By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026
Vermont's oversize and overweight permits come from the DMV's Commercial Vehicle Operations unit in Montpelier, not the transportation agency, and are now issued through the VT Haul Pass online system. A single-trip permit is $48 ($34 for an over-length-only trip permit), and an annual blanket permit is $135 for the first unit and $8 for each additional one. Legal limits are 8 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, 46 feet for a single vehicle, 75 feet for a combination on state roads and 80,000 pounds gross. Annual special excess weight permits let 6-axle combinations run at up to 99,000 pounds on designated state routes, off the Interstate.
Who issues what in Vermont
The permit pages
Vermont-specific requirements
Vermont has no intrastate operating authority or state carrier number, so its differences from the median state sit elsewhere. One DMV office in Montpelier handles IRP, IFTA, oversize and overweight permits and the Form 2290; overweight is policed by annual special excess weight permits rather than per-trip fees; trucks of any weight must enter open weigh stations; and two winter laws target heavy trucks: a ban on long vehicles in Smugglers' Notch and a chain law for vehicles over 26,000 pounds.
No intrastate authority, no state number
A for-hire carrier needs only proper registration (and IFTA if based outside Vermont) to haul inside the state. See the state intrastate authority page.
Smugglers' Notch is closed to long trucks
Single-frame vehicles over 40 feet and tractors with trailers over 45 feet in total length may not use the Smugglers' Notch segment of Route 108. The civil penalty is $1,000, or $2,000 if traffic is substantially impeded, doubled for a repeat within three years, and it can fall on the employer.
Chain law for vehicles over 26,000 pounds
State officials may require tire chains on posted sections of state highways in winter for vehicles with a GVWR or GCWR over 26,000 pounds, with the chain layout set by axle configuration. Failing to chain is a $1,000 civil penalty for the driver or employer, $2,000 if traffic is substantially impeded.
99,000-pound annual permits off the Interstate
Six-axle combinations registered for 80,000 pounds with at least 51 feet between extreme axles can buy an annual permit to carry up to 99,000 pounds on designated state and town routes ($671), or 90,000 pounds ($458). Out-of-state trucks qualify only if their home jurisdiction grants Vermont trucks the same.
Every truck enters open weigh stations
Regardless of weight, all trucks must enter Vermont weigh stations and inspection areas when open; enrolled fleets can use Drivewyze PreClear.
Diesel fuel user's license on every heavy Vermont truck
On top of IFTA, each Vermont-registered motor truck of 26,001 pounds or more that burns diesel needs a diesel fuel user's license, $6.50 a year, renewed with the registration. See the state IFTA page.
Purchase and Use Tax at registration
Every vehicle registered in Vermont owes the 6 percent Purchase and Use Tax on new and transfer registrations, capped at $2,486 for trucks registered over 10,099 pounds, collected by the IRP Unit for apportioned trucks.
Weekend and holiday permit restrictions
Loads over 108,000 pounds, over 12 feet wide or over 100 feet long do not move on state highways on Saturdays, Sundays or listed holidays unless the permit allows it. See the state permits page for the summer Friday-afternoon variant in the DMV FAQ.
The Vermont permit system
- Apply or log in (VT Haul Pass commercial permitting system)
- vthaulpass.vermont.gov
More Vermont rules that catch carriers out
- One stop shop: detail
- Vermont's Motor Carrier One-Stop Shop at 120 State Street, Montpelier handles applications and tax forms, decals, permits and credentials, tax account status, oversize and overweight permits, and IRS Form 2290. Lines: IRP 802-828-2071, IFTA 802-828-2070, oversize 802-828-2064; email DMV.CVO@vermont.gov.
Size and weight permits
A single-trip permit covers one overweight, overwidth, overheight or indivisible overlength move, with a lower fee for a combination that is only overlength. Annual blanket permits cover nondivisible loads within set limits for the first unit plus each added unit, and low-bed trailers have their own annual permit. Loads that need an engineering inspection pay a survey fee by weight.
Permits issue in the registrant's name, one vehicle per permit, only for nondivisible loads, and only after the vehicle is registered to the maximum legal weight for its class.
Special excess weight permits
Vermont's annual special excess weight permits let divisible loads run heavier on designated routes, never the Interstate. The heaviest tier covers six-axle combinations registered to the federal gross limit with a long enough wheelbase. Out-of-state trucks qualify only if their home jurisdiction grants Vermont trucks the same.
Trip permits for visiting trucks
A truck based elsewhere that is eligible for IRP but not apportioned for Vermont buys a 72-hour trip permit before entering, and one eligible for IFTA but not licensed buys a 72-hour fuel trip permit. The statute, the DMV manual and the DMV fee page print different charges, so this site shows the conflict instead of picking one.
Compare beyond Vermont
Running multi-state loads? The trucking permits by state table shows which permit families and issuing offices apply in every jurisdiction, the oversize permit costs by state table compares limits and fees across all 51 jurisdictions, and the permit cost estimator prices a specific load per state.