nothing in writing isn't something you can hold anyone to.