Before you pay anyone to move a vehicle or equipment, the paperwork should answer every basic question: who is the carrier or broker, what exactly is being moved, from where to where, in what window, and for what total price.
Look for the legal company name and the USDOT and MC numbers, and verify them in the public FMCSA SAFER system. Look for pickup and delivery windows in writing, the declared condition of the item, and what the insurance covers while the shipment is in transit.
If any of those pieces are missing or vague, ask before you sign. A professional operation will answer in writing without hesitation, because clear terms protect the carrier just as much as the customer.
Start with identity. The invoice should carry the exact legal name that appears in the FMCSA record, not just a marketing name, and the USDOT and MC numbers should match that record. Two minutes on the public SAFER website confirms whether the authority is active and how the company is rated.
Then read the money section like a contract, because it is one. The total should state what it includes: fuel, tolls, and lift-gate or winch service if the vehicle does not run. The words estimate and final price are not the same thing, and the difference between them belongs in writing.
Insurance deserves one specific question: what covers my item while it is on the trailer, and up to what amount? The answer is a certificate of insurance, which any serious carrier or broker will send without being asked twice.
Finally, keep everything. The invoice, the condition report, the emails, the tracking history. In the overwhelming majority of shipments you will never need them; in the rare one where you do, that folder resolves in a week what vague memories argue about for months.