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    How to Fill Out an ACORD 25 Form (Step-by-Step Guide)

    July 31, 20268 min read

    Filling out an ACORD 25 — the standard Certificate of Liability Insurance — is straightforward once you know what belongs in each box. This guide walks through the form section by section, in the order it appears, with trucking-specific examples.

    What the ACORD 25 Is (and Isn't)

    The ACORD 25 is a one-page snapshot of a business's insurance: who is insured, who wrote the coverage, what coverages are active, the limits, the policy numbers, and the effective dates. It is evidence of insurance, not the policy itself, and it does not amend or extend the coverage described.

    Only a licensed producer (agent or broker) — or an authorized platform acting on their behalf — may issue one. Motor carriers should never edit a certificate by hand; altered certificates are routinely rejected by brokers and shippers.

    Section 1: Producer

    The top-left block identifies the agency issuing the certificate.

  1. Producer name and address — the agency's legal name and street address.

  2. Contact name, phone, fax, email — the person a certificate holder calls to confirm coverage.

    3. Keep this current. Brokers verify certificates by calling this number.

    Section 2: Insured

    Directly below the producer, enter the named insured exactly as it appears on the policy — including "LLC", "Inc.", or a DBA. This is the single most common source of rejected certificates: the name on the certificate must match the name on the broker's carrier packet and your MC/DOT authority.

    Include the full mailing address of the insured.

    Section 3: Insurers Affording Coverage

    The right-hand block lists each carrier writing a policy on the certificate, labeled INSURER A through INSURER F, with each carrier's NAIC number. Every coverage line below references one of these letters, so assign them before you fill in the coverage grid.

    Example:

  3. INSURER A: Progressive Casualty Ins Co (NAIC 11851) — Auto Liability

  4. INSURER B: Great West Casualty (NAIC 11371) — General Liability

  5. INSURER C: Northland Insurance (NAIC 24015) — Motor Truck Cargo

    6. Section 4: Coverages, Limits, and Dates

    This is the grid that matters most. For each line of coverage, complete:

  6. INSR LTR — the insurer letter (A–F) from the block above.

  7. Type of insurance — Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, Umbrella/Excess, Workers Compensation, or an "Other" line such as Motor Truck Cargo or Trailer Interchange.

  8. ADDL INSD / SUBR WVD — check these only when the policy actually grants additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation by endorsement.

  9. Policy number.

  10. Policy effective date and policy expiration date (MM/DD/YYYY).

  11. Limits — as written on the policy.

    12. Typical trucking limits you will enter:

  12. Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit (federally required minimum is $750,000 for general freight; $1,000,000 is the market standard, and $5,000,000 applies to certain hazmat).

  13. General Liability: $1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 general aggregate.

  14. Motor Truck Cargo: $100,000 is the common broker requirement; reefer and high-value freight often require more.

  15. Workers Compensation: statutory limits, plus employer's liability (commonly $1,000,000 each accident).

  16. Trailer Interchange: typically $20,000–$50,000 when pulling another party's trailer.

    17. Check the Any Auto / Owned / Hired / Non-Owned boxes to reflect what the auto policy actually covers. Hired and non-owned auto matters for carriers who rent power units.

    Section 5: Description of Operations

    Free-text field for load numbers, trailer numbers, additional insured wording, waiver-of-subrogation language, primary and non-contributory wording, and cancellation terms.

    Keep it factual and limited to what the policy supports. If the text exceeds the space available, continue it on an ACORD 101 Additional Remarks schedule rather than shrinking the font or cutting words.

    Section 6: Certificate Holder

    The party requesting proof of insurance — a broker, shipper, warehouse, or facility. Enter their legal name and full address exactly as they provided it. A certificate holder is not automatically an additional insured; additional insured status requires a policy endorsement and should be reflected in the ADDL INSD column and described in Section 5.

    Section 7: Cancellation and Authorized Representative

    The cancellation clause is preprinted: notice will be delivered per the policy provisions. Do not rewrite it to promise a fixed number of days unless an endorsement supports it.

    The certificate must carry the authorized representative's signature. An unsigned ACORD 25 will be rejected.

    Final Checklist Before You Send


  17. Named insured matches the policy and the authority filing.

  18. Every coverage line has an insurer letter, policy number, dates, and limits.

  19. No expired policy dates.

  20. Certificate holder name and address are spelled exactly as requested.

  21. Additional insured and waiver boxes reflect real endorsements.

  22. Signature present; nothing altered after issuance.

    23. Generate a Completed ACORD 25 in Seconds

    Rather than retyping this form for every load, AnytimeCertificate stores your policy data once and produces a signed, correctly formatted ACORD 25 with the certificate holder filled in — in about 30 seconds, any hour of the day. You can also upload an existing ACORD 25 PDF and let the system extract your policy details automatically.

    Related reading: What is an ACORD 25?

    Frequently Asked Questions