Tristin’s Bill: What California’s New Highway 74 Truck Safety Law Means for Riverside County Drivers

Quick Answer

Tristin’s Bill is Assembly Bill 1145 (Chapter 511, Statutes of 2026), signed September 27, 2026, and effective January 1, 2027. It is named for Tristin Bourgeois, a 27-year-old killed on October 31, 2024, when a downhill truck on Highway 74 crossed into his lane, overturned and struck his pickup. The final law does not ban trucks or order a Highway 74 study. It amends Vehicle Code section 21104 so that when a city or county asks Caltrans to approve local traffic rules on a state highway, such as truck restrictions, Caltrans must weigh the cost of the proposal against alternatives and explain any rejection in writing. Riverside County is pursuing that kind of restriction for the mountain stretch of Highway 74.

Key Takeaways

• AB 1145 applies statewide, not only to Highway 74. It changes how Caltrans reviews local ordinances and resolutions that regulate traffic on state highways.
• Caltrans must consider the cost of a local proposal compared with alternative solutions, and give written reasons if it says no.
• Earlier versions would have required a Caltrans safety study of Highway 74. That requirement was removed before passage.
• A Riverside County draft study recommends barring vehicles with more than three axles on a 20.5-mile segment of Highway 74 between the State Route 371 junction and Palm Desert, with limited exceptions. That proposal still needs Caltrans approval.
• Truck crash victims in Riverside County generally have two years to sue under California law, and only six months to file a claim if a public entity may share responsibility.

The 2024 Highway 74 Crash Behind the Law

On the morning of October 31, 2024, Tristin Bourgeois was driving to work on State Route 74. According to the Senate Transportation Committee’s analysis of AB 1145, a large dump truck pulling a trailer, both loaded with sand, lost control coming down the mountain switchbacks, tipped over, and collided with his pickup truck. He was 27 years old.

A Riverside County draft study of the corridor, quoted in that analysis, lists the crash among recent heavy-vehicle incidents on the route: a downhill truck traveled onto the opposite side of the road, overturned and collided with a pickup, and the collision was fatal for the pickup driver.

The Family’s Push for Change

After his death, Tristin’s family started a petition to make Highway 74 safer by limiting its use by certain trucks. The committee analysis lists what the petition asked for:

• A portable California Highway Patrol weigh station on the route
• Stronger Caltrans enforcement of truck length and weight restrictions
• Better signage directing trucks to use pullouts
• A GPS warning system advising trucks to avoid the highway
• A Caltrans study of crashes along Highway 74

Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez introduced AB 1145 in 2025 in response, with Assemblymember Greg Wallis. As the bill passed the Assembly that year, it would have required Caltrans to study 10 years of Highway 74 data, including fatal and nonfatal crashes, truck-trailer incidents, weight-limit citations, and brake-failure crashes.

Earlier Incidents on the Same Road

The Bourgeois crash was not isolated. The county’s draft study, as summarized by the Senate committee, cites earlier heavy-vehicle incidents on Highway 74:

Date	What happened
June 22, 2022	A downhill truck crossed into the opposing lane and hit a pickup head-on. The pickup driver was severely injured.
October 17, 2023	A downhill truck with overheated brakes repeatedly crossed the centerline, struck the mountainside, went over the edge and caught fire. The road was closed for about three hours.
February 29, 2024	A downhill passenger car sideswiped a moving truck. The car’s driver was killed.
October 31, 2024	A downhill truck crossed into the opposing lane, overturned and struck a pickup. The pickup driver was killed.

What AB 1145 Requires From Caltrans

The final version of AB 1145 is short. It amends Vehicle Code section 21104, the provision that lets a local ordinance or resolution apply to a state highway only if Caltrans approves it in writing.

The Two New Duties

When Caltrans reviews, approves or rejects a proposed ordinance or resolution submitted by a local authority, it must now:

1. Consider the costs of the proposed ordinance or resolution compared to any possible alternative solution to the issue the proposal addresses.
2. If it rejects the proposal, provide written reasons and justifications for the rejection to the local authority that submitted it.

Why the Bill Changed

In June 2026 the bill was amended to take a statewide approach. The Senate committee analysis explains that Riverside County had already begun Caltrans’s formal truck restriction process for Highway 74, so the author shifted the bill toward making Caltrans’s review more deliberative and transparent for every local request. Riverside County sponsored the bill and acknowledged that the final version removed the Highway 74 study.

Status and Effective Date

Item	Detail
Bill	AB 1145 (Jeff Gonzalez), “Tristin’s Bill”
Chapter	Chapter 511, Statutes of 2026
Final votes	Senate 39 to 0; Assembly concurrence 73 to 0
Signed and chaptered	September 27, 2026
Effective	January 1, 2027 (not an urgency measure)
Code section	Vehicle Code section 21104

What It Does Not Do

AB 1145 does not ban trucks from Highway 74, set a weight limit, add a weigh station, or create new penalties for truck drivers. Any truck restriction on Highway 74 still has to go through Caltrans approval, and AB 1145 changes how Caltrans must evaluate that request.

How a Local Truck Restriction Gets Approved

Because AB 1145 works inside Caltrans’s existing truck restriction process, it helps to know what that process looks like. The Senate committee analysis summarizes the steps a city or county must follow:

1. Prepare a draft ordinance or resolution explaining why the restriction is needed.
2. Prepare an initial study justifying the restriction and addressing whether the California Environmental Quality Act applies, with input from Caltrans, the CHP, the trucking industry, affected businesses and community groups.
3. Give public notice and hold a public hearing.
4. Consider and resolve all comments, then submit a final report and the draft ordinance to the Caltrans district office.
5. Caltrans traffic operations, working with its legal and environmental staff, makes a recommendation to the Caltrans Director.
6. If approved, the Director issues written approval, the local agency adopts the final ordinance, and Caltrans posts signs at each end of the restricted segment.

According to Caltrans, about 25 state highway segments already carry specific truck restrictions, some set through this process and some by the Legislature. Starting in 2027, AB 1145 adds the cost comparison at step 5 and requires a written explanation if the answer is no.

Big-Rig Crashes on Riverside County Mountain Routes

Highway 74 shows why mountain routes are risky for heavy trucks. The Senate analysis describes it as a 93-mile route from Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano to Palm Desert. East of Hemet it becomes an undivided two-lane highway through winding terrain. At least twelve hairpin curves lie between Hemet and Palm Desert, including a series of seven posted hairpins beginning near the Coachella Valley Vista Point.

Why Trucks Struggle on These Curves

• Highway 74 is a 65-foot California legal truck route, but it carries an advisory for trucks with a kingpin-to-rear-axle length over 30 feet, a measure of how far a trailer swings inside a turn.
• The county study found that a four-axle design vehicle must encroach on the centerline or shoulder to get through the hairpins near Vista Point.
• Long downgrades put heavy strain on brakes, and overheated brakes appear in the incident record.
• Trucks need 20 to 40 percent more distance than cars to stop, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the gap grows with poorly maintained brakes.

Nationally, IIHS reports that 5,340 people died in large truck crashes in 2024, and 62 percent of them were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles. Our article on why truck accidents happen in California covers the most common causes in more detail.

The County’s Proposed Restriction

The draft study recommends restricting vehicles with more than three axles on the 20.5-mile segment between the State Route 371 junction and the Palm Desert city limits in both directions, and limiting the kingpin-to-rear-axle length to 38 feet. It proposes exceptions for permitted local pickups and deliveries and for emergency and fire vehicles. It rejected widening the hairpins as largely infeasible because of cost and environmental impact. As of the June 2026 committee analysis, the draft was under review by Caltrans and the CHP, with public comment to follow. Drivers can check current truck route designations on Caltrans’s Truck Network Map.

Who Is Liable When a Truck Loses Control

When a truck crosses the centerline on a mountain grade, more than one party may share responsibility. Our guide to who to file a claim against after a truck crash explains the basics; here is how they apply to a runaway or overturned truck.

The Driver

California Vehicle Code section 22406 limits trucks with three or more axles, or any truck pulling another vehicle, to 55 miles per hour, and advisory speeds on mountain curves are often much lower. Driving too fast for the grade, ignoring a length advisory, or failing to use lower gears can all be negligence.

The Motor Carrier and Employer

Under Civil Code section 2338, a principal is responsible for its agent’s negligence in the course of the business. A trucking company is usually liable for its employed driver’s negligence, and it may also be directly responsible for poor training, unsafe dispatching or skipped maintenance.

Loaders, Owners and Maintenance Shops

A truck loaded beyond its limits can be harder to stop and control. The company that loaded or overloaded the cargo, the owner of the trailer, or the shop that serviced the brakes may share fault depending on what the evidence shows.

Public Entities

Government Code section 835 makes a public entity liable for injuries caused by a dangerous condition of its property if the entity created it or had notice of it in time to fix it. Claims against Caltrans face significant defenses, including design immunity under Government Code section 830.6, and they require a written claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2. AB 1145 does not create a new lawsuit against Caltrans, but a well-documented history of incidents on a route can matter when a road’s condition is at issue.

What to Do After a Truck Crash in Riverside County

The steps you take in the days after a crash can protect both your health and your claim.

At the Scene and in the First Days

1. Call 911 and get medical care. Truck crashes often cause injuries that are not obvious at first.
2. On state highways outside city limits, the California Highway Patrol usually investigates. Get the officer’s name and the report number.
3. If you can, photograph the truck, its company name and DOT number, the trailer, the road and any skid or gouge marks.
4. Report the crash to the DMV on form SR-1 within 10 days if anyone was injured or killed, or property damage exceeded $1,000.
5. Request the CHP crash report through the CHP online crash report portal or at the local Area office.

Preserve the Truck’s Records

Trucks generate evidence that can disappear. Federal rules require motor carriers to keep drivers’ records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months under 49 CFR 395.8. Engine control data, dispatch messages, maintenance logs, brake inspection records and cargo weight tickets should be preserved by written demand as early as possible. Our article on evidence in a California truck accident case lists what to request.

Know Your Deadlines

Under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, most personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in California must be filed within two years. If Caltrans, Riverside County or another public entity may share responsibility, the six-month government claim deadline applies first. When a crash is fatal, families should also review their rights under California’s wrongful death law.

Be Careful With Insurers

Trucking insurers often move quickly after a serious crash. Avoid recorded statements and do not sign releases until you understand the full extent of your injuries and who may be responsible.

Example Scenarios

These hypothetical examples show how the rules apply. They are not predictions about any case.

Scenario 1: A Downhill Truck Crosses the Centerline

A commuter heading up Highway 74 is struck by a loaded five-axle truck that drifts across the centerline in a hairpin. The truck’s length exceeds the posted advisory. The driver, the carrier that dispatched the truck on that route, and possibly the loader may share fault. The CHP report, the truck’s dispatch records and its data recorder will be central.

Scenario 2: Brake Failure on the Grade

A truck’s brakes overheat on the descent and the driver loses control. Maintenance records and inspection reports become key, and the shop or carrier responsible for the brakes may be liable along with the driver.

Scenario 3: A Crash After the County Restriction Takes Effect

If Caltrans approves the county’s proposal and a truck with more than three axles later causes a crash on the restricted segment without a permit, the violation of a posted restriction can be strong evidence of negligence against both the driver and the carrier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tristin’s Bill ban big rigs on Highway 74?

No. AB 1145 sets rules for how Caltrans reviews local proposals. Any truck restriction on Highway 74 must still be approved by Caltrans through its existing process.

When does AB 1145 take effect?

January 1, 2027. It was signed and chaptered on September 27, 2026.

Can I sue Caltrans because of AB 1145?

AB 1145 does not create a new right to sue. Claims against public entities are governed by the Government Claims Act and require a written claim within six months.

Would a county restriction stop all trucks on Highway 74?

No. The draft proposal targets vehicles with more than three axles and long trailer configurations on the segment between the State Route 371 junction and Palm Desert. It includes exceptions for permitted local pickups and deliveries and for emergency and fire vehicles, so smaller trucks and local service would continue.

Was Tristin’s Bill named after a Riverside County resident?

Yes. The bill honors Tristin Bourgeois, who was killed on Highway 74 in Riverside County in October 2024. His family’s petition helped bring the route’s truck problems to the Legislature’s attention.

Who investigates a truck crash on Highway 74?

On state highways outside cities, the California Highway Patrol typically investigates.

Getting Help After a Riverside County Truck Crash

Tristin’s Bill is a reminder that the mountain roads many Riverside County families depend on can be dangerous when heavy trucks are not suited to them. If you or someone you love was hurt in a truck crash, getting answers early matters: the evidence is held by trucking companies and can be lost.

The Accident Network Law Group handles truck accident cases on a No Recovery, No Fee basis, and our bilingual team is available around the clock. Our Riverside office is on Brockton Avenue. Learn more about our Riverside truck accident lawyers, or reach out for a free consultation about what happened and what options you have.