Freeway Service Patrol: Keeping Freeways Free-Flowing

If you’ve ever been stranded on the side of a Bay Area highway, your knight-in-shining-tow-truck might just have been a member of the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP).

MTC operates the FSP, a fleet of roving tow trucks that patrol Bay Area freeways during peak times to help keep freeway traffic moving smoothly. FSP drivers help clear vehicle crashes, pick up debris in the roadway and provide free help to motorists (such as assistance changing a flat tire). Watch this video to learn more about FSP.

FSP drivers are dispatched from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every weekday, and during peak travel times on the weekends in select areas with high traffic volumes.

More than 100 drivers from 11 tow companies cover 552 miles of freeway in the Bay Area.

In the last calendar year, FSP has provided roadside assistance free-of-charge to nearly 100,000 motorists with an average response time of less than 11 minutes and an average customer service rating of over 99% satisfaction. Most driver assists are for vehicle mechanical problems, flat tires, vehicles out of gas/charge, overheated engines, dead batteries or helping to clear the scene of a collision.

Drivers are trained and tested to qualify as an FSP tow truck operator. They must take a three-day certification training course conducted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP); pass a tow truck proficiency driving test; and pass a written examination on FSP protocols and policies and CHP radio codes.

MTC hires FSP contractors and manages the program in partnership with CHP. Caltrans is a funding partner that assists MTC with data and planning. The Freeway Service Patrol program has been roving Bay Area freeways since 1992.

Always remember California law requires drivers to slow down and move over when you see responders or anyone with car trouble on the side of the road. MTC thanks the brave fleet of FSP drivers who risk their lives to help motorists in need and keep Bay Area freeways moving.