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Committee gives favorable recommendation to bill removing rate caps for household movers
Summary
The committee recommended House Bill 204, which would remove statutory rate limits on household goods movers, allowing market-set pricing. Department of Public Safety officials said they are neutral and lack comprehensive data on the economic impact.
The House Committee on Motor Vehicles gave a favorable recommendation to House Bill 204 (LC550367), a bill that would remove statutory maximum rate tariffs applied to household goods movers and allow carriers to set rates in a market environment.
The bill’s sponsor told the committee the change would “let the marketplace work” and remove restrictions that currently limit what movers can charge. Department of Public Safety staff provided historical background: regulation of household movers shifted among the Georgia Public Service Commission, Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, and Department of Public Safety at various times since 1931; the Motor Carrier Act of 2012 placed intrastate household-goods regulation with the Department of Public Safety.
DPS staff said the department is neutral on the bill and is commissioning an economic analysis of the household goods industry to provide data for future rate evaluations. DPS noted there have been multiple tariff increases in recent years (2018: +15%; 2022: +10%; 2024: +10%) and that other states use a range of regulatory models, from rate schedules filed with a commission to carrier-set rates with consumer-estimate protections.
Committee members said deregulation now would be reversible if future data showed consumer harm: “we still have the opportunity later… to possibly regulate this,” a committee member observed. Chairman Powell moved to give the bill a favorable recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.
