The Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) is responsible for clearing the freeway of stalled or broken down automobiles, motorcycles, small trucks (vehicles with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or less) and small debris.  The Freeway Service Patrol operators contracting with the Transportation Agency provide "quick fix" items to motorists, e.g., furnishing one gallon of gasoline, changing flat tires, providing a "jump" start, taping or repairing cooling system hoses, refilling radiators or similar minor repairs.  They also provide towing needs for minor collisions.  If the disabled vehicle cannot be repaired in this manner, it is towed to a California Highway Patrol designated drop location.  In that case, the motorist can request the vehicle operator to contact the California Highway Patrol Communication center to call for a tow truck or a friend/relative to assist them.  The Freeway Service Patrol program is managed by a partnership of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Highway Patrol.

This annual report is based on the latest year of complete data available from the State, which is 2018-19.  During fiscal year 2018-19, Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol operated on four service routes on three road segments: one along Highway 101 from Gould Road south of Salinas to the San Benito County line (Beat 1), one along State Route 1 between Rio Road near Carmel-by-the-Sea and State Route 156/183 in Castroville (Beat 2) and one along Highway 101 from Arroyo Seco Road south of Soledad to Gould Road (Beat 3).  For a portion of this fiscal year, a service truck operated along same limits as Beat 2 on State Route 1 (Beat 4).  This was discontinued pending further evaluation by Caltrans into the use of service trucks instead of tow trucks.

Freeway Service Patrol drivers patrol these three beats during times of peak traffic congestion from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 - 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  These Beats may also operate during special event weekends, such as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  Beat 1 (or Beat 3) also operates on Sundays from Arroyo Seco Road to the San Benito County line during the summer months to accommodate the increase in traffic due to tourists visiting the Monterey County area, while Beat 2 operates on Saturdays during the summer months to accommodate increased tourist traffic on the peninsula.

In the last three fiscal years, there were a total of 9,846 assists.  The FSP operators provided a high level of service, exceeding the expectations of motorists as demonstrated by user surveys.  The majority of survey respondents rate the service they received as excellent.

The effectiveness of the Freeway Service Patrol Program is assessed by calculating the annual benefit/cost ratio of each beat.  The California Department of Transportation contracts with the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Berkeley for the analysis and preparation of the statewide annual FSP report.  This includes the benefit/cost analysis for each FSP program as well as the statewide average ratio.  In fiscal year 2018-19, the overall benefit/cost ratio for the Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol Program was 6:1, which indicates that the tow truck program provided an average benefit of $6.00 for every dollar invested in the program.  This is an 33% decrease from fiscal year 2017-18 when the ratio was 9:1 but is slightly higher than the ratio of 5:1 for fiscal year 2016-17.  Although the number of assists varies from year to year, the program continues to provide high value assists to motorists in need.

The annual savings in incident delay, fuel consumption and air pollutant emissions due to the tow truck service are calculated based on the number of assists, beat geometries and traffic volumes.  The savings are then translated into benefits using monetary values for delay ($21.79/vehicle-hour) and fuel consumption ($3.52/gallon).  The costs include the annual capital, operating and administrative costs for providing FSP service.

Moving forward, the Freeway Service Patrol will continue to patrol Monterey County's busiest commute corridors, clearing the roads of incidents and helping motorists in need.  With the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2017 an additional $25 million is dedicated to the statewide program annually, which has resulted in additional funding for the Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol.