Truckers in Vermont will continue to be free to idle their rigs when necessary after a proposal that sought to restrict the practice failed to pass the Legislature before lawmakers adjourned May 20.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Gerry Gossens, D-Salisbury, would have limited the idling time for some trucks.

S250 remained in the Senate Committee on Transportation at the close of the session, effectively killing it for the year.

In an effort to reduce diesel emissions, the legislation would have barred any diesel-powered vehicle from idling for longer than three minutes when the temperature is above –10 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 minutes when it’s colder than –10 F.

Exceptions in both cases would have been made “for vehicles stopped in traffic, vehicles whose primary power source is used for necessary operations other than propulsion and temperature control,” Gossens wrote.

Drivers idling their trucks while sleeping or resting also would have been exempt from the proposed rule.