It’s been a month since a new state law kicked in allowing longer commercial trucks on Vermont’s east-west highways, and officials say it doesn’t appear to have had any major effect on traffic.

The law ended a virtual ban on longer trucks on U.S. Route 4 and made it easier for long trucks to travel throughout the truck network. As of Aug. 1, longer commercial vehicles were able to travel the entire truck network without a permit.
"As long as the trailer doesn't exceed 53 and the overall length doesn't exceed 72 feet, they can go anywhere on the network without a permit," Lt. Jake Elovirta of the Department of Motor Vehicles told the Associated Press. "Once you exceed 72 feet or leave the network, that's when you need a permit."
Many trucking companies obtained yearlong permits for their long trucks last spring and aren't expected to start applying for the new permits until next spring. As a result, only four permits have been issued for long trucks to drive on Route 4, although officials expect more are using the highways.
The law also opened up a formerly closed section of Route 4 to longer commercial vehicles with a permit, and required trucks to pay the entire diesel tax at the pump.