How a Turkish Operator Builds US Moving Content — Methodology and Limitations

1. The honest backstory

I started Moving Calculator in late 2024 as a research-compilation site for US household goods relocation cost estimates. I am not a US resident, not a licensed mover, and not affiliated with any moving company or trade association. I have never personally coordinated a US household goods move for a client. I am not Cartus, SIRVA, BGRS, or any other relocation management company. I am one person who reads FMCSA, AMSA, BLS, and Census data and assembles it into cost estimators and reference pages.

Why a Turkish operator? Three real reasons:

1. The math of moving cost (rate × weight × distance + adjustments) translates well across borders. The data is publicly available from US federal agencies. The work is reading the data carefully and packaging it accurately.
2. Independent operator economics. Running multiple specialized reference sites in parallel is more sustainable for a single person than running one site that tries to be everything. Moving Calculator is one of about a dozen sites I run, each with a single topical focus and a single voice (mine).
3. I find FMCSA's consumer protection materials genuinely well written but spread across many corners of fmcsa.dot.gov. A practitioner with five minutes wants to know: what's the average cost, who is FMCSA-registered, how do I avoid scams. Moving Calculator tries to be that bridge.

2. Source priority — what we actually use

If a number can be found in FMCSA SAFER or AMSA, that's where I cite it from. If a federal agency publishes a PDF, I link the PDF. I do not cite Wikipedia or Quora as sources for moving facts even when they are accurate, because the underlying citation should be the federal source.

3. What we don't do — explicitly

1. We do not coordinate moves. If you need a mover, find one through FMCSA SAFER or BBB. We will not connect you with a specific mover.
2. We do not have an affiliate kickback structure. No moving company pays us per quote-request. If we mention Allied, Mayflower, U-Haul, PODS, or any other brand, it is because the consumer audience uses them, not because they paid for placement. We do display Amazon affiliate links for moving supplies (boxes, tape, etc.) and Adsterra display ads — clearly labeled.
3. We do not endorse specific movers. Quality varies. We provide reference data and consumer protection guidance.
4. We do not provide tax or legal advice. The IRS Pub 521 page is informational only. Your CPA decides how to file.
5. We do not auto-publish AI output. Some pages are drafted with AI assistance, but every published page goes through human review with the actual FMCSA / AMSA / BLS source open in another window. AI hallucinations on cost data, FMCSA rules, or IRS treatment are caught at review.
6. We do not publish anonymous reviews. Mover review pages aggregate verified data only.

4. What we do

• Cost estimators based on AMSA industry data and carrier rate cards.
• Reference pages on military PCS, FMCSA regulations, IRS Pub 521 treatment, FMCSA Protect Your Move guidance.
• Comparison data on container vs full-service vs DIY truck rental cost ranges.
• Consumer protection content citing FMCSA SAFER and BBB filings.
• Seasonal pricing data from AMSA + carrier published rates.
• State-to-state migration data from US Census ACS.
• Annual review and update of all pages with current-year FMCSA, BLS, IRS, and Census data.

5. How we handle errors

If you find an error in a page, email [email protected]. Real errors corrected during 2025-2026:

• 2025-03: A page showed 2023 BLS wages on a 2024-labeled chart. Corrected within 24 hours; quarterly review process added.
• 2025-09: An FMCSA carrier-count figure was outdated. Updated against current SAFER export.
• 2026-01: A Form 3903 page conflated military and civilian eligibility timeline. Corrected; clarified TCJA suspension scope.
• 2026-04: A military BAH ZIP code rate was outdated for the new fiscal year. Updated against DTMO 2026 publication.

I read every email and respond within a few days. I will not respond to 'find me a mover' requests but will respond to 'page X has Y wrong' messages.

6. About Mustafa Bilgic

I am Mustafa Bilgic, an independent website operator based in Adıyaman, Türkiye. My contact email is [email protected]. I run about a dozen US- and Europe-focused reference sites including:

• Moving Calculator (this site)
• Payroll Calculator (US payroll tax)
• FXKRW (Korean foreign exchange)
• Settlement Calculator (US personal injury reference)
• Names Center (domain investing)
• UK Calculator (UK tax/finance)
• RechnerKalkulator (German finance)
• FPSAim and FPSTrain (gaming reference)
• Library Hours 24 (US library schedules)
• Several others

All sites are operated under my own name as an independent sole-proprietor. I do not represent any firm. Each site has the same source-priority discipline and the same disclosure pattern.

7. Sister sites and why this matters

I am explicit about the sister-site network for two reasons:

1. Trust. Readers can verify my identity across sites. The Person sameAs schema on this and every page links to the other sites I operate.
2. Scope. No single site claims to be staffed by a team of CPAs, ERISA attorneys, FMCSA experts, and gaming professionals. Each site is one person (me) compiling federal data for that topical area.

If you find an inconsistency between sites — for example, a tax treatment mentioned on Moving Calculator that contradicts Payroll Calculator — please email and I will investigate. Federal tax and FMCSA rules sometimes change at different cadences and pages on different sites can drift apart between reviews.

8. Direct, honest answer

If you ask me directly: 'Should I trust this site?' my honest answer is:

• Trust the underlying federal data (FMCSA SAFER, AMSA reports, BLS wages, IRS Pub 521).
• Verify any specific rate, registration, or rule against the original source linked at the bottom of each page.
• If you are making a decision worth thousands of dollars (international move, tax-related, dispute resolution), do not rely on Moving Calculator alone — talk to a real mover, RMC, or CPA.
• Use Moving Calculator the way you would use a Wikipedia summary: a starting point with explicit links to authoritative sources.

That's the most honest framing I can offer. The site exists to make federal moving data accessible. The site does not exist to be your sole source of truth.