TL;DR: Hawaii motor carriers need PUC certificates, with insurance evidence filed with the commission before operating: property carriers at $250,000 per person and $750,000 per accident bodily injury plus $250,000 property damage. The state still regulates carrier rates, every registered vehicle carries $10,000 no-fault PIP, and workers comp starts at the first employee.
Which rules apply to trucking in Hawaii?
The most fully state-regulated trucking system in the country. Hawaii's Motor Carrier Law, HRS chapter 271, keeps the Public Utilities Commission in the business other states left decades ago: carriers of property and passengers hold PUC certificates, file tariffs, and operate under economic regulation as well as safety rules. The insurance rule is equally direct: under HAR 6-62-8, no motor carrier may operate on Hawaii's public streets until evidence of security is filed with the commission, from a Hawaii-authorized insurer, qualifying surety, or approved self-insurance. Island geography completes the picture: with no interstate highways to anywhere, Hawaii trucking is intrastate trucking, built around the harbors where everything the islands consume arrives.
What insurance does Hawaii require?
| Category | Minimums under HAR 6-62-8 |
|---|---|
| Motor carriers of property | $250,000 per person / $750,000 per accident bodily injury; $250,000 property damage |
| Passenger, 7 seats or fewer | $100,000 per person / $200,000 per accident; $50,000 PD |
| Passenger, 8 to 25 seats | $500,000 per accident |
| Passenger, over 25 seats | $1,000,000 per accident |
| All registered vehicles | $10,000 no-fault PIP under HRS 431:10C |
| Hazmat | Federal tiers, $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 |
Hawaii's property floors deserve attention: 250/750 with a quarter-million in property damage roughly parallels the federal $750,000 combined single limit, making Hawaii one of the few states whose own floors approach real trucking levels. The market layer still applies, with shippers and the islands' logistics majors requiring $1,000,000 certificates.
How does the PUC certificate process work?
Application to the commission, which reviews under the Motor Carrier Law's public-interest standards; insurance is not required at filing, but once the PUC issues its approving Decision and Order, proof must arrive within 100 days or the approval lapses. Thereafter the security filing must stay continuous, with certificates suspended or revoked when coverage dies. Rate regulation rides alongside: tariffs are filed, and the commission's oversight reaches pricing in ways mainland carriers never see.
What about no-fault, workers comp, and the rest?
Hawaii is a no-fault state: $10,000 personal injury protection rides on registered vehicles including commercial trucks under HRS 431:10C, paying medical costs regardless of fault, with tort claims available above the threshold. Workers compensation applies from the first employee under HRS 386, through a private market that includes HEMIC, with the islands' high medical costs priced in. The federal layer appears mainly at the water's edge: hazmat tiers apply, and harbor drayage of arriving containers connects to interstate commerce, but the working regulatory system is the state's.
What defines Hawaii trucking risk?
The islands themselves. Everything ships in, so Honolulu Harbor and the neighbor-island ports anchor the trade: drayage, distribution, and short-haul delivery in a market with no long-haul lanes at all. Equipment, parts, and repairs cost mainland prices plus ocean freight; medical costs run high; the insurer market is small; and hurricane and tsunami exposure shape catastrophe thinking. Operations are compact but the cost basis is not, and underwriters who know the islands price accordingly.
Where are Hawaii requirements verified?
The PUC's motor carrier section and FAQ for certificates and filings, HAR 6-62-8 for the insurance amounts, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for workers comp, and the Insurance Division at DCCA, (808) 586-2790, for policy questions.
Real questions Hawaii owner-operators and fleet managers ask
Does Hawaii require trucking operating authority?
Yes, PUC certificates under HRS chapter 271, with Hawaii unusually still regulating rates as well as entry. Insurance evidence must be filed with the commission before operating, and proof is due within 100 days of an approving decision.
What are Hawaii's minimum trucking insurance limits?
For property carriers, $250,000 per person and $750,000 per accident bodily injury plus $250,000 property damage under HAR 6-62-8, among the nation's highest state floors. Passenger carriers scale by seating capacity to $1,000,000.
Does PIP apply to commercial trucks in Hawaii?
Yes, the $10,000 no-fault PIP attaches to registered motor vehicles including trucks under HRS 431:10C. Employee injuries route through workers comp first, and tort claims proceed above the no-fault threshold.
Is Hawaii trucking interstate or intrastate?
Functionally intrastate: the islands have no highway connection anywhere, so the PUC's state system governs the trucking itself, with federal touch mainly through hazmat tiers and the harbors' connection to ocean commerce.
When does workers comp apply in Hawaii?
From the first employee under HRS 386, through a private market including HEMIC, with the islands' high medical costs reflected in rates. Owner-operator classification follows state tests as elsewhere.
Can Morrow write trucking insurance in Hawaii?
Not directly today. Morrow is the brand name of Afthonea Inc, licensed in Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Texas. If your trucking company is based in Hawaii, we can refer you to a licensed Hawaii agent, and this guide still shows you exactly what to ask that agent for. Everything above comes from public Hawaii and federal sources, not from us selling you a policy.
Related Hawaii trucking guides
The other Hawaii trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in Hawaii (start here)
- Trucking insurance requirements
- Intrastate authority and filings
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in Hawaii
- Federal minimum liability limits by commodity
- What is an MCS-90 endorsement?
- Federal minimum liability limits by commodity
- Trucking and transportation insurance overview
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Limits, forms, and deadlines change, so verify current requirements with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission and the Hawaii Insurance Division before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.