San Joaquin County Freeway Service Patrol

The Freeway Service Patrol is a free, publicly funded program that provides roadside assistance for disabled vehicles on select congested freeways to reduce traffic congestion. The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) manages the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) program of roving tow trucks operating on certain major San Joaquin County highways to alleviate congestion caused by disabled vehicles.

The service aids motorists for common issues such as flat tires, running out of gas, addressing minor mechanical issues and towing to a designated safe location. Dedicated, on-site, or nearby towing services reduce the time required to remove vehicles involved in a traffic incident (breakdown or crash) from the roadway. FSP is designed to reduce congestion by rapidly removing disabled vehicles and vehicles involved in minor accidents from the roadway.

The San Joaquin Council of Governments manages the program in coordination with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). SJCOG is responsible for contracting with tow service providers for the successful implementation of the program. SJCOG is also responsible for generating local matching funds, preparing annual program budgets, and coordinating service expansions and changes with partner agencies. Caltrans is responsible for the administration of funding, statewide planning, and program coordination. CHP is generally responsible for individual tow operator training and supervision of the day-to-day FSP field operations. Additionally, the CHP is responsible for dispatching FSP vehicles. The goals of the FSP program are:

• Congestion Relief. Through a system of roving patrols, the FSP Program reduces congestion by detecting, attending to, and clearing freeway incidents as quickly and safely.

• Safety. To improve the safety of the freeways by reducing the amount of time that motorists and vehicles spend on the side of the road, reducing opportunities for secondary incidents.

• Air Quality. By mitigating freeway incidents, reducing the time required to reestablish free flowing roadway conditions, thereby improving air quality through a reduction in fuel consumption.
• Partnership. To be a model of governmental partnership by drawing upon the strengths of Caltrans, CHP, and the Local Agencies to provide a cost-effective FSP program that benefits the public.
• Motorist Assistance. To provide motorist assistance, free to people who are stranded in dangerous situations on busy freeways.

SJCOG is the planning, financing and coordinating agency for the San Joaquin region overseeing transportation, housing and habitat conservation. SJCOG is a joint-powers authority with a board of directors comprised of elected representatives from Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Mountain House, Ripon, San Joaquin County, Stockton, and Tracy. SJCOG’s broad range of responsibilities include managing the Measure K transportation sales tax program, collecting county demographic and economic data, airport land use planning, and regional air quality. SJCOG partners with a network of local government, private organizations and community groups to deliver a variety of local, state and federal programs that support the streets, roads, highways, public transit, and other transportation resources that help our residents get where they need to be. It is also responsible for assigning each city and the county its fair share of affordable housing.