The Point: RCTC salutes FSP drivers who aid thousands in western Riverside County
RCTC honored the best and the brightest among its Freeway Service Patrol drivers at the annual Drivers’ Awards meeting this month. The awards recognized outstanding drivers and showed heartfelt appreciation to all tow truck drivers who provided exceptional service last year to motorists on our busiest highways in Riverside County.
The Freeway Service Patrol – or FSP – is a partnership between RCTC, the California Highway Patrol, and Caltrans to help stranded motorists with speedy roadside assistance. These rapid assists help keep motorists safe and traffic flowing in western Riverside County.
Got a flat tire, a dead battery, overheated engine, or bone-dry gas tank? FSP drivers swoop in to make these repairs and more at no charge. If they can’t get you back on the road, they will tow your vehicle to a designated CHP location.
So which FSP drivers earned these distinguished honors? The envelopes please!
🏆 The Top Driver Award went to David Camberos.
🏆 In the Driver of Excellence category, Oswaldo Bribiezcas and John Materne won top honors.
🏆 The People’s Choice Award was presented to Santiago Atilano.
🏆 And Jose Huerta earned the Rookie of the Year Award.
From left to right: David Camberos, Oswaldo Bribiezcas, John Materne, Santiago Atilano, Jose Huerta
“The most rewarding part of this job is assisting people,” said Camberos, who snagged the Top Driver award. “Many times they have children in the car and they’re panicking because they don’t know what to do. Getting them off the freeway or getting them on their way is the most rewarding part,” he said.
FSP drivers make a big difference in the lives of western Riverside County motorists. In 2022 alone, the program helped 63,550 county motorists stalled on local highways. The program was founded in 1993 and soon will mark 30 years of service in our county.
Motorist Irene C. had high praise for Atilano, who earned the People’s Choice Award. “He was heaven sent. From the minute he first made contact with me, he made sure that we were all safe. The company is lucky to have him,” she said.
Rookie of the Year honoree Huerta also received kudos. Veronica H. said, “It could potentially be a life saver. We were three older women stranded in a very dangerous part of the 215 South with lots of traffic and trucks. My car suddenly ran extremely hot, and we had to pull over and we had no water. We thank God for this angel.”
Across the state, the Riverside County FSP program is ranked as providing one of the highest benefit/cost FSP programs, meaning that it provides a lot of bang for the buck. The program is funded by Caltrans and RCTC and operates on the 91, on I-15 between the 60 and the 79, on the 60 from I-15 to Theodore Street, and on the full length of I-215.
FSP operates Monday through Friday (except on some holidays) from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for the morning commute and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for the afternoon commute. Friday afternoon service operates from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. FSP also operates mid-day service and weekends on select beats.
To learn more about this popular program, visit www.rctc.org/fsp