CDL Requirements in Hawaii (2026): Steps, Cost & Testing

Source review dated October 12, 2026 against Hawaii county driver license offices (Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai) under Hawaii DOT oversight

Hawaii has no statewide DMV — CDLs are issued by the four county driver license offices (City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii County, Maui County, and Kauai County) under the oversight of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT). You get a CDL instruction permit (valid one year), hold it at least 14 days while completing ELDT, then pass a three-part skills test at a county CDL office. Hawaii is unusual in requiring you to be 21 for the CDL itself. Oahu (Honolulu) fees run about $30 for the permit, $15 for the general knowledge test, $50 for the skills test, and $5 per year for the license (roughly $40 for an 8-year card) — but fees and scheduling vary by county, so confirm with your county office.

This guide combines federal rules with dated state research. Read the review notes before paying fees or booking a test.

On Oahu, county fees run about $30 for the permit, $15 for the general knowledge test, $50 for the skills test, and $5 per year for the license (roughly $40 for an 8-year card). The other counties set their own amounts, so treat these as a guide and confirm your county's fees. Hawaii is not a TSA self-managed hazmat state, so the hazmat endorsement uses the standard TSA/IdentoGO Universal Enrollment fingerprinting process after you pass the hazmat knowledge test.

Eligibility and documents in Hawaii

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• Completed CDL application (DOT form 4-764) with a current passport-style color photograph
• Your valid Hawaii basic (Class 3) driver license
• Proof of Social Security number (Social Security card) — presentation of the physical card has been optional since June 18, 2021 on Oahu; confirm with your county
• Certified U.S. birth certificate (or other proof of legal name, date of birth, and lawful presence)
• Two documents proving Hawaii principal residence
• A valid DOT medical examiner's certificate (Form MCSA-5876) showing you meet medical/driver qualifications
• Passing vision and knowledge test results

How to get your CDL: step by step

1. 1

   Check eligibility, documents, and medical qualification

   Choose the CDL class and endorsements for your vehicle. Hold the required regular license and bring Hawaii identity, residency, and Social Security documents. Self-certify your operating category and complete a DOT physical before the permit if that category requires medical certification.

2. 2

   Pass the knowledge tests and obtain your CLP

   Take general knowledge and the vehicle/endorsement tests that apply. ELDT theory may be taken earlier, but federal rules do not require it before the CLP. A first-time hazmat applicant must complete hazmat theory before the hazmat knowledge test; hazmat is not issued on a CLP.

3. 3

   Complete required training and practice during the permit hold

   Hold the CLP for at least 14 days before the skills test. Use a qualified supervising driver for public-road practice. First-time Class A/B, B-to-A upgrades, and first-time P/S endorsements require applicable theory and behind-the-wheel ELDT from registered providers. The appropriate CLP is needed for public-road training. State training requirements may add to the federal baseline.

4. 4

   Pass the skills test in the right vehicle

   Confirm ELDT completion is recorded, arrange the test and a representative vehicle, then complete vehicle inspection, basic control, and road driving. The vehicle and transmission you test in can restrict your license.

5. 5

   Complete issuance and maintain your qualifications

   Pay the applicable Hawaii issuance fees and confirm the correct class, endorsements, restrictions, and expiration. Keep your medical status current when required and follow the agency’s renewal instructions.

Medical certification in Hawaii

Self-certify your operating category on Hawaii's CDL Driver's Self-Certification Form when you apply for, renew, or transfer a CDL. Hawaii moved to electronic medical-card handling early: beginning May 19, 2025, your FMCSA-certified medical examiner transmits your exam results to the FMCSA National Registry, which passes the data to Hawaii's Driver License Information System — you no longer hand your county office a paper card (this predates the federal National Registry II date of June 23, 2025).

If your card lapses: If your medical certification lapses, your CDL is subject to downgrade to a non-commercial license under federal rules. Because the counties run licensing, watch for notices from your own county office and keep a current card on file with your examiner in the National Registry. The Honolulu CDL Office page still describes faxing or emailing a DOT certificate to the Oahu office, so ask your county office whether it needs anything beyond the examiner's electronic submission.

Every CDL holder must self-certify one operating category. The categories offered here:

• NI — Non-excepted Interstate (medical card required)
• EI — Excepted Interstate (no card required)
• NA — Non-excepted Intrastate (card required)
• EA — Excepted Intrastate

New to the DOT physical? See our DOT physical guide and CDL medical card explainer.

What a CDL costs in Hawaii

These are separate transaction types, not charges that every applicant pays. Renewal, replacement, endorsement, and retest fees are alternatives or extras. Amounts are from the dated research; check current official fees before paying.

Fees shown are Oahu (City & County of Honolulu) figures; the other counties set and collect their own fees, so totals can differ — confirm with your county driver license office. Add ELDT tuition and a DOT physical, and for hazmat the separate TSA/IdentoGO fingerprint fee (not set by the counties).

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in Hawaii

Testing access: State testing; confirm exceptions. Official testing instructions.

Hawaii administers CDL skills tests through the state; approved public third-party testing is limited or unavailable. Wait times vary by county and island; neighbor-island offices may test at limited sites on set days. No statewide figure is published — check with your county driver license office. (Wait-time observations are not an official HDOT figure.)

Your test vehicle: You must supply a commercial vehicle representative of the CDL class you are seeking for the skills test; the county offices do not furnish a test vehicle. Confirm exact vehicle/equipment requirements with your county office.

Endorsements available in Hawaii

Hawaii offers the standard federal endorsements. Adding one usually means an extra knowledge test (and a skills test for passenger and school bus). Tap an endorsement for the full federal process and cost:

• HHazmat — Hazmat. Hawaii is NOT a TSA self-managed state, so after passing the hazmat knowledge test at your county CDL office you complete the TSA Security Threat Assessment (fingerprinting) through the standard TSA/IdentoGO Universal Enrollment process — not through the county office. The endorsement is valid up to 5 years from TSA approval.
• NTanker — Tank vehicles; $5 knowledge test on Oahu.
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined hazmat + tank; requires the hazmat TSA screening path.
• PPassenger — Passenger; requires ELDT for first-timers plus the passenger knowledge and skills test.
• SSchool Bus — School bus; requires ELDT for first-timers plus the passenger and school-bus knowledge tests and the school-bus skills test.
• TDoubles/Triples — Doubles/triples; knowledge test only.

CDL disqualifications

Disqualifying offenses are set by federal law (49 CFR 383.51) and apply in every state. Some also apply in a personal vehicle; vehicle-specific conditions matter. Hawaii applies the federal 49 CFR 383.51 disqualification framework. The most notable Hawaii-specific rule is age: Hawaii requires applicants to be 21 to obtain the CDL itself (an instruction permit may be obtained at 18), so Hawaii does not issue full CDLs to 18–20 year-olds even for intrastate driving — confirm current policy with your county office.

The offenses that trigger a disqualification, the length of each, and the federal exceptions are listed once in our CDL disqualifications guide instead of repeating the table here. Check the review notes for any Hawaii-specific additions we could not confirm.

Military skills-test waiver

Check the temporary July 30–October 29, 2026 federal eligibility extension and ask the state whether it participates.

Hawaii participates in the federal Military Skills Test Waiver. Using HDOT's Application for Military Skills Test Waiver, qualifying active or recently separated service members (generally within 90 days of separation) with at least two years of recent, safe heavy-vehicle military driving experience can waive the CDL skills test. You still must pass the required knowledge tests. Apply through your county CDL office.

Hawaii CDL FAQ