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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Vermont

Vermont sells no intrastate operating authority and issues no state carrier number. A truck hauling only inside the state needs proper registration, the state's insurance minimum and compliance with the safety rules. One DMV office in Montpelier handles IRP plates, IFTA, oversize permits and trip permits, and every figure here comes from a sourced record.

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required

State agency None for operating authority. Vermont Agency of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles: Commercial Vehicle Operations (registration, IRP, IFTA and oversize/overweight permits) and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (motor carrier safety)

Credential No state operating authority for intrastate for-hire or private carriers

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Oct 5, 2026.How we verify

Everything Vermont requires, in order

Each step is its own page, with the Vermont figures read from the agency that publishes them.

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Vermont sequence below: get your own authority, USDOT number, Form 2290, and what it all costs.

Before you file

  1. Start a trucking companyFederal steps plus this state, in order
  2. DOT numberState USDOT triggers and carrier numbers
  3. CDLLicense fees, testing, endorsements

State credentials

  1. Intrastate authorityState operating authority: rule, agency, fee
  2. Insurance requirementsState liability minimums and insurer filings

Plates, fuel tax and trip permits

  1. IRP registrationApportioned plates and cab cards
  2. IFTAFuel tax license, decals, filing
  3. Trip and fuel permitsTemporary IRP and IFTA permits

Permits and state taxes

  1. Trucking permitsEvery state permit a carrier may need
  2. Oversize permitsLegal limits, permit fees, escorts

How Vermont organizes trucking compliance

The Department of Motor Vehicles does almost all of it. Its Commercial Vehicle Operations unit at 120 State Street in Montpelier runs a Motor Carrier One-Stop Shop for IRP apportioned registration, IFTA licenses and decals, oversize and overweight permits, and IRS Form 2290. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, also part of the DMV, handles roadside safety and the weigh stations.

Two things sit outside the DMV. Hazardous waste and solid waste haulers get a permit from the Agency of Natural Resources. FMCSA issues the USDOT number; no Vermont office does.

Where Vermont differs

Vermont's quirks sit in its roads and taxes. Every truck must enter an open weigh station whatever its weight. Long trucks may not use the Smugglers' Notch stretch of Route 108, and a winter chain law covers heavy vehicles on posted state highways. Overweight hauling off the Interstate runs on annual special excess weight permits that let six-axle combinations carry far more than the federal gross limit.

At registration, Vermont trucks also pay the Purchase and Use Tax and, for heavy diesel trucks, a small annual diesel fuel user's license on top of IFTA.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page explains the no-authority answer and the safety rules that still apply. The permits pages cover legal limits, the flat single-trip and annual permit fees, special excess weight permits, escorts and the weekend and holiday limits. The IFTA and IRP pages cover the established place of business test, filing dates and renewals. Separate guides cover insurance, the USDOT number, the Vermont CDL and the 72-hour trip permits for visiting trucks.

Each figure is a data field tied to the statute or DMV page it came from. Where two official sources disagree, the page shows both.

Vermont filing walkthroughs

Step-by-step articles for the recurring Vermont filings, written against the same sourced records as the pages above.

Free calculators that cover Vermont

Frequently asked questions

Does Vermont require its own trucking authority?

No. The DMV's motor carrier guide says nothing beyond proper registration is required to haul for hire inside Vermont, plus an IFTA license when the truck is based in another state. There is no application, fee or state carrier number.

Do I need a USDOT number if I never leave Vermont?

Vermont is not on FMCSA's list of states that require one for intrastate carriers. You still need the number for IRP plates, any IRP trip permit and the IFTA application, so most growing fleets end up with one.

Which office handles trucking compliance in Vermont?

The DMV. Commercial Vehicle Operations in Montpelier issues IRP registration, IFTA credentials, trip permits and oversize and overweight permits, and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement runs safety and weigh stations. Waste haulers also need an Agency of Natural Resources permit.

Where do the numbers on these Vermont pages come from?

From Title 23 of the Vermont Statutes on the Legislature's site and from the DMV's own pages, manuals and forms, including the IRP/IFTA manual, the motor carrier safety guide, the permit rules and the CDL manual. Each fee, limit and deadline carries a source marker you can open.

Sources

The official sources used on this page. Check the current instructions before you file or pay.

  1. A Guide to the Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in Vermont, Form VN-166 (01/2023) · Vermont Agency of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles
  2. Commercial Vehicle Operations · Vermont Agency of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles
  3. Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program · Vermont Agency of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.