By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 5, 2026
Quick answers for Hawaii CDL applicants
Use this page to answer the four searches most CDL applicants make before choosing a school or booking a test: what the state charges, which class of license the work needs, where the skills test is handled, and whether the state adds anything beyond federal ELDT.
- Published fee lines
- 11
- Skills testing
- the agency's own examiners
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
- License class
- A, B or C, set by the truck
Amounts below come from City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Commercial Driver Licensing Office (Oahu).
Use the agency testing notes below.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Hawaii CDL costs
These are the license-side fees City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Commercial Driver Licensing Office (Oahu) publishes; training tuition is a separate, school-set cost covered in our CDL training cost guide. A line reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note beside it says what the agency does say.
- CDL permit (commercial learner permit) application
- $30Listed by Honolulu as the application fee for a permit. The FAQ does not state how long the permit is valid. Skills test appointments can be made 14 days after the permit has been issued.
- New CDL, per year or fraction of a year of the license term
- $5 (Charged per year (or fraction) of the license term; the FAQ does not state the term length)Honolulu prices the license by the year rather than as a flat fee. A CDL carrying a hazardous materials endorsement expires on the same date as the TSA approval, which lasts up to five years. The skills test and knowledge test fees are separate lines.
- CDL renewal, per year or fraction of a year of the license term
- $5 (Charged per year (or fraction) of the license term)Renewal is in person only at the CDL office; it cannot be done by mail. A current DOT medical certificate and a vision test are required, and a hazmat-endorsed driver retakes the hazardous materials written test at every renewal. There is a 90-day grace period after expiration; after that a late fee is charged per month, and after one year the driver starts over with the written and road tests.
Endorsement fees
Endorsements ride on the base license; hazmat also carries a federal background check handled outside the license fee. Our hazmat endorsement guide covers that federal layer.
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Test fees
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Other published fee lines
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All fee lines are the City and County of Honolulu's, from the Oahu CDL office FAQ. The FAQ prices the license per year of its term and lists the knowledge and skills test fees separately.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Hawaii issues licenses against these three rather than writing its own. Pick the class by the heaviest combination you will actually operate, because the skills test is taken in a vehicle of that class.
- Class A
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 26,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), inclusive of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds.
- Class B
- Any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing a vehicle not exceeding 10,000 pounds GVWR or gross vehicle weight.
- Class C
- Any single vehicle or combination that does not meet Class A or B but is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or transports placarded hazardous materials or select agents.
- Which class a hotshot needs
- A hotshot combination needs a Class A CDL when the greater of its GCWR or actual combination weight reaches 26,001 pounds and the greater of the towed unit’s rating or actual weight exceeds 10,000 pounds. Check Class B for a heavy single vehicle and Class C for passenger or hazardous-material use. Federal registration requirements depend separately on the operation.
Endorsements ride on whichever class you hold; the hazmat endorsement guide covers the one carriers ask about most, and CDL versus non-CDL driving covers the boundary case of trucks that stay under the threshold. If the plan is a specific vehicle rather than a license, hotshot trucking and the box truck business guide walk what each one requires end to end.
Who gives the skills test in Hawaii
States split between running CDL skills tests themselves and certifying third-party testers; it changes where you book and who you pay.
- Testing model
- On Oahu the CDL office administers both stages. Written tests (general knowledge, air brakes, combination, passenger, hazardous materials, tank, doubles/triples, school bus as applicable) are taken at the office, which then issues the permit with the matching endorsements. The skills test is three parts on one appointment: the pre-trip vehicle inspection, the off-road skills (backing) test and the road test, taken in a vehicle representative of the class sought. The FAQ does not mention third-party skills testers.
- Scheduling
- Skills test appointments are booked in person only at the CDL office, no sooner than 14 days after the permit is issued, with the fee paid up front. The first available appointment is assigned, at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. or 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Before you apply
- Honolulu requires a CDL permit applicant to be at least 18 and a CDL holder to be at least 21, to hold a valid regular Hawaii driver's license, to complete ELDT, to submit a DOT medical certificate (Form MCSA-5876), to pass a 20/40 vision test, and to bring a certified U.S. birth certificate and two proofs of residence. Drivers moving to Hawaii have 30 days to transfer an out-of-state CDL, and an out-of-state CDL permit cannot be used to test in Hawaii.
Every applicant also needs a current medical certificate; our DOT physical guide covers the exam that produces it. Not sure your truck even needs a CDL? Start with CDL vs non-CDL.
The federal training rule, then Hawaii's position
Entry-level driver training (ELDT) is federal: it applies in every state before the tests it gates, and the training must come from a provider on FMCSA's registry. The full walkthrough lives in our how to get a CDL guide.
- Who must train
- First-time Class A or Class B applicants; Class B holders upgrading to Class A; First-time S, P, or H endorsement applicants
- Registry requirement
- Entry-level driver training means training received from an entity listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, completed before taking the CDL skills test for a first or upgraded Class A or Class B CDL, before the skills test for a first P or S endorsement, or before the knowledge test for a first H endorsement. You must complete training with a provider listed on the registry.
- States may add more
- States with training requirements that exceed the federal minimum standard may prohibit you from taking the skills test, or the knowledge test for the H endorsement, until you meet their state requirements as well as the federal ones. Federal rules also allow you to receive training and take the CDL skills test in a state other than the state you are licensed in.
Honolulu and the HDOT Motor Vehicle Safety Office both restate the federal Entry-Level Driver Training rule, which took force on February 7, 2022, with no Hawaii addition: ELDT from an FMCSA-registered provider before the skills test for a first Class A or B CDL or a B-to-A upgrade, before the S or P skills test, and before the hazardous materials knowledge test. Drivers holding a CDL or S, P or H endorsement issued before that date are not covered.
The official manual and where this fits
The knowledge tests come straight from the state's own manual, so study the agency's current edition: Hawaii Commercial Driver License Manual (Hawaii edition, June 2025). The CDL licenses you as a driver; if the plan is your own trucks and your own freight, the business side runs on its own track through start a trucking company in Hawaii.
If you searched for Hawaii CDL requirements, go here next
Still deciding if you need a CDL?
Start with the vehicle weight and use case. The national guide explains the CDL threshold before you pay for a permit or training.
Compare CDL vs non-CDLReady to drive under your own authority?
The CDL is the driver credential. Operating authority, IRP, IFTA, insurance, and permits are the business credential stack.
See the Hawaii startup sequence