Otter Moving & Storage
FMCSA registrant: OTTER MOVING & STORAGE LLC
USDOT 3900819 · FMCSA SAFER · observed
2 consumer complaints filed with FMCSA in the last four years — 1 for holding goods hostage
What we found
Report assembled Oct 14, 2026 · Source observations are dated below- SERIOUS2 consumer complaints filed with FMCSA in the last four years — 1 for holding goods hostage
FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database (via the Protect Your Move registry) — by year: 2026: 2 (registry data as of 09/25/2026). Categories: Estimates/Final Charges 1, Hostage Goods 1. Separately, the registry reports a fleet snapshot of 17 trucks, 0 tractors, 0 trailers; this does not measure moves completed during the complaint period.
Hostage-goods complaints mean customers told FMCSA this company held their belongings until they paid more than the estimate.
Source: FMCSA Protect Your Move — complaint history · as of Oct 14, 2026
- SERIOUSBBB rating F — not accredited
Failure to respond to 5 complaint(s) filed against business - 6 complaint(s) filed against business. BBB complaints: 6 complaints in the last 3 years (4 closed in the last 12 months); types: Product Issues 2, Service or Repair Issues 2, Delivery Issues 1, Order Issues 1; status: 5 unanswered, 1 resolved. The person named there ([name withheld]) shares a name with the FMCSA owner of record ([name withheld]) — a name match, not proof of common ownership. Source observations: accreditation 2026-10-10T19:51:09.923Z; complaint count 2026-10-10T19:51:09.923Z; rating and review count 2026-10-10T19:51:09.923Z.
Source: BBB profile
- PROBLEMDriver out-of-service rate 15.2% vs 6.67% national average
5 of 33 driver inspections in the last 24 months ended with the driver placed out of service (as of 10/12/2026).
Source: SAFER snapshot · as of Oct 14, 2026
- ON RECORDNew York Department of State Corporation and Business Entity Database could not be checked in this report
The register could not be read. Business registration is not a mover licence. No name search was successfully submitted for any of the supplied legal or assumed names. No result list or entity record page could be opened, so entity identity, status, DOS ID, type, dates, agent, officers, address and record dates could not be confirmed. The fetched landing page identifies the register as the New York Department of State Division of Corporations' Search Our Corporation and Business Entity Database and states that it covers corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs and assumed-name filings, but it does not itself provide a matching entity record The register search was blocked: The official New York Department of State Public Inquiry page could be fetched, but its search application would not load in the interactive browser: apps.dos.ny.gov returned ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE / a blank or continuously navigating page. Therefore no search could be submitted and no result records could be read.
- ON RECORDEvery exposed BBB review and complaint record was read: 3 reviews, 5 public complaints
Reviews 2025-12-20 to 2026-09-19. Public complaints 2025-09-08 to 2026-09-03 (BBB status counts: 5 unanswered, 1 resolved; “answered” is not “resolved”). BBB counts 1 further complaint it does not publish. Complete retrieval of the exposed record is not proof the reviews are authentic or that nothing was removed.
Source: BBB profile · BBB complaints · as of Oct 10, 2026
- CHECKS OUTActive federal household-goods authority (MC-1436980)
FMCSA: ACTIVE; authorized for Motor Carrier of Household Goods; insurance filings on file.
Source: Captured FMCSA record · Captured FMCSA record · as of Oct 14, 2026
Changes on the public record
Changes observed in this company's federal and state records during the last 90 days. Each entry shows when the change was observed.
- Oct 14, 2026MEDIUM1 new consumer complaint filed with FMCSA (1 → 2 in the last four years).
What kind of company is this?
The captured federal record lists a carrier role. This alone does not establish current interstate household-goods authority or guarantee who will perform your move.
The captured FMCSA record reports interstate household-goods authority. Confirm its current status and the operating carrier before booking.
How long this company’s website has existed, from Internet Archive records. Very new websites are a common scam signal.
Fleet size reported in federal filings.
What we checked
- Federal operating authority (FMCSA)Active federal authority: carrier. Observed Oct 14, 2026. Carrier, broker and freight-forwarder authority are separate categories. This federal result does not determine its eligibility for in-state moves; see the separate state-registry check.
- Federal interstate household-goods carrier authorityThe captured FMCSA record reports interstate household-goods carrier authority. Observed Oct 14, 2026. Confirm the actual operating carrier and any separate operating restrictions for your move.
- State household-goods licenceNot checked for this profile.
- Federal BIPD insurance filing (dated record)On-file BIPD amount ($750,000) met or exceeded the recorded requirement ($750,000). Cargo coverage is a separate question. As observed Oct 14, 2026; confirm current coverage before booking.
- Cancelled or revoked insurance filings on record3 cancelled or revoked insurance filings on record with FMCSA. Review the filing dates and reasons. This history does not by itself mean the company is currently uninsured. In each case FMCSA records a filing of the same coverage type in effect on the cancellation date. FMCSA’s authority history also records 2 involuntary revocation actions (served 2023-07-14, disposition DISCONTINUED REVOCATION decided 2023-08-10; served 2022-11-18, disposition DISCONTINUED REVOCATION decided 2022-12-16). FMCSA's open data shows this USDOT's filing history only up to 2026-05-14: the legacy L&I files stopped updating that day, and the MOTUS files, which hold later changes, list no record for this USDOT. A filing change after 2026-05-14 was not available when checked.
- Review ratings compared across sourcesGoogle has an unknown number of reviews and BBB has only 3 reviews and Trustpilot has only 2 reviews, too few to compare with Yelp's 63; star ratings differ by 3.9 stars.
- Address and operating-location evidenceProperty use and a customer-accessible operating facility have not been established. A registered address, mailing address and local office can serve different purposes.
Address use and operating locations
A registered office, mailing address and operating facility can be different places. Residential or mailbox use alone does not establish improper operation.
No current source-backed property-use determination is available. This is a verification gap, not proof of a false address or a verified operating facility.
FMCSA regulatory snapshot
- Authority status
What does this mean?
Federal operating authority is category-specific: carrier, broker and freight-forwarder roles are separate. An active registration or one active role does not establish household-goods carrier authority. Operating restrictions are checked separately. - Active federal authority: carrierObserved Oct 14, 2026
- Carrier operation
- Interstate
- Interstate HHG carrier authority
What does this mean?
"HHG" means Household Goods. This field checks interstate carrier authority, not separate broker authority. A "No" here does not rule out broker authority; consult the category-specific federal dockets below. - Yes — authority recordedObserved Oct 14, 2026
- Operating status
- ACTIVE
- Trucks
What does this mean?
FMCSA calls these "power units", meaning trucks, tractors, and other registered moving vehicles the carrier owns or leases. - 17
- Drivers
What does this mean?
Drivers the carrier has registered with FMCSA. This is the official number; some carriers operate with more drivers than registered. - 19
- Insurance status
- —
- Safety rating
- —
- DOT complaints (FMCSA)
- 2 consumer complaints on fileBy year: 2026: 2 · registry data as of Sep 25, 2026 · FMCSA complaint historyEstimates/Final Charges (1)Hostage Goods (1)
- FMCSA enforcement & investigations
- No enforcement cases (six years) · SMS record
- Physical address
- 1075 IRVING AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385
- Operating authority dockets
- ActiveMC1436980Motor Carrier of Household Goods
A company can hold several federal dockets over its lifetime. Only an Active docket grants operating authority. An inactive one is history, not a violation.
State business entity record
New York Department of State Corporation and Business Entity Database · checked Oct 10, 2026. A business-entity registration is separate from federal moving authority and from a state mover licence.
- Limitation: Business registration is not a mover licence.
- Limitation: No name search was successfully submitted for any of the supplied legal or assumed names.
- Limitation: No result list or entity record page could be opened, so entity identity, status, DOS ID, type, dates, agent, officers, address and record dates could not be confirmed.
- Limitation: The fetched landing page identifies the register as the New York Department of State Division of Corporations' Search Our Corporation and Business Entity Database and states that it covers corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs and assumed-name filings, but it does not itself provide a matching entity record
- Limitation: The register search was blocked: The official New York Department of State Public Inquiry page could be fetched, but its search application would not load in the interactive browser: apps.dos.ny.gov returned ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE / a blank or continuously navigating page. Therefore no search could be submitted and no result records could be read.
Reviews and complaints — every platform we check
Listings are matched using company names, addresses, phone numbers and websites. Reviews belong to the business or location shown.
Listing matched to this business.
Source checked Oct 10, 2026
Listing matched to this business.
Source checked Oct 10, 2026
Not accreditedListing matched to this business.
Profile identity checked Oct 10, 2026 · stored evidence
Accreditation checked Oct 10, 2026 · stored evidence
Complaints checked Oct 10, 2026 · stored evidence
Rating and review count checked Oct 10, 2026 · stored evidence
Listing matched to this business.
Source checked Oct 10, 2026
Detailed listing checks and review analysis are included in the full report.
Verified customer experience reports
Structured accounts from customers who proved their move with a bill of lading or final invoice, a verified email, and a verified phone. No star ratings, no anonymous reviews, and nothing a company can pay to change — how this works.
No verified customer reports yet. Only customers who can document their move may submit one — that keeps the count honest, and it means it grows slowly.
Moved with Otter Moving & Storage? — you will need your bill of lading or final invoice, and a phone that can receive a code.
Work at Otter Moving & Storage? Claim this profile to respond publicly to reports. Claiming is free and never changes the records on this page.
The full verification report
Each section of the full report names its sources: official federal and state records, the company's own website, review platforms and other public pages. Access requires a one-time fee, shown at checkout.
Research coverage
What this report checked, source by source. Coverage describes the scope of the report; it does not grade the company. A search with no match applies only to the named source, date and recorded scope; it does not establish that no cases exist.
Incomplete: State mover licence not yet checked.
| Source | Status | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company identity | Checked — record readFederal registration USDOT 3900819 corroborated (the USDOT number its website prints, matched to this business). | — | — |
| Company website | Checked — record read6 page(s) of the company website read. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source |
| FMCSA registration (SAFER and MOTUS) | Checked — record readSAFER and MOTUS records read for the verified USDOT. | Oct 14, 2026 | — |
| FMCSA complaint history | Checked — record readProtect Your Move complaint history read. | Oct 14, 2026 | View source |
| FMCSA safety record (SMS) | Checked — record readSMS inspections, crashes and enforcement cases read. | Oct 14, 2026 | View source |
| FMCSA insurance filings | Not available when checkedFMCSA Licensing & Insurance open data (data.transportation.gov), read 2026-10-14 for USDOT 3900819 (MC1436980); the legacy L&I files are frozen at 2026-05-14 and the MOTUS files are as of 2026-10-13 (no MOTUS file holds a record for this USDOT): 5 insurance filings from 5 filing records (2 replaced, 3 cancelled); of the 3 cancelled filings, 3 had a filing of the same coverage in effect on the cancellation date; 0 filings listed as active or pending in the MOTUS insurance file and 2 only in the frozen L&I active/pending file; 3 authority actions, including 2 involuntary revocation actions (2 discontinued); 0 revocation or suspension orders. FMCSA's open data shows this USDOT's filing history only up to 2026-05-14: the legacy L&I files stopped updating that day, and the MOTUS files, which hold later changes, list no record for this USDOT. A filing change after 2026-05-14 was not available when checked. MOTUS lists dated filing records: 3 filing(s) for MC1436980; BIPD $750,000 on file of $750,000. These records do not by themselves confirm current coverage. | Oct 14, 2026 | View source |
| State business entity register | Not available when checkedNew York Department of State Corporation and Business Entity Database: not available when checked. | Oct 10, 2026 | — |
| State mover licence | Not yet checkedState mover licensing was not checked. | — | — |
| Not available when checkedgoogle: listing identity confirmed by phone, website, but this run did not show its review count. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source | |
| Yelp | Checked — record readyelp: listing identity confirmed by phone. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source |
| BBB | Checked — record readbbb: listing identity confirmed by phone, website. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source |
| BBB complaints and reviews in full | Checked — record readEvery exposed BBB page retained: 3/3 reviews, 5/5 public complaints, 1 hidden. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source |
| Trustpilot | Checked — record readtrustpilot: listing identity confirmed by website domain. | Oct 10, 2026 | View source |
| Phone, address and identifier search | Checked — record read6 identifier search(es) without the company name; 46 lead(s), 0 under another name. | Oct 10, 2026 | — |
| Related entities | Checked — record readNo other-name lead shared a strong identifier. | Oct 10, 2026 | — |
| Follow-up on unresolved leads | Checked — record read1 follow-up question(s) researched; 1 remains unresolved or only partly resolved. | Oct 10, 2026 | — |
Ledger evaluated Oct 14, 2026.
Report assembled Oct 14, 2026. First published Oct 12, 2026. This report pulls from 369 pieces of information across federal, state, review, and identity sources. Check each source's date for when its information was observed.
NMB does not invent facts. When a section reads "—" or "this check has not run yet," that means we have not been able to verify the information from a primary source. It does not mean the answer is good or bad.
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