Updated November 2026
CDL Driver Salary in Honolulu, Hawaii (November 2026)
CDL drivers in Honolulu, Hawaii earn $900 per week on average through November 2026. The median is $900, drawn from active job postings rather than survey self-reports. Based on 1 active CDL postings in Lanefinder's index. Honolulu freight is almost entirely ocean-dependent through the Port of Honolulu, with trucking limited to intra-island distribution and military logistics at Pearl Harbor supplementing consumer and tourism-driven retail cargo flows.
What changed in November 2026
No major rank changes this month — the top carriers have held their positions since October 2026.
Honolulu, Hawaii CDL salary by hiring type
Across active CDL postings in Honolulu, Hawaii this month, pay varies meaningfully by hiring type. The breakdown below shows the average and median weekly pay for each.
| Hiring type | Avg/wk | Median/wk | Active postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner Operator | $900 | $900 | 1 |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
What Honolulu, Hawaii drivers actually run
Of active CDL postings in Honolulu, Hawaii this month, 0% are regional and 0% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 100%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 0% of Honolulu, Hawaii postings; dedicated routes at 0%; take-truck-home at 100%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 0% and riders-allowed at 0%.
Driving CDL in Honolulu
Honolulu CDL work is intra-island distribution from the Port of Honolulu — most freight enters by ocean. Military logistics (Pearl Harbor, Hickam, Schofield Barracks), consumer goods, and tourism-driven retail dominate. H-1 / H-2 / H-3 are the island's freeway backbone. Cost of living is the highest of any US state; pay reflects.
Driving CDL in Hawaii
Hawaii CDL work is almost entirely intra-island distribution from the Port of Honolulu and smaller ports on the other islands. Trucking jobs are limited in number, mostly tied to consumer-goods and tourism supply chains. The military (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Schofield Barracks) anchors significant logistics work. Cost of living is among the highest in the country — pay has to be substantially higher than mainland to be viable. Hawaii has a high graduated state income tax — among the highest rates in the country. The market is small and tight; most drivers here grew up on the islands.
Related guides
- Best trucking companies in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Best owner-operator companies in Honolulu, Hawaii
- CDL driver salary in Hawaii
Where this data comes from
Pay carriers in the same market against each other (30% of the score). Add a five-dimension FMCSA safety percentile from SAFER (25%). Score benefits based on whether the carrier hires W2 drivers or contractors (25%). Layer on employer responsiveness and fleet scale (20%). The weights are fixed and public. Updated November 2026.