Practices of Household Goods Brokers

This is an ICR revision. There is a 13,680 annual burden hour increase from the currently approved 72,808 annual burden estimate. The collection of information is mandatory and is for recordkeeping purposes. The Brokers of Household Goods Final Rule (75 FR 72987) requires brokers to obtain a signed and dated receipt from the individual shippers for the “Ready to Move” brochure and the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” pamphlet. Brokers that arrange the transportation of HHG in interstate or foreign commerce for consumers must provide: their U.S. DOT number on their advertisements and Internet Web sites; estimates of expected moving charges and brokerage fees; FMCSA pamphlets containing tips for successful moves and the consumer’s rights and responsibilities; and the broker’s policies concerning deposits, cancellations, and refunds. Brokers must either provide a hyperlink on their Internet website to the FMCSA website containing the brochure and pamphlet in FMCSA’s publications, or brokers must distribute to each shipper and potential shipper at the time they provide an estimate, copies of FMCSA’s publications. If an individual shipper elects to waive physical receipt of the Federal consumer protection information and elects to access the same information via the hyperlink on the Internet then the broker must include a clear and concise statement on the written estimate that the individual shipper expressly agreed to access the Federal consumer protection information on the Internet. The broker must obtain a signed, dated, electronic or paper receipt showing the individual shipper has received both booklets which includes, if applicable, verification of the shipper’s agreement to access the Federal consumer protection information on the Internet. The broker must maintain the signed receipt for three years from the date the individual shipper signs the receipt. The collected information assists shippers in their commercial dealings with interstate brokers. The collection of information is used by prospective shippers to make informed decisions about contracts and services to be ordered, executed, and settled within the interstate motor carrier industry. These actions are intended to help ensure the individual shippers who arrange for transportation of HHG through brokers receive necessary information regarding their rights and responsibilities in connection with interstate HHG moves, to educate shippers and prepare them for a successful move. The information will be collected when a shipper requests that a broker provide an estimate and when a shipper arranges for a broker to have a particular mover transport household goods. Therefore, frequency is based on the number of moves arranged and is not a factor that FMCSA or the broker can control. The frequency of information collection is done more often than quarterly as it is done as services are requested by the shipper.

The latest form for Practices of Household Goods Brokers expires 2027-07-31 and can be found here.

IC1: First Phase: "Prospecting"

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Transportation - Ground Transportation