• 30-hour classroom course in driver education–$250
• Behind-the-wheel instruction–$50 per hour
• Simulator course–$250

What you actually charge will be based on your business requirements and what your students are willing to pay, but it cannot exceed the maximums listed above.

Q Who supplies the cars for behind-the-wheel driving?
A Each instructor is responsible for providing their own car.

Q Do I need special equipment on the car I use for behind-the-wheel driving?
A Yes. You must have dual brakes, an instructor mirror, and a sign on the vehicle indicating that a student driver is behind the wheel.

Q Do I need additional insurance?
A Yes. You are required to carry $1 million in commercial general liability insurance naming the State of Hawaii and the counties as additional insureds. You are also required to carry a bodily injury minimum of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence, and property damage of $20,000 per occurrence on each vehicle that is used for behind-the-wheel driving. State Farm is one insurance company writing driver education vehicle policies. You should check around for other companies offering these policies.

Q Do I have to teach both classroom and behind-the-wheel courses?
A No. Your Driver Education Instructor Certificate will permit you to teach both, but you may teach one course or both.  If you only have your behind-the-wheel course certified, then you will only be able to teach behind-the-wheel courses.

Q What curriculum does Hawaii use?
A Hawaii uses the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) curricula.  It may be downloaded from ADTSEA's website.

Q How do I get students?
A It will be up to you to develop your business. You may advertise your service in the telephone book or in newspapers. The DOT will provide lists of all certified instructors to high schools, DMV’s and on its web page at no charge to you.

Q Can I open a driving school and have other instructors work for me?
A Yes. However, the DOT does not certify driving schools, only instructors. Each instructor would have to obtain an Instructor Certificate before they could teach anyone under the age of 18.

Q What is the procedure to get Driver Education Student Completion Certificates and Behind-the-Wheel Student Completion Certificates?
A When you have fully completed the Driver Education Instructor Certification process, you will be able to obtain the completion certificates and other materials from the DOT. Each certificate will be numbered and you will be responsible for keeping the certificates safe.

Q Does a student need a learner’s permit to take my course?
A A student does not need a learner’s permit to take a classroom course. A student does need a learner’s permit to take a behind-the-wheel or simulator course.

Q Why does a student who takes a simulator course only need two hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, when others need six?
A Some of the required course content for behind-the-wheel is included in the simulator curricula. The two lessons that are not possible in a simulator, parking, backing up, blind spots, etc. must be taught in behind-the-wheel classes.

Q How long is my Driver Education Instructor Certificate good for?
A It is good for one year. It must be renewed annually. It is your responsibility to renew the certificate before it expires. If it expires you will be required to start the process from the beginning. For the first three years after the initial certificate is issued, you may renew it by submitting to the DOT a traffic abstract that records no more than one moving traffic violation within the past year, not more than two moving traffic violations within the past three years; and not more than three moving violations within the past five years, as well as a copy of a current Certificate of Insurance and State Tax clearance as required in the administrative rules. Every fifth year, the certificate will be renewed upon completion of all requirements in the initial application and proof that you’ve completed a professional development course approved by the department.