Are You Licensed and Insured?

Are You Licensed and Insured?

Last updated: October 2026

Ask this before you book any mover. Ask it out loud, and ask for the numbers.

Our answer is yes, and here they are. ILL.C.C 153317. MC 1694629. US DOT 4338139. Windy City Movers has operated out of Chicago since 1982, and these numbers are on our credentials and licenses page for anyone who wants to check.

That's the short version. Numbers alone don't mean much, though, until you know which agency issued each one and what it lets a mover legally do. Here's what ours tell you.

What the license numbers mean

ILL.C.C 153317 is our license from the Illinois Commerce Commission. That's the state agency that licenses movers for household moves within Illinois. Chicago to Evanston, Naperville to Wilmette, a two-block move in Portage Park. All of it falls under this one.

US DOT 4338139 and MC 1694629 are federal. The US DOT number identifies us as a carrier with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The MC number is our authority to move households across state lines. That's what lets us handle long-distance moves ourselves. The same truck and crew take your belongings from pickup to delivery, and they're never handed off to another company.

You don't have to take our word for any of it. A US DOT number can be looked up on the FMCSA's public SAFER website in about a minute. Our 5-minute Chicago mover verification check walks you through it for any company you're considering.

What insurance we carry

A license says we're allowed to move you. Insurance is what stands behind the work. We carry three kinds.

Commercial general liability. This covers property damage and injuries connected to our work, like a scraped wall in your building's lobby.

Commercial auto liability. This covers the trucks on the road.

Transportation coverage. This covers the goods we're carrying, and it includes loading and unloading.

Many Chicago buildings ask for proof of that insurance before a move. That's the certificate of insurance, or COI. We send it free, usually the same day the building sends its requirements.

How your belongings are covered

This is the part most people actually mean when they ask about insurance.

Every move includes our standard coverage. It's based on the weight of each item, which works well for everyday furniture and boxes. It doesn't reflect what a valuable or sentimental piece is really worth. Our post on standard liability coverage explains how it works.

For anything worth more than that, you can buy full coverage insurance. You can buy it through us or through your own insurer. It's your choice. If you're deciding whether you need it, read do I need to purchase extra insurance.

One more thing worth knowing. Our coverage applies to the part of the job we're doing. Say you book us to load a rental truck and someone else drives it. Once the truck leaves our hands, responsibility shifts to whoever has it, and our coverage ends there.

Why it matters

Every one of our moving services runs under these licenses and this insurance. Our claims rate is under 1%. We'd like that to stay boring. But if something does go wrong, you want a licensed company with real insurance behind it and people who pick up when you call about the dresser that arrived with a new scratch on its side. Not a phone number that stops answering. If you ever need it, here's how to file a claim.

Have questions about our licenses or coverage for your move? Call (773) 275-4100 or email info@wcmoving.com. You'll find the short answer on our local residential moving service page too.