FMCSA grants Hawaii limited CDL exemption

Citing a lack of highway infrastructure, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted Hawaii a limited exemption from parts of its commercial driver’s license skills test.

FMCSA announced that it was granting the exemption earlier this week.

“The agency grants this exemption because the islands of Lanai and Molokai do not have the highway infrastructure to support a demonstration of certain on-road safe driving skills required by the CDL skills test requirements,” FMCSA wrote.

Hawaii requested the exemptions for the two islands last year.

Regulations require a CDL applicant to possess and demonstrate specific on-road safe-driving skills, including the ability to choose a safe gap for changing lanes, passing other vehicles and crossing or entering traffic and the ability to signal appropriately when changing direction in traffic. For drivers on the islands of Lanai and Molokai, Hawaii proposes to issue a restricted CDL to drivers who pass a limited skills test but would not be required to perform those on-road skills.

“The state of Hawaii maintains that the islands of Lanai and Molokai do not have at least 2 miles of a straight section of urban business street and at least 2 miles of an expressway or highway section with multiple lanes going in each direction to allow the ability to legally change lanes,” FMCSA wrote in the notice.

The exemption applies only to CDL applicants taking the skills test on the islands of Lanai and Molokai and limits these drivers to operating a commercial motor vehicle on those two islands only.

“The information provided by the state supports the state’s assertion that the islands of Lanai and Molokai lack the highway infrastructure to permit CDL applicants to demonstrate their ability to signal appropriately when changing direction in traffic, and the ability to choose a safe gap for changing lanes, passing other vehicles and crossing or entering traffic,” FMCSA wrote. “Therefore, CDL applicants who drive a CMV only on the islands of Lanai and Molokai do not need to demonstrate those skills to obtain their restricted CDL.”

FMCSA received no comments in opposition to the exemption, which took effect on Tuesday, Feb. 20 and will run through Feb. 20, 2026. LL