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Hawaii trucking rules

Fees, CDL costs, weight and size limits, chain laws and new bills for truckers and trucking companies in Hawaii. Updated 2026-10-24.

Must-know rules · Weight, oversize & chains · Fees · Bills

Must-know rules

Hawaii is an island state, so there are no state-line crossings or chain-up rules, and all trucking is intrastate or port-to-port. I could only confirm a few topics on official pages: the handheld-phone ban with its commercial radio exemption, the state-run motor carrier program and USDOT number rule, the idling rule, and state adoption of federal hazmat rules.

Researched by our AI agent from the linked sources on 2026-10-21. Always confirm with the source.

• Must knowMotor carrier program, USDOT number and inspections

  Hawaii's FMCSA safety plan says all carriers in Hawaii, interstate and intrastate, need a US DOT number. For commercial vehicles with a GVWR of 10,001 lb or more, call the HDOT Motor Vehicle Safety Office at 808-692-7661 for motor carrier inspection. The HDOT page also lists Vehicle ID Card requirements for motor carriers.

  Motor Vehicle Safety Office - Hawaii DOT Highways
• Must knowSize and weight program / permits (who to contact)

  The HDOT Motor Carrier Safety staff run the Statewide Size and Weight Vehicle program. I could not confirm Hawaii's exact legal dimensions, axle weights or oversize/overweight permit rules on an official page, and unofficial sources conflict (for example, 8.5 ft vs 9 ft width). Get permit and limit details from HDOT before you move a load.

  Hawaii Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan FY2023 (FMCSA)

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Hawaii's statutory limits are 9 ft wide, 14 ft high, 80,000 lb gross and a 48 ft semitrailer. That semitrailer limit is shorter than the 53 ft common on the mainland. Hawaii has no truck chain or traction law, and HDOT announced on July 8, 2026 that it is waiving oversize/overweight permit application fees until further notice.

Weight limits

80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem
None found in the statute. A 2023 amendment (HB 1107) repealed the old non-interstate formula that allowed up to 88,000 lb. Third-party sites still quote an 88,000 lb permit ceiling, and I could not verify that against an official source. Anything above the legal limits needs an overweight permit. Bridges and structures with posted weight limits must not be exceeded.
Apply to the HDOT Highways district office on DOT Form 4-005, with sketches of the axle arrangement and load distribution, plus a certificate of insurance. The normal fee is $5 to $25, and HDOT's July 8, 2026 notice currently waives application fees. HDOT's page does not say how overweight loads are priced beyond a $25 charge, per the 2013 process sheet, for loads over 1.35 times the allowable loa Source

Chain law

No chain law for trucks
I found no Hawaii statute or HDOT rule requiring trucks to carry or install chains, and no season. HRS 291-33 bans road-damaging wheel projections but expressly allows ordinary detachable tire or skid chains, and studded snow tires on the Mauna Kea access road above Hale Pohaku and other roads in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. Source

• Must knowPosted bridge and structure limits

  No vehicle or combination may cross a bridge or highway structure if its gross weight exceeds the posted limit. Height is likewise limited to the posted clearance, even for loads legal under the general limits.

  HRS §291-35 Gross weight, axle, and wheel loads

Fees and DOT requirements

Hawaii's state weight tax is a flat $300 for any vehicle over 10,000 lb net weight. A county per-pound weight tax on net weight and a state registration fee come on top, so annual truck registration costs depend on the county and the truck's empty weight. Hawaii is outside IRP and IFTA, and for-hire property carriers need a PUC certificate (CPCN), which is the main state hurdle.

Class B CDL

$40 for 8 years (about $5 a year)
Hawaii County's schedule charges $5 per year of license term. That is $40 for an 8-year license (ages 25-71), $20 for 4 years (ages 21-24) and $10 for 2 years (age 72+). The renewal fees are the same as the new-license fees. Other fees: instruction permit $30, general knowledge test $15, each specia Source

Class A CDL

$40 for 8 years (about $5 a year)
The license fee is the same as Class B: $5 per year of term, so $40 for 8 years at ages 25-71. The combination-vehicles knowledge test is $5. The general knowledge test is $15. The practical skills test is $50. The state's 2017 how-to-apply notice lists the same test fees. The county page I found ma Source

How registration is figured

Annual registration has several parts. The state weight tax is a flat $300 for vehicles over 10,000 lb net weight. A flat state registration fee applies. A county weight tax is charged per pound of net (empty) weight, not gross or combined weight. In Honolulu, trucks and commercial vehicles pay 7.50
I could not give a dollar figure for either truck. The fee depends on each vehicle's actual net weight and county, and gross weight (26,001 lb or 80,000 lb) is not the basis. The $300 state weight tax is the same for both. Example for Honolulu only: a 20,000 lb net-weight truck would owe about $1,500 in county weight tax (20,000 x $0.075), plus $300 state weight tax and $46 state fee, plus county Source

Intrastate operating authority

Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), also called a motor carrier certificate or permit, issued by the. $30, one-time certificate; an annual financial report and fee are.
A PUC certificate is required for any motor carrier that transports people or property for compensation or hire over any public highway in the state. By statute (HRS 271-12), no one may operate as a common carrier by motor vehicle on a public highway without a PUC certificate. The $30 is the application fee stated on the PUC passenger-certificate page (it covers the application and exhibits such a Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowState USDOT number for intrastate carriers

  FMCSA lists Hawaii among the states that require intrastate commercial motor vehicle registrants to obtain a USDOT number. The weight threshold is unclear. One secondary source says 10,001 lb and another says 26,001 lb, and I found no official statement. Confirm with the Hawaii DOT Motor Vehicle Safety Office.

  Do I Need a USDOT Number? (FMCSA)

See all 8 DOT requirements with full access

Fees change; confirm with the linked state source. Compare all states.

New Hawaii trucking bills

No new trucking bills found here recently. The agent checks every morning.