Heavier Trucks Running on Vermont Interstates

Trucks as heavy as 100,000 pounds are now traveling on all interstate highways in Vermont, thanks to action last month by state legislators and Gov. Jim Douglas (R).

The U.S. Congress agreed in December to a one-year pilot program that exempts Vermont and Maine from the 80,000 pound limit on the federal interstate highway system.

Vermont law, however, requires trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds to have special, one-year permits. In Vermont, trucks with such permits have been allowed to run on highways not in the federal system.

In order for Vermont to join the pilot program, however, lawmakers and the governor had to extend the permit regulation to trucks traveling on the interstates.

By Michele Fuetsch
Staff Reporter