The Bay Area Freeway Service Patrol
Greater Driver Accountability with Automatic Vehicle Tracking
Challenges
The Bay Area Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) reduces traffic congestion by providing roadside assistance and towing services, free of charge, to stranded motorists on over 540 miles of the Bay Area's freeways. Three agencies—the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (MTC SAFE), the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans)—work together to provide this service. Because the FSP services such a large area, it was difficult to ensure the 90 contracted tow trucks were consistently patrolling their beat without a method to track vehicles. The three coordinating agencies also relied on tedious and error-prone hand-written daily service reports, while unreliable radio and data systems created communications challenges amongst the agencies.
Solution
To address these challenges, the FSP implemented Mentor Ranger® rugged in-vehicle mobile computers, which provide automated data collection, in-vehicle navigation, on-screen form fills, and enhanced driver/dispatcher communication. Accompanying Ranger is Mentor Fleet, a comprehensive AVL software suite, which enables vehicle tracking and the creation of event reports if drivers leave their pre-assigned route, eliminating redundant paperwork and data entry. XGate® middleware, Mentor's message management component, ensures seamless communication between the office and the vehicle.
Results
Since implementing the new technology, the FSP has noted many improvements. "We have been able to increase the performance of our program," says Sze Lei Leong, Project Manager at MTC SAFE. "We can now ensure the level of service is what we expect from all contracted drivers and the overall Bay Area FSP can manage traffic better. We can rely on the wireless system to communicate to our tow truck drivers. With AVL tracking, we know where the drivers are and what they are doing during FSP service hours."
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Without the mobile computing solution we would have to hire additional people to communicate with the drivers, maintain and analyze the paperwork submitted after shifts, and be in the field to make sure the drivers are doing what they are supposed to. We really benefit from having an automated system to perform these tasks. 
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