Mover screening questions: lifting, protecting a home, loading a truck, and when DOT and CDL rules apply
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Mover screening questions should find people who can lift safely all day, protect a customer's home and belongings, and work as a crew without being watched. The physical side is obvious. What separates a good mover is care: padding before lifting, protecting door frames and floors, loading a truck so nothing shifts, and staying courteous with a customer who is stressed about their life packed in boxes. For drivers, the screen also has to establish which federal rules apply to the truck they will drive.
This page covers helpers, crew leads and drivers at local and long-distance moving companies. For drivers of heavier trucks, use truck driver screening questions; for furniture and appliance delivery, delivery driver screening questions.
Which mover
| Role | What changes | Ask the candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Helper or loader | Carrying, padding, loading; no driving | "What's the heaviest thing you've moved, and how?" |
| Packer | Packing kitchens, fragile items, artwork; inventory | "How do you pack a box of dishes?" |
| Crew lead or foreman | Walkthrough with the customer, paperwork, directing the crew, payment collection | "How do you start a job when you arrive at the house?" |
| Driver (box truck or tractor-trailer) | Driving, backing in tight streets, federal rules depending on weight and route | "What size trucks have you driven, and do you hold a CDL or medical card?" |
| Long-distance crew | Days or weeks on the road, multiple pickups and deliveries, inventory and weight tickets | "How long have you been away on a run?" |
When federal trucking rules apply
As of October 2026, not legal advice. Which rules apply depends on the vehicle's weight rating, whether the move crosses state lines, and state law for moves within a state. We checked the federal points below against the regulations.
| Situation | Rule | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Truck GVWR or GCWR 10,001 lbs or more, used in interstate commerce | It is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5. The driver must be medically certified (49 CFR 391.41) and, among other qualifications, be at least 21 (49 CFR 391.11). | "Do you have a current DOT medical certificate? When does it expire?" |
| Single vehicle GVWR 26,001 lbs or more, or certain combinations | A CDL is required (49 CFR 383.5 defines the vehicle groups). | "Which CDL class and endorsements do you hold, in which state?" |
| CDL drivers | DOT drug and alcohol testing under 49 CFR Part 382, including a pre-employment drug test before the first safety-sensitive work (49 CFR 382.301). | Tell the candidate a pre-employment test is required. |
| Interstate household goods moves for individual customers | The company must follow FMCSA's household goods rules in 49 CFR Part 375 (estimates, inventories, paperwork given to the customer). | Crew leads: "What paperwork did you complete with the customer at pickup and delivery?" |
Many local moving trucks fall between 10,001 and 26,000 pounds GVWR, so a driver may need a medical certificate for interstate work without needing a CDL. The rating is on the label inside the driver's door. Moves within one state are regulated by that state, and some states license intrastate movers, so the company should confirm its own state requirements. Read drug testing laws in hiring for how state rules affect testing of helpers who are not covered by DOT rules.
Knockout questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| The job requires lifting and carrying heavy items up and down stairs all day. Can you do that, with or without accommodation? | Yes, and describes similar work. | Has never done sustained physical work and is unsure. |
| Start times are [for example, 7 a.m.], days can run long, and Saturdays and month-end are busiest. Does that work? | Yes. | Needs to leave by 3 p.m. every day. |
| How do you get to the yard for an early start? | Reliable transport. | No plan. |
| You will work inside customers' homes, and the role requires a background check. Is that okay? | Yes. | Hesitates. |
Lifting and handling questions
-
"Talk me through moving a dresser down a narrow staircase."
- Strong answer: removes drawers or secures them, pads and wraps, plans the route, protects banisters and walls, the stronger person on the bottom, communicates each step, uses straps or a dolly where it helps, rests on landings.
- Red flags: "Two guys, grab it and go."
-
"How do you move a refrigerator, a piano or a safe?"
- Strong answer: appliance dolly with straps, protects the floor, disconnects only what they are trained to (water lines may need a plumber), knows pianos and safes need specialty equipment and more people.
- Red flags: would tip a piano on its side and walk it.
-
"What is your lifting technique?"
- Strong answer: tests the weight, gets close, bends at the knees and hips, keeps the back straight, does not twist, asks for help or equipment for heavy or awkward items.
- Red flags: brags about lifting anything alone.
Protecting the home and the load
- "What do you do before carrying anything out?" Strong: floor runners, door jamb and banister protection, walkthrough with the lead, notes existing damage.
- "How do you load a truck?" Strong: heavy and boxed items low and toward the front, builds tight tiers, fills gaps, straps each section, mattresses and fragile items protected, nothing loose that can shift.
- "How do you pack a kitchen?" Strong: dish packs, plates on edge, paper between items, heavy items in small boxes, labels by room and contents.
- "You scratch a customer's table. What do you do?" Strong: tells the crew lead right away so it is documented and the customer is told honestly. Red flag: hides it.
Customer and crew questions
- "A customer is anxious and keeps telling you how to do your job. How do you respond?" Strong: patient, explains what they are doing, involves the lead, keeps working.
- "How do you handle a tip or an offer of a drink?" Strong: follows the company's policy; no alcohol on the job.
- "A crewmate isn't pulling their weight. What do you do?" Strong: talks to them, then the lead; does not argue in front of the customer.
- Crew leads: "How do you walk the house with the customer at the start, and what do you check at the end?" Strong: confirms the inventory, special items and what is not going, then a final walkthrough and signed paperwork.
Long-distance crews
Interstate moves add days on the road and more paperwork. Ask how long they have been away on a run and how they lived on the road. For crew leads and drivers, ask what they did at pickup on an interstate move: how they completed the inventory with the customer, how they noted the condition of items, and what documents the customer signed at pickup and delivery. Ask how they handled a shipment going to storage, or a delivery where the customer was not ready. Strong candidates describe careful inventory numbering, condition notes and checking every item off at delivery so any claim can be resolved fairly. Weak ones say the office handles the paperwork.
How mover experience gets overstated
- Helping friends move presented as professional experience. Ask about padding, wrapping and loading techniques.
- Driving experience without the vehicle size. Ask the truck length and weight rating they drove, and whether they have backed into a tight street.
- CDL claims without the class or a current medical certificate. Ask the class, state and expiry dates, and check the license.
- Warehouse lifting without in-home work. It helps, but probe care for property; see warehouse associate screening questions for the overlap.
Scoring
Pass or fail
- Can perform the physical requirements, with or without accommodation.
- Schedule and transport confirmed.
- Drivers: license class, medical certificate and age meet the rules for the trucks and routes.
- Agrees to the background check and any required drug test.
Scored 0 to 2 each (8 possible)
- Lifting technique and equipment.
- Protecting property and the load.
- Customer manner and honesty about damage.
- Teamwork and communication.
In the submittal, list moving experience (local, long-distance, packing), heaviest or most specialized items moved, trucks driven with weight rating, license class and medical certificate expiry, and the candidate's staircase answer in their own words. Ask about physical ability as a job requirement; do not ask about past injuries or workers' compensation claims.
Questions people ask
Does a mover need a CDL?
Only if they drive a vehicle that requires one. Under 49 CFR 383.5, a CDL is generally needed for a single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, for certain combinations, and for vehicles carrying 16 or more people or placarded hazardous materials. Many local moving trucks are below 26,001 pounds GVWR, so check the rating on the trucks the candidate would drive (as of October 2026, not legal advice).
Does a mover driving a box truck need a DOT medical card?
If the truck has a GVWR or GCWR of 10,001 pounds or more and is used in interstate commerce, it is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5, and the driver must be medically certified under 49 CFR 391.41 and generally be at least 21 under 49 CFR 391.11. States set their own rules for purely intrastate work.
Are movers drug tested?
Drivers who need a CDL fall under the DOT drug and alcohol testing rules in 49 CFR Part 382, including a pre-employment drug test before they first perform safety-sensitive functions. Helpers who never drive a CDL vehicle are not covered by Part 382, though the company may test under its own policy and state law.
What is the best question for a mover phone screen?
Ask them to talk you through moving a dresser down a narrow staircase: emptying and padding it, who goes on the bottom, how they protect the walls and banister, and when they would use a dolly or straps. It tests lifting technique, care for property and teamwork in one answer.