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Bureau signs MOA with FMCSA to expand enforcement against fraudulent interstate movers
Summary
The Bureau of Household Goods and Services said it has executed a memorandum of agreement with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to access federal databases and enforce federal law against interstate movers, enabling new investigatory tools and retention of fines collected under the agreement.
The Bureau of Household Goods and Services has executed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration giving the bureau access to FMCSA databases and authority to enforce federal law against movers operating across state lines.
The MOA, the bureau said, allows investigators to “research any case, whether intrastate or interstate,” and permits the bureau to retain fines collected from enforcement under the agreement, Acting Chief Yofana LaMar told the advisory council.
Why it matters: bureau leaders said access to FMCSA data and cross‑agency cooperation will help investigators target unscrupulous movers who hold consumers’ goods hostage and other fraud, while leveling the competitive field for law‑abiding movers.
Bureau officials said the MOA was executed in October 2020 and that FMCSA has provided training for bureau investigators. Acting Chief Yofana LaMar said training for some investigators is complete and the remainder are expected to finish in April or May. She also said bureau staff would meet with FMCSA counterparts in Texas and at FMCSA headquarters to coordinate enforcement approaches.
The bureau described the new tools as additions to existing enforcement: state law enforcement, criminal referrals and administrative citations. “The MOA allows the bureau to retain any fines collected as a result of bureau enforcement,” LaMar said.
Investigators and enforcement supervisors said the MOA is intended to help with cases often described in public testimony and bureau statistics as “hold hostage” shipments — situations where consumers’ goods are withheld pending payment demands. Supervising special investigator Alda Geary and compliance manager Kelly Williams discussed continuing field activity and partnerships with local law enforcement and district attorneys to pursue criminal cases where appropriate.
Discussion vs. decision: the meeting record shows the MOA has been executed; the council did not take a separate vote. Council members and industry representatives welcomed the agreement and urged careful coordination. The bureau said it will retain fines collected under the MOA and continue to combine state enforcement, criminal referrals and FMCSA tools.
What happens next: bureau staff and FMCSA will complete investigator training, continue cross‑jurisdiction meetings and integrate federal data into investigations. The bureau said it would use the tools to prioritize consumer protection and pursue underground economy operators who compete unfairly with licensed movers.
Ending: council members complimented the bureau’s enforcement work and urged the bureau to preserve its own enforcement culture while leveraging federal resources.
