Enforcement

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement and Safety Division

I. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to require that all department members conduct policing in a fair and impartial manner, to clarify the circumstances in which officers can consider personal characteristics, or immigration status, when making law enforcement decisions, and to reinforce processes and procedures that enable us to provide services and enforce laws in an equitable and impartial way.

Drivewyze PreClear Weigh Station Bypass Program: Vermont DMV has authorized the Drivewyze PreClear bypass program to operate at some locations. Commercial fleets and owner-operators that register with the Drivewyze PreClear bypass service are eligible to bypass these sites instead of always pulling in, at rates determined by the state of Vermont and based upon safety scores and other prerequisites. Drivewyze PreClear is not a transponder-based bypass system, but runs instead as a GPS based application on smartphones, tablets and select in-cab devices.

Vermont School buses and school vehicles are also subjected to random inspections throughout the school year to further ensure the safe transportation of Vermont’s school students.
 

While inspecting commercial vehicles for safety compliance, many of Vermont’s motor carrier enforcement professionals also weigh them in an effort to help protect our transportation infrastructure.  Using weigh in motion and portable scales, commercial vehicles are screened and weighed to ensure compliance with Vermont’s weight laws.
Special Hauling Permit Information

Throughout Vermont, trained officers inspect commercial vehicles and their drivers for compliance with state and federal motor carrier safety regulations. Inspections are conducted at interstate weigh stations and along many of the state’s frequently traveled rural roadways.

The defendant on a ticket issued for an overweight violation can be the operator or the carrier. The fines for an overweight violation depend on several factors.  The fines are a set amount per thousand pounds overweight, and vary depending the amount of the overweight. It also depends if the vehicle is operating on a permit, and how many overweight tickets the defendant has been convicted of in the last 12 months.

There are several ways a vehicle can be overweight; such as over the registered weight, over tire limits, over an axle weight, or over gross weight.  Depending on which way a vehicle is overweight depends on what there is for a enforcement tolerance.  Depending on the weight violation, a tolerance will vary from a zero tolerance to a 10% tolerance.  It also depends on whether the vehicle is being operated in conformance with a special permit.  However, there is no weight statute that uses the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) as the basis for a vehicle’s legal weight limit.

To get a USDOT number, new applicants must register online via the Unified Registration System. 

In general, a USDOT Number is required if you are operating in interstate commerce and:

You have vehicles that are over 10,000 lbs.
You transport between 9 and 15 passengers (including the driver) for compensation, whether direct or indirect
You transport 16 or more passengers
You haul hazardous materials