From 2009 to 2021, an average of 8.6 trucks have gotten stuck in the Notch each year, according to data from the Vermont Agency of Transportation. That number decreased in 2021 to only five stuck semis. File photo by Greg Popa/Stowe Reporter This story by Tracy Brannstrom was first published in The News Citizen on June 4, 2026. A new Vermont law will sharply increase penalties for oversized vehicles that illegally travel through Smugglers Notch. S.326, a wide-ranging motor vehicle bill passed by lawmakers on May 26, increases fines intended to keep oversized vehicles off Vermont Route 108 between Cambridge and Stowe. Beginning July 1, the penalty for operating a prohibited vehicle through the mountain pass will increase from $1,000 to $10,000. If the violation substantially blocks traffic — such as when a truck gets stuck — the fine will increase from $2,000 to $20,000. A second violation within three years would double the penalty. The fines apply to the employer of a driver operating a vehicle within the scope of employment, or to the operator of a vehicle being used for personal purposes. Vehicles longer than the area’s size restrictions, including many large commercial trucks and tractor-trailers, are prohibited from traveling through Smugglers Notch. Warning signs and chicanes — barriers that require drivers to navigate tight turns before entering the narrow mountain pass — have been installed in recent years to alert drivers, but oversized vehicles continue to attempt the route. Lamoille County Sen. Richard Westman, R-Cambridge, said oversized vehicles getting stuck in Smugglers Notch is a decades-long problem, creating challenges and costs for emergency responders and transportation officials. According to Westman, the chicanes have helped reduce incidents. Before their installation, he said, the area saw roughly eight to 10 stuck trucks a year, a number that has dropped closer to one or two annually in recent years. The Agency of Transportation and Department of Motor Vehicles proposed the higher fines as part of the miscellaneous DMV bill. An earlier version of the bill would also have assessed five points against the driving records of operators who drove prohibited vehicles through Smugglers Notch. That provision was removed from the final bill, leaving the increased civil penalties aimed largely at employers of commercial drivers. Westman said the final version reflects the reality that commercial drivers are not always the ones deciding which route to take, with many following routes assigned by employers or relying on mapping systems that do not recognize the challenges posed by the narrow mountain road. “Any unsuspecting driver who’s never been through, and the company tells them the route — you vary from that route and your job’s at risk,” Westman said. The bill also directs the Agency of Transportation to update signs near Smugglers Notch to notify drivers of the increased penalties. Read the story on VTDigger here: Notch-blocker fines to increase tenfold. ...read more read less