Trades / Used household and office goods moving
NAICS 48421 · high injury risk
Insurance for used household and office goods moving
Used household and office goods moving log 4.3 recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, 87 percent above the private-industry figure of 2.3 and number 8 of the 37 trades on this site. That record is what an underwriter sees first, and it is why the checklist below leans on workers' compensation and liability limits.
- 1Used household and off 4.3 per 100
- 2Private industry 2.3 per 100
- 3Rank of 37 #8
What goes wrong in this trade
Back injuries from lifting dominate; damage to the customer's goods and to buildings during the move is the liability claim, and cargo cover is set by the valuation the customer chooses.
The checklist for used household and office goods moving
- AutoCommercial auto liabilityPrimary liability at the 49 CFR 387.9 minimum, filed with FMCSA on form BMC-91/91X for interstate for-hire carriers.State minimum auto liability applies to business vehicles. Interstate for-hire carriers of vehicles 10,001 lb GVWR and up must carry the 49 CFR 387.9 minimums ($750,000 non-hazardous property; $1,000,000 oil; $5,000,000 bulk hazmat).
- CargoMotor truck cargoRequired by brokers and shippers, usually as a condition of the load.Not an FMCSA filing requirement for general freight carriers; required by nearly every broker and shipper contract.
- WCWorkers' compensationRequired once you have employee drivers in nearly every state; owner-operators often buy occupational accident instead.Required by state law in nearly every state once you have employees; the employee-count threshold and exemptions are set state by state and are not reproduced here.
- GLGeneral liabilityLoading-dock and premises claims that auto excludes.Not required by federal law. Required in practice by most contracts, landlords and many state contractor licences.
- UmbrellaCommercial umbrella / excessShippers increasingly require excess over the primary auto.Not required by law; required by many general contractors and commercial landlords.
- Tools
Red tags mark policy types that a law or licence usually requires; green tags are what contracts, landlords and clients ask for. Tailor the list for your situation (no employees, no vehicles, alcohol) with the checklist tool.
What the injury record means for the premium
Workers' compensation is rated on payroll and class, then adjusted by your own loss history, so a trade with 4.3 cases per 100 workers starts from a high base rate before an underwriter has looked at you. Worse, 79 percent of those cases involved days away from work, restriction or transfer — the expensive kind. The practical consequence: a documented safety programme and a clean experience modifier are worth more here than shopping carriers.
The nearest trades by injury rate are framing contractors (4.6), waste collection (4.7), warehousing and storage (4.8); the same payroll insured in those classes would start from a similar workers' comp base.
Legal, licence or contract?
Fixed by law
- Workers' compensation once you have employees, in nearly every state (threshold and exemptions set by the state; not reproduced here).
- Public liability of at least $750,000 for interstate for-hire carriage of non-hazardous property in vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more; $1,000,000 for oil; $5,000,000 for bulk hazmat — 49 CFR 387.9. Details.
- State minimum auto liability on any vehicle the business operates.
Asked for by contracts and licences
Sources: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Table 1 (2024), incidence rates per 100 full-time workers; BLS SOII Table 3 (2024), hours worked by detailed industry; BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Table A-1 (2024); 49 CFR 387.9 — Schedule of limits, public liability (eCFR). Fatal rate per 100,000 FTE is derived (count ÷ hours × 200,000,000) and approximate. Checked 2026-10-23.