Hawaii Truck Weight Limits

How much a truck can weigh in Hawaii

Hawaii caps you at 80,000 pounds, same as the mainland (HRS 291-35). There's no divisible-load permit to run heavier - extra weight only moves under a non-divisible oversize/overweight permit. Single axle tops out at 20,000, tandem 34,000, and no single wheel over 10,000 pounds. Fines start at a $250 minimum and add 11 cents a pound over 100 pounds (HRS 291-37).

Axles, off-Interstate, and permits

• Off the Interstate: 80,000 lb (HRS 291-35); no routine divisible-load permit above 80,000
• Single axle: 20,000 lb
• Tandem axle: 34,000 lb (axles more than 40 in. but not more than 96 in. apart)
• Corrected from the baseline's 88,000-lb figure: the current HRS 291-35 text and Hawaii DOT both set the legal max at 80,000 lb. The older FHWA 2012 compilation listed 88,000 lb and a 22,500-lb single axle for Hawaii; those numbers do not match the current statute or DOT guidance, so this record uses the current 80,000 lb / 20,000 lb figures. Single-axle figure is medium-confidence given that source conflict.

Posted bridge and road limits

Bridges and roads are posted with MUTCD R12 signs; 'WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS' is short tons (2,000 lb), so 15 TONS = 30,000 lb. A posted limit overrides the 80,000-lb legal max - if a bridge is posted below your weight you cannot cross. Crossing over a posted limit is a separate violation and the carrier can be liable for damage to the structure.

What running heavy costs

HRS 291-37: minimum $250 for up to 100 lb over; over 100 lb adds 11 cents per pound. A 15,000-lb overload runs about $1,889 ($250 + 14,900 x $0.11). Axle- and wheel-group violations are charged in addition to a gross-weight violation.

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