Awards season is upon us! RCTC held the annual Drivers’ Award meeting to celebrate the top Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) drivers of 2023. The awards recognized five drivers who provided exceptional service to stranded motorists on the busiest highways in western Riverside County. The entire team of FSP drivers also received recognition for their daily efforts to help keep commuters moving and traffic flowing.

The Freeway Service Patrol – or FSP – is a partnership between RCTC, the California Highway Patrol, and Caltrans to help stranded motorists with quick roadside assistance. These rapid assists keep motorists safe and allow traffic to keep flowing during peak commute times. From flat tires and dead batteries to overheated engines and empty gas tanks, FSP drivers come to the rescue 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 safer location off the freeway.

Without further ado, here are the FSP drivers who won top honors:

FSP drivers make a substantial impact on the lives of western Riverside County motorists. In 2023 alone, the program helped over 56,000 county motorists that were stalled on local highways. The program was created in 1993 and marked 30 years of service in 2023 – assisting over a million motorists since its inception.

Motorist Alfonso R. shared some kind words about Carlos Castillo, this year’s Top Driver. “Carlos Castillo was incredibly helpful. Extremely safe. And very efficient. Thank you, Carlos, for helping me and my family! The service was amazing!” he said.

Driver of Excellence awardee David Camberos was also praised. Jenna G. said David, “was such a blessing. Saw us on the road and immediately helped. He was very kind, knowledgeable, and provided calmness in our chaos.”

And, of course, the People’s Choice winner, Robert Torres, received his share of praise from the public. Motorist Kayla J. had this to say, “Over the top professional and very helpful, if I were to get help again, I would love for Robert to be the one to help us.” Motorist Daniel T. shared, “Beyond exceptional professionalism, I was back on the road in less than five minutes. Robert was very helpful and had an immediate solution to my situation at hand.”

The Riverside County FSP program is ranked as one of the highest benefit/cost FSP programs across the state, 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 the full length of I-215.

FSP operates Monday through Friday (except on some holidays) from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for the morning commute and from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the afternoon commute. Friday afternoon service operates from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. FSP also operates mid-day service and weekend service on select beats.

To learn more about this popular program, visit www.rctc.org/fsp.