Fine for getting stuck in Smugglers’ Notch spikes to $20,000 in bill heading to state House

A bill raising the fine for getting stuck in Smugglers’ Notch to $20,000 is heading to the state House after passing in the state Senate on Friday. 

Bill S. 326 passed in the Vermont Senate on Friday, March 20th. The bill includes a massive fine increase for commercial vehicles that get stuck attempting to drive along Smuggler’s Notch on Vermont Route 108 between Cambridge and Stowe. The bill now heads to the state House.

Current penalties for any truck driver who gets stuck in Smugglers’ Notch start at $2,000 for the trucking company, and $1,000 for getting caught driving a commercial vehicle in the area without getting stuck.

In the advancing bill, this fine is raised to $20,000 for the trucking company that owns any commercial vehicle that gets stuck in the area. A citation for simply operating a CMV in the prohibited area without getting stuck would raise to $10,000. If caught and convicted of the same violation within a three year period, the applicable fine amount would be doubled. 

Tractor trailers are prohibited in Smugglers’ Notch, and multiple warning signs and chicanes systems are installed to notify truck drivers of the ban.