ACORD Forms
ACORD 137: Commercial Auto Coverages / Limits Section
The ACORD 137 is the coverages and limits half of a commercial auto submission. The ACORD 127 describes the vehicles, drivers, and operations; the 137 states what coverage to quote on them: liability limits, covered auto symbols, state-required coverages, and physical damage.
What it is
The ACORD 137 is the coverages and limits half of a commercial auto submission. The ACORD 127 describes the vehicles, drivers, and operations; the 137 states what coverage to quote on them: liability limits, covered auto symbols, state-required coverages, and physical damage.
It is a state-specific form. Each state has its own edition, identified by the state code after the form number, because auto coverages are creatures of state law. A Pennsylvania edition carries first-party benefits and stacked or non-stacked uninsured motorist options; a Massachusetts edition carries compulsory personal injury protection. Use the edition for the state where the policy is written.
When it's used
- Any commercial auto submission, paired with the ACORD 127 business auto section or the ACORD 132 truckers and motor carriers section.
- Remarketing a fleet, where each carrier needs the requested coverages stated in the state's own terms.
- Coverage changes at renewal: new limits, added hired and non-owned coverage, or physical damage changes.
Section-by-section walkthrough
Identification
Agency, carrier, policy number, effective dates, and named insured, matching the ACORD 127 or 132 the form travels with.
Covered auto symbols
The symbols that define which autos each coverage applies to: any auto, owned autos only, hired autos, non-owned autos, and the rest. Symbols are the coverage grant, so they decide which vehicles the policy actually protects.
Watch for: Requesting symbols narrower than the operation. A business that borrows or rents vehicles with owned-auto-only symbols has a gap.
Liability
The liability limit requested, either a combined single limit or split bodily injury and property damage limits, depending on what the state edition offers.
Watch for: Limits below what the insured's contracts require. Motor carrier agreements and job contracts often set floors.
State-required coverages
The coverages the state mandates or regulates: personal injury protection, no-fault benefits, first-party benefits, and similar. This block is why the form is state-specific; the choices differ from edition to edition.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist
UM and UIM elections and limits, with state-specific options like stacked or non-stacked coverage where they exist.
Watch for: Treating UM and UIM as an afterthought. Several states require documented selection or rejection, and a missing election can hold up binding.
Medical payments
Optional medical payments coverage and the limit requested, where the state edition offers it.
Physical damage
Comprehensive, specified causes of loss, and collision, with deductibles per coverage. Ties back to the vehicles scheduled on the ACORD 127 or 129.
Watch for: Requesting physical damage on units with no stated value or cost new on the vehicle schedule.
Hired and non-owned auto
Coverage for vehicles the business hires and for employee-owned vehicles used on business, with the exposure detail the carrier needs.
Endorsements, remarks, and signatures
Requested endorsements, explanations that do not fit the boxes, and the applicant's and producer's signatures.
In Relay
ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the ACORD 137 from the client record and the documents you already have, and a person reviews every field before anything goes out. See how →
Common errors
- Using the wrong state edition, which offers the wrong coverage choices from the first line.
- Covered auto symbols that do not match how the business actually acquires and uses vehicles.
- Submitting the ACORD 127 alone and leaving the carrier without requested coverages or limits.
- UM and UIM elections incomplete where the state requires documented selection or rejection.
- Physical damage requested on the 137 for vehicles missing values on the schedule.
Common questions
Is the ACORD 137 one form or many?
Many. Each state has its own edition of the commercial auto coverages / limits section, named with the state code after the form number, because required coverages and options differ by state. Use the edition for the policy's governing state.
Do I always need an ACORD 137 with a commercial auto submission?
If you want the carrier to quote specific coverages and limits, yes. The 127 and 132 describe the risk; the 137 carries the coverage request. Some carriers substitute their own coverage questionnaires, so confirm with the underwriter.
Can Relay draft an ACORD 137?
Yes. ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the coverages and limits section alongside the 127 from the client record, and a person reviews everything before the submission goes out.
Related forms
Part of the Relay ACORD form library. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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