---
title: "SGT Auto Transport Review: Its Terms, Fees and FMCSA Record"
description: "SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-873392). Its Terms charge $199 to cancel before the pickup window ends and give 24 hours to report hidden damage."
url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-10-09"
modified: "2026-10-09"
site: "Baron Auto"
disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership."
---

# SGT Auto Transport Review: Its Terms, Fees and FMCSA Record

> SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-873392). Its Terms charge $199 to cancel before the pickup window ends and give 24 hours to report hidden damage.

*Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,937 words*

## The short version

- SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker, not a trucking company. FMCSA lists it (USDOT 2521690, MC-873392, Bohemia, New York) only as a “Broker of Property,” and its Terms call it “a broker only.” An independent carrier hauls your car.
- Cancelling can cost $199. The Terms let SGT charge that to your card if you cancel before the estimated pickup window expires; refunds come only if the window passes with no pickup or the price goes up.
- “Nothing in advance” means nothing at booking. A deposit is due when a carrier is dispatched, and above $4,500 the Terms take no cards.
- For damage, you claim against the carrier. Note every mark on the bill of lading before signing, and tell SGT about hidden damage within 24 hours. Federal law gives you at least 9 months to file with the carrier.
- Dates are estimates: only a paid Guaranteed Pickup Service fixes a pickup day, and no delivery date is guaranteed. Disputes go to New York courts, with no arbitration clause.
- FMCSA’s record shows broker authority since 10 July 2014, never revoked, though three involuntary-revocation cases were opened and dropped. Its complaint database holds 57 unverified complaints since 2021, 29 of them in 2026.

SGT Auto Transport is a real, federally licensed car-shipping broker, and what decides how your shipment goes is its contract: what cancelling costs, when your card is charged, which dates are promised and how damage claims work. On 9 October 2026 we read SGT’s Terms and Conditions (29 sections, no date printed), its FAQ, deals, guaranteed-pickup, about and cost pages and 30 help-center answers, and set them against FMCSA’s record, its complaint database and the federal rules for brokers. SGT’s Terms limit use of its site to customers, so we read each page once and quote only short passages. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with SGT or any other shipper.

**Figure: An SGT order under its Terms, step by step**

A two-column table reading six points from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and Conditions: the estimated pickup window of 1-3 business days after the first available date; a $199 fee for cancelling before that window expires; refunds only if the window passes without pickup or the price rises; a deposit due at dispatch; a clean bill of lading treated as good condition; and a 24-hour notice for hidden damage, beside the 9-month federal floor for claims against carriers.

Read from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and Conditions and help center on 9 October 2026. The Terms print no date. This site has no commercial relationship with SGT.

## Is SGT Auto Transport a broker or a carrier?

A broker. The [Terms and Conditions](https://sgtautotransport.com/terms-and-conditions) are headed as the terms of “SGT Auto Transport Corp. (Freight Broker),” say SGT is “bonded and duly authorized as a property broker” under MC-873392, and state that SGT “will not perform transportation of freight.” The carrier is whoever SGT selects to move the car “under its own motor carrier authority.”

Not every SGT page says it so plainly. The help center’s answer to “Is SGT Auto Transport a Broker or a Carrier?” calls SGT “an auto transport management company” and stops there, without the word broker. The guaranteed-pickup page promises that “a transport driver from SGT Auto Transport” will arrive. Under [49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7), a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier,” and its advertising “shall show the broker status of the operation.” We make no finding; the driver who turns up works for the carrier, not SGT.

Nor does SGT hold carrier authority on the side. FMCSA’s licensing data shows no common or contract carrier authority for MC-873392, and its census holds one registration whose legal name begins “SGT AUTO” and none with that trading name. For how brokers and carriers differ, see our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier); for a listing marketplace instead of a broker, see our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/).

## Is SGT Auto Transport legit? What FMCSA’s record shows

Yes, in the sense the federal record can answer: SGT holds active broker authority and the security a broker must file. Its footer numbers, “FMCSA MC: 873392 USDOT: 2521690,” match FMCSA’s [SAFER company snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=2521690) (data as of 7 October 2026). FMCSA records the legal name as SGT AUTO TRANSPORT; the Terms say SGT Auto Transport Corp. FMCSA’s licensing datasets, which we also read, say they were last refreshed on 14 May 2026.

**SGT Auto Transport in FMCSA’s public record, read 9 October 2026**

| Field | What the record shows | What it means for you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Operating authority | “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” MC-873392; 0 power units | No carrier authority: SGT cannot haul your car itself |
| Authority history | USDOT number added 7 July 2014; broker authority granted 10 July 2014; no revocation order on file | 12 years of continuous authority by our arithmetic |
| Revocation cases | Involuntary revocation served 23 February 2015, 14 July 2023 and 28 May 2024; each discontinued, after 16, 25 and 17 days | Opened and dropped each time; FMCSA gives no reason |
| Financial security | Trust fund from 19 June 2014; surety bonds since 1 March 2016; current bond with Merchants National Bonding, Inc. from 21 June 2024 | Meets the broker-security rule; it is not insurance on your car |
| Cargo insurance | None required or on file for the broker | Cover for the car comes from the carrier |
| Inspections and crashes | 0 and 0 in the 24 months to 7 October 2026; no safety rating | Expected for a broker; check the carrier instead |
| Registration data | MCS-150 form date blank; operation box marked “Intrastate Only (Non-HM)” | FMCSA explains neither; the authority still shows as active |

Each revocation case sits beside a change of security. In 2015 SGT’s first trust fund, with Pacific Financial Association, Inc., was replaced on 10 March by one with Liberty National Financial Corp., 15 days after the case was served. In 2023 the Gray Casualty & Surety Company bond ran to 10 August, 27 days after service, when Hudson Insurance Company’s took over. In 2024 the Hudson bond ran to 21 June, 24 days after service, when the current Merchants National Bonding bond took over. By FMCSA’s dates there was no gap in cover. The records give no reason for any case; the pattern fits a bond being cancelled and replaced, which matters because a broker’s registration lasts “only as long as a surety bond or trust fund remains in effect.” Over 12 years SGT has used 7 providers.

The rule, [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) (effective 16 January 2026), requires “a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000” and lets a provider cancel only on 30 days’ written notice to FMCSA. The bond pays shippers or carriers if a broker fails to carry out its arrangements, not for a scratched car. FMCSA’s dataset leaves its amount field at 0, which we do not take as its size, and the newer Motus tables hold no rows for this registration, as with [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) and [AmeriFreight](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/). Our guide explains [the broker bond](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-bond).

**Look up the carrier, not just SGT.** SGT’s clean inspection record says nothing about the truck that will carry your car. Before pickup, get the carrier’s name and USDOT number, check its authority, insurance and crashes on SAFER, and ask SGT for its certificate of insurance. Our guide shows [how to look a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up).

## Quotes, the Best Price Guarantee and SGT’s printed estimates

An SGT quote is an estimate with a short life. Section 3 of the Terms makes quotes valid for 7 calendar days and “subject to change” with the car’s weight, size, condition and “motor carrier/trucker availability.” If carriers will not take the job at the first price, SGT may offer a new one, which the Terms leave to you to “accept or decline.” Section 9 lets SGT “amend or adjust the original quoted amount” if the car turns out inoperable, customized or not as described, and section 4 adds charges for oversized vehicles, payable to the carrier in cash or money order before loading if SGT was not told. Describe the car exactly, modifications included.

The help center sounds firmer: “The price you get from us is the price you will pay.” The Terms, which override any oral promise, keep the right to reprice.

**The Best Price Guarantee is a review, not a promise.** Section 24 says that if you find a lower price “from a reputable competitor for an identical auto transport service within 24 hours of booking,” SGT will “review and confirm if we can match or beat that price.” It excludes promotions, third-party-site rates, pricing errors and double-booked or misrepresented orders, and SGT may drop it “at any time without prior notice.” A help-center answer claims SGT will “price-match every shipment to the lowest bid out there.” Oddly, section 20 calls the pricing in any quote “confidential information” not to be shared with third parties without permission.

SGT does print sample prices, which AmeriFreight, for one, does not. Its cost page carries the table below, with no date, and calls the figures “only generalized estimates.”

**SGT’s printed sample prices for one car (cost page, undated, read 9 October 2026)**

| Distance band (miles) | Sample trip | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0 - 500 | 385 miles | $549 - $649 | $759 - $859 |
| 500 - 1000 | 722 miles | $699 - $799 | $989 - $1,089 |
| 1000 - 1500 | 1,387 miles | $869 - $969 | $1,229 - $1,329 |
| 1500 - 2000 | 1,647 miles | $979 - $1,079 | $1,419 - $1,519 |
| 2000 - 2500 | 2,030 miles | $949 - $1,049 | $1,429 - $1,529 |
| 2500 - 3000 | 2,811 miles | $1,149 - $1,249 | $1,729 - $1,829 |
| 3000+ | 3,227 miles | $1,439 - $1,539 | $1,909 - $2,009 |

Read them as SGT’s ballpark, not a quote: the open-carrier sample for 2,030 miles is printed $30 cheaper than the one for 1,647 miles, by our arithmetic. The same page says enclosed transport can cost “as much as 30% to 40% higher” than open, and shows a 94% “On-Time Delivery” counter with no method behind it. Our guide covers [what moves a car-shipping price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#price).

## When you pay: the deposit, the driver and the card limits

SGT’s FAQ says “you pay nothing in advance.” That is true at booking only. Once you sign the Customer Shipping Contract, SGT runs “a verification check” on your card, and section 9 makes a deposit due “when the Carrier is dispatched.” The help center describes two ways to pay:

- **Discounted Cash Price:** “a small partial payment” from your card once a carrier is assigned, then the balance to the driver at delivery in cash, cashier’s check or money order.
- **Regular Price:** “everything is paid in full when we assign a carrier,” with nothing due at delivery.

No page we read gives the deposit in dollars, so ask before you sign. A cashier’s check or money order for the driver must be made out to the carrier, “not SGT”; personal checks and cards are refused. Withhold the driver’s money and the carrier “can legally hold the vehicle,” the help center warns; the Terms also give SGT a lien on the car for anything you owe it.

**Cards have limits the help center leaves out.** “We accept all major US cards,” it says. The Terms accept cards between $2,299 and $4,500 only with a completed authorization form, and above $4,500 require ACH, bank debit or Zelle. Hawaii orders are paid in full when placed, and international orders need an ACH or wire deposit, though SGT’s guaranteed-pickup page lists “payment via gift cards or wire transfer” as a red flag.

**A card dispute costs $200 more under the Terms.** A chargeback is treated as “payment abuse” that “may result in an additional $200 bank administration fee,” and section 23 repeats the $200 as a “fraudulent chargeback fee,” on top of collection costs and attorney’s fees. You may not hold back money against a damage claim, past-due bills carry up to 2% a month, and card payments can carry unpriced “convenience fees.” Raise any dispute with SGT in writing first.

### Discounts: SGT’s standing programs

**Discounts on SGT’s deals page (read 9 October 2026)**

| Discount | As printed | Condition the pages give |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Military | Up to 10% | “active duty and reserve” (help center); “military and veteran” (deal page) |
| Student | Up to 10% | None printed |
| Sunday Savings | Up to 10% | Book on a Sunday, Eastern Time |
| Multi Vehicles | $50 | “The more vehicles you ship, the lower your cost per unit” |
| Online Checkout | $50 | Book online |
| EV, Healthcare, First Responders, Senior Citizens, Celebrity | $50 each | None printed |

“Up to” is a ceiling, and SGT prints no rule on stacking. We leave out a snowbird offer its own page calls “time-sensitive.” The Best Price Guarantee excludes promotions, so get any discount written into your contract.

## Cancelling: the $199 fee and the two ways to a refund

This is the clause most likely to cost you money. Signing the Customer Shipping Contract authorizes SGT “to charge a $199 cancellation fee to the payment method on file,” which section 8 says is “not a penalty.” SGT may charge it in 6 situations:

- you cancel “before the estimated pickup window expires”;
- the order is double-booked, meaning you are also working with another broker;
- you gave materially wrong or misleading details about the car or the shipment;
- restrictions you set, payment problems or a late contract stop pickup within the window;
- you do not answer SGT within 48 hours of its first attempt, after at least two tries, before dispatch;
- an order you put on hold stays unresolved for 30 days.

The first item covers most changes of plan: as written, cancelling at any point before the window runs out, even before it starts, can be charged, carrier found or not, and before any deposit has been taken.

**Cancel in writing.** Cancellations must go to SGT’s cancellation e-mail address with your name, order number and vehicle, and “Phone and Live Chat cancellations are not accepted.” The time SGT receives the e-mail is what counts.

**The two refund exits.** Section 9 promises a refund in two cases: a written cancellation, before pickup, after the estimated pickup window has expired (unless restrictions you imposed caused the delay), or a written cancellation, before pickup, after the price rose above the one in your contract. In other words, you can walk away free if SGT misses its own window or asks for more money. The help center says refunds are processed within 2 business days.

When SGT cancels, the documents disagree. Two help-center answers say SGT then refunds “all payments.” The Terms let SGT cancel for reasons including abusive conduct, “unreasonable demands” or threatening a chargeback, then “withhold or offset refunds.” SGT may also amend the policy “at any time,” so save a copy the day you sign.

## Pickup windows, guaranteed pickup and delivery estimates

Everything runs off your First Available Date, the day the car is ready. The contract must be signed before it, and the pickup window is estimated dates “typically spanning 1-3 business days” after it. Late paperwork or changed details let SGT recalculate the window, and restrictions you add, from fixed times to a demand for “more than a 2 hours notice,” count against you if they block pickup.

Section 19 is blunt: “SGT does not guarantee any pickup or delivery times or dates,” and neither SGT nor the carrier pays for a rental car or a hotel if the car is late. The exception is a paid add-on in section 25.

- **Guaranteed Pickup Service** is “a premium service that adds an additional cost,” for “select routes and vehicle types,” and you must opt in. SGT then guarantees pickup on a confirmed date.
- **Its limits:** if severe weather, road closures or mechanical failures intervene, SGT reschedules “at the earliest available opportunity,” and the contract price “remains the same.” The Terms promise no refund of the premium. Any change from you needs 48 hours’ notice.
- **What the other pages add:** guaranteed dates fall Monday to Friday, mainly on open carriers (help center), and the guarantee covers “your pickup date only” (service page).

Delivery estimates do not agree. The help center gives 4 to 5 calendar days for 2,001 to 2,500 miles; the guaranteed-pickup page calls 2,000 miles “an 8 to 9 day turnaround.” Plan on the longer figure.

## Damage claims and insurance: the carrier, the bill of lading and 24 hours

The Terms take SGT out of the damage chain. Section 14 cites the Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), says brokers “are not liable for freight/cargo claims,” and makes the carrier your “sole remedy.” SGT will “attempt to assist,” but the carrier pays. Federal law makes carriers liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and bars them from allowing less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue.

Everything turns on the bill of lading. Before loading, you and the driver record existing damage on it; at delivery you inspect again, and signing “without notation of any damage” is, under the Terms, “affirming” good condition.

**Figure: Annotated photograph**

Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a sedan, a car's bonnet and a van, each with one fact from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and federal law.

SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and federal law, read on 9 October 2026: write every new mark on the bill of lading: signing it clean affirms good condition (callout 1); hidden damage? SGT’s Terms ask you to tell it within 24 hours of delivery (callout 2); the carrier, not SGT, answers for transit damage: get its insurance certificate first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative.

**Hidden damage has a 24-hour clock.** Visible damage goes on the bill of lading. Damage you find later must be reported to SGT “within 24 hours after taking delivery,” and SGT, the carrier or its insurer may inspect the car where it was delivered. The Terms call a missed notice or a refused inspection “an absolute bar to recovery,” but only “unless otherwise provided in an applicable statute.” The 9-month federal floor applies to claims against the carrier, so a late find is not necessarily lost; meet the 24 hours anyway and file a written claim with the carrier. The help center’s 5-step damage checklist gives no deadline at all.

**Pay the driver, then claim.** The Terms say freight charges must be paid for the carrier “to process a claim,” and you may not deduct damage from the balance or reverse a card payment. So write every new mark on the bill of lading, photograph it, pay as agreed, and pursue the claim in writing. Never sign a clean form in the dark or rain.

**What the included insurance is.** SGT’s FAQ says its prices “already encompass insurance coverage.” The cover is the carrier’s cargo policy. SGT says carriers usually carry $100,000 to $150,000 on open trailers and $250,000 to $3,000,000 on enclosed ones, and that it checks each meets “the insurance requirements” of DOT rules, which says less than it sounds: FMCSA’s chart, as our guide records, sets the cargo requirement for a for-hire carrier of property at $0. The Terms say SGT “is not obligated to provide cargo insurance,” have you warrant that you are insured or self-insured, and let SGT agree carrier contracts that “limit the carrier’s liability.” Get the carrier’s certificate of insurance and tell your own insurer.

- **Exclusions.** The Terms warn that cargo policies may exclude mechanical or electrical faults, uninspected undercarriage areas, pre-existing loose or broken parts, the interior, personal items and “Acts of God.”
- **The deductible.** It “does not apply to you,” the help center says, but damage must be at least the deductible “for a claim to be processed” by the insurer. It does not say who pays for smaller damage.
- **Personal items.** The FAQ allows up to 100 lbs in the trunk; the Terms require everything removed unless SGT agrees, and ban laptops, batteries and electronics. Cargo cover excludes them either way.
- **No loss of use.** Neither SGT nor the carrier pays for a rental car after damage or delay.

Our guide covers [insurance minimums](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#insurance), [the bill of lading](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#paperwork) and [claim deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage).

## New York courts, a lien and the rest of the fine print

Unlike Montway and AmeriFreight, SGT has no arbitration clause. Section 15 applies New York law and sends “all suits to recover a claim” exclusively to a state or federal court for Suffolk County, New York; claims not brought that way “shall be deemed waived.” If you live elsewhere, that is still where you would have to sue.

- **Only the written terms count.** They “supersede any alleged or asserted oral agreement,” so get an agent’s promises into your contract.
- **They change on posting** and print no date. Save a copy the day you sign.
- **Booking the trucker directly later** can cost you: if you hire a carrier you met through SGT, section 7 gives SGT 15% of what you pay that carrier for 15 months.
- **Your details travel.** Section 28 lets SGT pass your inquiry to “affiliated sister companies under common ownership”; you can opt out by e-mail.
- **Preparing the car:** a quarter to a half tank, alarm disarmed, racks and loose parts off, toll transponder out (its tolls are yours).
- **The broker’s record.** Under [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3), a broker keeps a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s registration number and its own compensation, for three years, and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record.”

The table sets SGT’s printed terms beside Montway’s and AmeriFreight’s, each from its own documents. It compares wording, not service, and ranks none of them.

**Printed terms: SGT (read 9 October 2026), Montway (read 7 October 2026) and AmeriFreight (read 9 October 2026)**

| Point | SGT’s documents | Montway’s documents | AmeriFreight’s Terms |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| When you are charged | Deposit at dispatch; Regular Price paid in full then | At dispatch; cash-price orders pay $199 or less up front | “Immediately” when you accept a carrier’s offer |
| Cancelling | $199 if before the estimated pickup window expires; in writing only | Free until a carrier accepts; then a minimum of $249 | Free until dispatch; then the “full deposit amount” |
| Price promise | Quotes valid 7 calendar days; competitor prices within 24 hours of booking reviewed for a match | Booked price locked for 30 calendar days | First Class Rate “GUARANTEED” |
| Damage notice | Visible damage on the bill of lading; hidden damage to SGT within 24 hours | Tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery | Paperwork within 10 days of delivery |
| Delivery dates | Not guaranteed (pickup can be, for a premium) | “Cannot and does not guarantee” | “Estimated and NOT guaranteed” |
| Disputes | No arbitration; New York law; Suffolk County courts | Individual arbitration, small claims excepted | AAA arbitration; Georgia law; Fayette County courts |

## SGT Auto Transport reviews and complaints: what we could check

**FMCSA’s complaint database.** FMCSA’s [National Consumer Complaint Database](https://complaint.fmcsa.dot.gov/company/001SJ000018KBp2YAG/sgt-auto-transport) lists complaints against USDOT 2521690 in each of the last six years: 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 9 in 2023, 10 in 2024, 6 in 2025 and 29 in 2026 up to our 9 October reading, 57 in all by our arithmetic. This year’s count already exceeds 2023 to 2025 combined (25). FMCSA files 48 under “Moving Company,” 8 under “Truck Company” and 1 under “Property Broker.” FMCSA warns that the complaints “have not necessarily been verified or substantiated,” and counts grow with volume, so treat them as a prompt for questions, not a verdict. Our guide explains [how to file a complaint](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#fraud-and-complaints).

**The ratings SGT shows.** SGT’s pages show star ratings beside review-platform badges, and the about page claims over 12,000 Google reviews averaging 4.7 in 2025. We verified none of them. SGT says it is “fully accredited with the BBB”; BBB’s site showed us a “You have been blocked” page, which we did not work around, so we report no BBB figure.

**The uShip claims.** SGT’s FAQ says uShip rates it “one of the most trusted” car shippers, the guaranteed-pickup page says “the most trusted,” and the about page says it reached “the top spot” on uShip in 2021. But uShip says it “does not verify provider authority or insurance,” as our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/) records, so a uShip ranking is not a licensing check.

**Other records.** Web searches on 9 October 2026 for the company with attorney general, FTC, consent order and settlement found no regulator action naming SGT; that is a search result, not a clearance. Trustpilot and Reddit are left out under this site’s policy.

## Where SGT’s own pages disagree

Read side by side, SGT’s documents disagree in at least 17 places, 15 of them below. Where they touch money, dates or damage, the Terms are what you sign, and they say they override everything else.

**Conflicts between SGT’s own documents, read 9 October 2026**

| Topic | One page says | Another says |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Broker or not | “An auto transport management company” (help center) | “A broker only and not a Motor Carrier” (Terms) |
| Who picks up | “A transport driver from SGT Auto Transport” (guaranteed-pickup page) | SGT “will not perform transportation” (Terms) |
| Paying in advance | “You pay nothing in advance” (FAQ) | Deposit due at dispatch, before pickup (Terms) |
| Final price | “The price you will pay” (help center) | Quotes “subject to change”; SGT may adjust them (Terms) |
| Insurance | Prices “encompass insurance coverage” (FAQ) | SGT “is not obligated to provide cargo insurance” (Terms) |
| Cards | “All major US cards” (help center) | No cards above $4,500 (Terms) |
| Wire transfers | A red flag (guaranteed-pickup page) | “ACH/wire transfer” required for international deposits (Terms) |
| If SGT cancels | It refunds “all payments” (help center) | It may “withhold or offset refunds” (Terms) |
| Price matching | “Every shipment” matched (help center) | Reviewed if found within 24 hours; can be withdrawn (Terms) |
| Automation | “We do not use an automated system” (help center) | An “AI-powered rate engine” (cost page) |
| Pickup window | 1-3 business days (Terms) | 1-4 business days (guaranteed-pickup page) |
| Transit time | 2,001 to 2,500 miles: 4 to 5 days (help center) | 2,000 miles: 8 to 9 days (guaranteed-pickup page) |
| Customers | “Over 76,000” (about page text) | “120,000+” (about page tile); “128 940+” (footer) |
| Military discount | Active duty and reserve (help center) | Military and veterans (deal page) |
| Cross-references | Section 14(a) cites “Section 13(a)”; section 17 cites “Section 16” | Those sections cover indemnity and changes to the Terms |

The counts wander too: “well over 100,000 vehicles” and “150,000+” on the same about page, a 164,518 “Successful Shipments” counter on the cost page, and a network of “more than 25k” carriers or 30,000, depending on the page. None of this proves a shipment will go badly; it shows why only the signed contract should be relied on.

## Before you book with SGT Auto Transport

- **Match the numbers.** Confirm USDOT 2521690 and MC-873392 on SAFER and on your contract, then look up the assigned carrier’s own authority, insurance and crash record.
- **Be sure of your dates** before you sign the contract: cancelling before the window runs out can cost $199.
- **Ask for the deposit in dollars** and how the driver is paid; above $4,500 cards are not accepted.
- **Book with one broker only.** Double-booking voids the price guarantee and can trigger the fee.
- **Describe the car exactly,** including lifts, oversized wheels and whether it runs, or expect a higher price in cash at pickup.
- **Inspect before you sign** at pickup and delivery, write every mark on the bill of lading and keep your copies and photos.
- **Keep the deadlines:** 24 hours to tell SGT about hidden damage, and a written claim to the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months.
- **Cancel only in writing,** by e-mail, and save a copy of the Terms the day you sign.

If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/), [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) and the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) cover the other steps. For other brokers’ records, see our [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/), [AmeriFreight](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/) and [Sherpa Auto Transport](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reviews. For the dealer side of a purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies.

## Common questions

### Is SGT Auto Transport legit?

It is a registered broker in good standing on the federal record: USDOT 2521690 and MC-873392, broker authority since 10 July 2014, never revoked, and a surety bond on file. FMCSA opened and dropped three involuntary-revocation cases, and its complaint database lists 57 unverified complaints since 2021. Check the assigned carrier too.

### Is SGT Auto Transport a broker or a carrier?

A broker. Its Terms call it “a broker only and not a Motor Carrier,” and FMCSA authorizes it only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods)” with no trucks. An independent carrier with its own USDOT number hauls the car.

### Does SGT Auto Transport charge a deposit?

Not at booking. The Terms make a deposit due when a carrier is dispatched; on the Regular Price you pay everything then, and on the Discounted Cash Price the rest goes to the driver. SGT does not print the deposit’s size.

### Can I cancel an SGT order and get a refund?

You can cancel, in writing only, but SGT may charge $199 if you do so before the estimated pickup window expires. The Terms promise a refund if the window passes with no pickup or the price rises above your contract, unless restrictions you imposed caused the delay.

### Who pays if my car is damaged shipping with SGT?

The carrier, under SGT’s Terms and 49 U.S.C. 14706. Note damage on the bill of lading before signing, tell SGT about hidden damage within 24 hours, and file a written claim with the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months.

### Does SGT Auto Transport guarantee pickup or delivery dates?

Not as standard: the Terms say SGT “does not guarantee any pickup or delivery times or dates.” Its paid Guaranteed Pickup Service fixes a pickup date on some routes, Monday to Friday, but no SGT service guarantees delivery.

## Sources and further reading

- [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer)

Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it.

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Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/