By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026
Vermont sells two separate 72-hour permits to trucks based elsewhere: an IRP trip permit in place of apportioned registration (23 V.S.A. § 3702) and a fuel trip permit in place of IFTA licensing (23 V.S.A. § 3010). Each must be bought before the truck enters Vermont and kept in the vehicle. Vermont-based fleets have two other temporary credentials: 45-day temporary authorization for a vehicle being added to the fleet and an unladen-weight Hunter permit.
The trip permit (registration side)
This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list Vermont has no legal registration standing in the state.
- Fee
- 23 V.S.A. § 3702 sets the fee at 15 dollars. The DMV's IRP/IFTA manual says 15 dollars plus additional permit service fees, and the DMV Commercial Trucking Fees page lists 72-Hour Trip Permits at 20 dollars under IRP/IFTA. Because the published figures differ, no single amount is recorded; confirm the charge at purchase.
- Who needs it
- Any vehicle registered outside Vermont that is eligible for apportioned registration under the IRP but is not apportioned for Vermont. The permit allows both interstate and intrastate operation. Every trip permit requires a USDOT number.
- Where to buy
- Online, at the address the IRP/IFTA manual prints (vermont.gov/DMV/irp); Through a commercial permit service, which the manual notes adds its own permit service fees
The fuel permit (tax side)
This credential answers for the state's highway or fuel tax when there is no IFTA license (or, in the weight-distance states, no tax account) behind the truck.
- Fee
- 23 V.S.A. § 3010 sets the fee at 15 dollars. The DMV Commercial Trucking Fees page lists only one 72-Hour Trip Permits line, at 20 dollars, under IRP/IFTA, without saying whether it covers the fuel permit. Because the published figures differ, no single amount is recorded.
- Who needs it
- Any vehicle registered outside Vermont that is eligible for IFTA licensing and is not licensed in Vermont for fuel tax reporting. A licensee caught without a copy of its IFTA license may also be required to buy a trip permit, be cited, or both.
- Where to buy
- Bought before entering Vermont; the manual points trip permit buyers online at vermont.gov/DMV/irp; Through a commercial permit service
Other temporary permits in Vermont
Short-term credentials Vermont issues beside the trip and fuel permits, for situations those two do not cover.
- 45-day temporary authorization (Vermont-based IRP fleets)
- A Vermont-based carrier adding a vehicle to an existing apportioned fleet can get temporary authorization for 15 dollars, valid 45 days in the listed jurisdictions and weights. The Schedule C/E supplement must be filed and tax, title and registration fees paid first, and the permanent application must follow. (23 V.S.A. § 3703)
- Unladen weight (Hunter) permit
- Lets an owner-operator who is not under lease operate an unloaded truck registered at no more than its empty weight while looking for a carrier. 23 V.S.A. § 3704 sets it at 20 dollars for 20 days; the DMV manual describes it as valid for not longer than 30 days and issued only to Vermont-based carriers. (23 V.S.A. § 3704)
Worth knowing
An IRP fleet reports miles run under trip permits in its distance records. The trip permits cover registration and fuel tax only; they do not replace a CDL, insurance or the safety rules.
Where these fit in the Vermont permit stack
Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the Vermont IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in Vermont oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in Vermont trucking permits.