Vermont Equipment Appraisal

Transportation capital pipeline along I-89 and I-91

When program-funded work concentrates across multiple counties, equipment liquidity improves because contractors rotate fleets faster and reduce idle time. The FY2025 transportation program identifies 261 projects, including 48 paving projects and 74 state and interstate bridge construction projects. Bid tabs, telematics exports, and fuel burn trends can corroborate utilization, while work orders and parts invoices reconcile condition against expected duty cycles.

Bridge and interchange reconstruction drives heavy lifting demand

Large bridge scopes shift value toward high-capacity lifting and concrete production because critical-path work compresses rental windows and raises replacement demand for reliable iron. Current VT projects include a $25 million interchange reconstruction and U.S. Route 2 bridge replacement, plus a $28 million VT 100 bridge replacement with a 370-foot, two-span girder system. Maintenance logs, inspection photos, and ECM snapshots can be audited to anchor remaining life for cranes, mixers, and paving spreads working extended shifts.

Statewide fiber construction accelerates right-of-way production

Network buildouts increase liquidity for trenching, directional drilling, and bucket fleets because contractors need consistent uptime across dispersed rural segments. One Vermont CUD build plan targets 1,300 miles of fiber by September 2026 with an estimated $60 million total project cost, and construction pacing has been described at roughly 50 miles per month. Job-cost ledgers, splice test reports, and machine diagnostics can reconcile production rates to hours, confirming whether depreciation tracks actual line-miles installed.

Roundwood export flows shape logging and hauling values

When a state exports more roundwood than it imports, local harvesting and transport capacity tightens, supporting prices for ready-to-work forestry fleets. USDA Forest Service reporting shows Vermont produced 27,206 MCF in 2018 with about 60 primary mills, exporting 12,509 MCF while importing 3,033 MCF, making it a net exporter of roundwood, documented here. Scale tickets, GPS haul routes, and maintenance histories can be cross-checked to anchor payload patterns, downtime, and overhaul timing for feller bunchers, forwarders, and log trucks.

Dairy consolidation concentrates horsepower and material handling

As herds consolidate into fewer operations, values rise for higher-duty tractors and manure systems because fewer buyers demand larger, reliable units with verifiable uptime. Vermont reports 113,000 dairy cows and 2.15 billion pounds of milk, and NASS reported 113,000 milk cows with 199 million pounds produced in November 2024. Milk parlor logs, nutrient management records, and equipment controller hours can corroborate actual throughput, while service invoices and oil analysis reports audit wear against claimed production intensity.

Maple syrup output and housing budgets alter seasonal equipment demand

Seasonal production surges and budget-driven construction cycles change liquidity by concentrating short-duration demand into narrow operating windows. NASS reported 5.05 million gallons of maple syrup produced in the Northeastern Region in 2024 with Vermont at 53% of U.S. output, and Vermont housing development spending decreased from $126.7 million in 2024 to $82.3 million in 2025. Operator timecards, hydraulic pressure logs, and cold-start diagnostics can anchor condition for skid steers, compact track loaders, and boom lifts that see intermittent peak-season deployment.