Not even three years old, the NTTA’s Roadway Customer Service program just reached a milestone on Aug. 10 when the team received its 5,000th commendation since the program began in 2008.
You’ve probably seen Roadway Customer Service team members in brightly-colored trucks along NTTA roadways. Fixing a flat, making minor vehicle repairs, or even adding a splash of gas – this roadside assistance team works hard to get the job done and help motorists on their way.
Lately, that’s been a greater challenge for the men and women who make up the team. Extreme heat has caused a spike in requests for roadway assistance, not to mention creating challenging work conditions for team members.
Each time they assist a driver, Roadway Customer Service members hand a card to the person they’ve helped, asking for feedback. Many motorists send their thoughts back to the NTTA.
The 5,000th commendation card came from Warren Lee, who ran into trouble while he was driving on the Dallas North Tollway on his way to a meeting for his insurance business. Here’s what he wrote:
"I would like to express my extreme gratitude to you and your staff!!! I feel that an email is an inefficient manner in which to do so. My day was saved and made by members of your team this morning!"
"I had a flat tire on the Tollway at roughly 11:45 a.m. The temperature reading in the car said 108! I pulled to a stop and within 2 minutes the RCS truck was pulling up to help me. I had already begun to get my spare tire out, but the two gentlemen who arrived actually did everything for me. They were so nice and worked so efficiently. I had no idea that service existed. I was truly blown away. I actually made it to a meeting on time because of their help."
"They were also so polite and courteous as well. I wanted to give them a tip, but they refused. I offered to buy them lunch, but they wouldn’t accept. It seemed they truly wanted to help me and get me back on my way."
"I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude. The two gentlemen really made my day. Please pass along my gratitude to them as well. I was in the silver car they helped. This was such a wonderful and welcome surprise. I have been lauding the NTTA all day, as I am most appreciative."
Lee speaks for many of the other 4,999 people who have taken the time to contact the NTTA to say, “Thanks.”
The RCS team operates on three shifts 24-hours a day. The team patrols NTTA roadways in search of stranded drivers. When motorists call the emergency number listed on their TollTags, the calls are routed to the NTTA Command Center, and the Roadway Customer Service team is quickly dispatched at no extra cost to the driver.
The NTTA developed the Roadway Customer Service program in 2008 to help stranded motorists, provide protection at incident scenes and assist during disasters, regional emergencies and evacuations on NTTA roadways. By responding to non-emergency situations and directing traffic, the RCS team takes much of the load off of Department of Public Safety personnel. This allows DPS to expand its coverage without deploying additional officers, concentrating their efforts where genuinely needed.
In 2010, the RCS teams handled 13,670 incidents, an average of 263 per week, with an average response time of only 9.5 minutes.
For more information about safety programs at the NTTA, visit www.ntta.org.