Author Archives: penny

Your car’s least favorite things about winter

Winter DrivingGroundhog day has been and gone, and winter is still here.  It’s not showing any signs of going away for good anytime soon.

One of the problems with the gradual approach of spring is that the temperature is inconsistent, which speeds the formation of potholes. While they form all year round, they’re particularly evident at this time of year. The season’s freeze/thaw cycles really bring out the worst in Winnipeg’s roads, causing the pavement crack and then heave upward when water finds its way into the crack, and expands when it becomes ice.  Potholes can be hard to see, and when they get covered in snow or slush, they’re particularly hard to see.  It’s like they’re lying in wait for you to drove over them too fast, and wreck some part of your car.

Icy conditions are quite common, and can be disguised (and made worse) by a thin dusting of snow.  Even if your car is equipped with snow tires, you’ll slide on the ice and face a potential accident.  Fluctuating temperatures (warmer, sunny days and hard freezing nights) can lead to the formation of “black ice”, a clear covering that looks like wet asphalt, but is really a slick coating of ice that’s ready to throw you and your car into the ditch, or worse.

If your car’s made an unscheduled trip off-road, or you’ve got a flat tire, a dead battery, or worse – you’ve had a traffic accident, remember that Dr. Hook is here to help you.  In an emergency, call us 24 hours a day at 956-HOOK (4665) or Toll Free 1-800-561-4665.  Better yet, sign up online up now for our roadside assistance program, to get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your towing needs will be take care of in an emergency.

 

Changes to Downtown Parking Regulations

Cars ParkedIf you visit downtown Winnipeg in the evenings, you need to be aware that the parking policies that have allowed you to park on the street in the SHED (Sports, Hospitality, Entertainment District) around the MTS Centre for free after 5:30 p.m. have changed.  Starting this summer, you will now have to pay for short term parking on the street up until 8:30 p.m.

The goal of this change is to encourage people looking for longer term parking, like those going to a hockey game or other evening event at the arena, to seek parking in the local surface lots.  This move should allow for more short-term parking downtown, making it available for patrons of local businesses.

While not universally loved (particularly by those used to benefiting from the free evening parking in the area), the Winnipeg Parking Authority and the Downtown BIZ are in support of the move, saying that it will result in opportunities for local businesses to carry out service on game nights by making casual parking available.

While the WPA proposed a wider geographic span than just the SHED, but Council decided that, at this time, it would be best to run the project as a test for further expansion of the policy.

To avoid a ticket or a tow, always read the fine print on a sign or parking machine, and make sure you’re paying the correct amount for the day and time that you’re parking.

For all of your towing needs, call Dr. Hook.  We’re Winnipeg’s leading tow truck operator, with more than 100 experienced, dedicated, and courteous people on staff to help you when you need it most.

To contact us in an emergency call us 24 hours a day at 956-HOOK (4665) or Toll Free 1-800-561-4665 or sign up online up now for our roadside assistance program.

 

Peace of Mind on the Road

If you are a driver, you may have experienced a problem with your vehicle while out on the road. Whether your car won’t start, a flat tire, ran out of gas or locked your keys in your car. Whatever the situation might have been and whether your are an experienced driver or not, you know the immense amount of frustration and panic that most likely kicked in.  Think others would feel the same?  You’re probably right. Why not help out a fellow driver by offering a Dr. Hook prepaid gift card. This takes the hassle out of trying to figure out what to do when caught in a jam. Plus, providing that extra financial help during an emergency situation is an added bonus.

Not sure who to give it to? Dr. Hook offers complete roadside assistance to every type of vehicle, from cars to big rigs. We also provide roadside assistance to company vehicles.

Our employees are constantly trained, upgraded, and certified in all aspects of the Towing and Recovery Industry. All our calls are answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Make driving one step easier by offering someone a Dr. Hook pre-paid gift card.  You may conveniently purchase a gift card on our website or learn more about Roadside Assistance.

Dr. Hook Won’t Leave You Out In The Cold

Dr. Hook Towing“We wouldn’t want to leave anyone out in the cold, especially in these extreme weather conditions. This winter has been extremely busy, but we do our best to make sure we get to our customers as fast as we can”, President Nick Roscoe.

At the mid-point of another Manitoba winter, we thought we would take a moment to share some of our client experiences so far this season:

On January 6, 2015, we received a call from Adrienne. She told us, “To the driver and CSR’s from Sunday,  the service was amazing and very quick.” Adrienne is a long-time member of a well-known Manitoba auto service company and was amazed with how much better she was treated with Dr. Hook. She wanted to take the time to let us know what an awesome job we are were doing.

Another customer called on December 29, 2014. She was so impressed with our prompt service and wanted to let us know that Driver 494 is an awesome representative of the company. “He was very helpful and polite, and just a great guy.” She was also amazed that we were able to get someone to her location within 30 minutes.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for your business and for trusting Dr. Hook to help you with roadside assistance.

Have we helped you recently? What do you think of our service? We would love to hear from you. Submit a testimonial of your own or read more here.

Who’s Looking after Your Vehicles?

Your employees have a health plan.

Your business has property insurance.

But who’s looking after your vehicles?

Take the panic away from your drivers with Dr. Hook.

We offer Roadside Assistance for corporate customers, with plans available for single or multiple vehicles. Whether it’s a delivery car or big rig, Dr. Hook can haul it.

The Value of Safety Training

The last 10 years has brought forward an emphasis on safety for workers resulting in multiple certification options. At Dr. Hook we have always been whole heartedly committed to the safety of our operators, as evidenced in our focal support of the Move Over Law.

Safety is not a one time investment and requires a continued focus. Recently, we had 40 operators attend a WreckMaster course and obtain their Level 2/3 certification. Wreckmaster is an internationally recognized leader in the industry training over 30,000 operators to date. This was a 2 day course which consisted of 8 hours of classroom and 8 hours of hands on field instruction.

In this level, tow operators will learn Recovery, Resistance, Towing Cars/Trucks, Up-righting and Upsets, with or without wheels. We show them how much effort it takes to move a car using different attachment techniques, how to incorporate predictability and efficiency and most importantly they learn how to use their equipment safely and efficiently.

We hope you enjoy a sampling below of the training, giving some indication of a day in the life of a tow operator. And we congratulate our team on attending and succeeding in this important training session.

Tow Truck Training

World’s Largest Truck Convoy 2014

On September 6th, the 7th Annual World’s Largest Truck Convoy was held in support of Special Olympics Manitoba. This year there were a record 190 trucks that participated and raised a grand total of $59,000!

Dr. Hook was happy to be a part of this great event to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympic athletes. Thank you to all the drivers who participated.