New state bill would require more training for big-rig drivers

California State Senator Bill Monning has introduced a bill that whichwould require more training for new truck drivers.

Monning said SB 344 will help improve safety on California roads.

Capitola city leaders endorsed the bill at a council meeting Thursday

“If it wasn’t for this side of the hill, this community we would not have been able to get the legacy of Daniel and our loved ones safe. And I thank this community for that,” Gail-Jean McGuire said.

Gail-Jean McGuire is the mother of 25-year-old Daniel McGuire, who was killed last July 10 in a big-rig crash on Highway 17. The California Highway Patrol said a big-rig struck 10 cars, including Daniel’s. The accident shook the community and is the reason behind SB 344.

“Knowing that he lost his life commuting to work, it’s hard and it really affected everyone,” Lynn Robinson, a family friend of the McGuire family said.

Robinson, a former mayor of Santa Cruz, said more training for truck drivers is a win-win for all motorists on the road.

“This is a 40-ton missile, you know. It’s 80,000 pounds,” truck driver Juan Cruz said.

Cruz supports the proposed bill. He said new drivers need more training.

“This is not an easy job. You know what I mean. It’s not an easy job,” Cruz said.

To get a commercial driving license in California, applicants must pass written and driving tests through the DMV. SB 344 would add an additional five-month driving course requirement.

“That will just make sure that safety on the road is improved and that’s the goal of the bill,” Robinson said.

The bill will go to a Senate committee in Sacramento next month for review.