Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A Utah lawmaker proposes HB375 to tighten commercial driver's license rules.
- The bill follows the death of Sgt. Bill Hooser after police say he was intentionally hit by a truck driver with a lengthy criminal history.
- The Utah Trucking Association expresses concerns about potential hiring obstacles.
SALT LAKE CITY — After the death of a Santaquin police sergeant who was hit and killed by a semitruck while on duty, a state lawmaker wants to change how commercial driver's licenses are issued in Utah.
The idea for HB375 came about after Sgt. Bill Hooser died in May, said Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem.
"It's a tragic loss anytime an officer is killed by a deadly weapon, which in this case turned out to be a vehicle," Burton said. "It gets our attention."
Hooser was hit and killed by a truck driven by Michael Aaron Jayne. Prosecutors say Jayne deliberately rammed into Hooser, who had been working at the Santaquin Police Department for about seven years.
Jayne had an extensive criminal record. He has now been charged with multiple felonies, including murder.
What HB375 would do
HB375 would not allow someone to receive a commercial driver's license in Utah if they have been convicted in the last three years of a violent felony, fleeing from police, or aggravated assault with a vehicle.
The bill would also require background checks for all commercial driver's license applicants in Utah.
"I always bristle at expanding government," Burton said, "but this is a case where we need to do a better job of protecting our citizens and our law enforcement officers from potential violent felons, and that's the genesis of the bill."
Trucking association responds to bill
The Utah Trucking Association has concerns about the bill. The organization's executive director, Rick Clasby, told KSL-TV he is "sympathetic" to the bill's intent, but he worries about adding hurdles to the hiring process when it's already difficult to find truck drivers.
Requiring background checks, Clasby noted, is particularly problematic.
"We definitely don't want to hire people who are violent or who would cause trouble," Clasby said. "But for the most part, we're not sure that putting in that requirement makes sense."
Clasby added the situation with Hooser's death was horrific but isolated.
"We're not seeing vehicles – commercial vehicles – being used as weapons as it was in that situation," Clasby said.
HB375 has been assigned to the House Transportation Committee but has not received a hearing yet. The legislative session ends March 7.
