ACORD 143 is the Transportation Section attached to an ACORD 125 commercial application. It gathers underwriting information for property in transit and motor truck cargo legal liability, including commodities, routes, shipment values, vehicles, drivers, security, and loss controls.
It is not a bill of lading, certificate, motor-carrier filing, or policy.
What does ACORD 143 collect?
The first part identifies whether the applicant is a common carrier, contract carrier, private carrier, or shipper of owned property. It records the property shipped, operating territory, origins and destinations, annual gross sales or shipment values, average and maximum shipment, limits, conveyances, and bill-of-lading or freight-term information.
The motor truck cargo legal liability section asks about commodities carried for others, terminals, vehicles, drivers, theft controls, maintenance, subcontracting, and related operations. A published 2013/09 specimen also directs users to attach ACORD 129 when more vehicle schedule space is needed.[1]
Why must cargo values be reported in several ways?
An underwriter needs both volume and accumulation. Annual freight receipts or shipped values indicate the scale of the operation, while the maximum value on one vehicle indicates the severity of one loss. Average values can hide occasional high-value loads.
Separate refrigerated, hazardous, theft-attractive, fragile, temperature-sensitive, or oversize cargo. Explain seasonal peaks and whether loaded vehicles are left overnight. The limit requested should reflect the largest realistic accumulation, contract requirements, and any sublimits.
Shipper's interest or motor truck cargo liability?
A shipper may insure its own property while in transit. A motor carrier usually seeks coverage for legal liability for property of others in its care under transportation contracts. Those are not the same insured interest, even if the same goods appear in both submissions.
Review bills of lading, limitation-of-liability provisions, brokerage activity, owner-operators, interchange arrangements, and warehouse exposure. Completing the form does not guarantee coverage for every commodity or cause of loss, and a certificate cannot fix an undisclosed cargo restriction.
Frequently asked questions
Does ACORD 143 provide cargo coverage?
No. It collects application data. The issued policy, schedule, and endorsements determine coverage.
Is annual revenue enough to choose a cargo limit?
No. Review the highest value on one vehicle or in one location, including seasonal and unusual loads.
Where are additional vehicles listed?
The form can use ACORD 129 as an attached vehicle schedule when more space is needed.
Where can you obtain ACORD 143?
Eligible users can search for current licensed forms through the ACORD Forms Portal.[2] Use the edition supplied by the broker or authorized system, and keep the completed copy with the submission.
This guide is for educational purposes and describes the application in original words. Menlo Insurance Services is not affiliated with ACORD Corporation. ACORD 143 does not bind or amend coverage. Your issued policy controls. Talk to a licensed broker about your transportation operation.
The Bottom Line
ACORD 143 explains what moves, where it moves, whose property it is, how valuable one load can be, and how the applicant controls the exposure. Those details determine whether a cargo submission is usable.
References
- 1.ACORD Form Library. “ACORD 143 2013/09 Transportation Section Specimen.” https://acordform.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/acord-143-pdf.pdf ↩
- 2.ACORD. “ACORD Forms Portal.” https://formsportal.acord.org/ ↩