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Stay Safe This Holiday Season, Winnipeg

Winnipeg is just about to head into its busiest traffic season – the holiday season.

Yes, Christmas Day travel is limited but Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve are three of the highest days of the year in terms of traffic volume, and when traffic is high it means there is a higher propensity for traffic accidents.

With winter conditions being what they are this year, we cannot emphasize enough that you should take extreme caution on the road. By now we’re fairly accustomed to the concerns of drunk drivers, but we’re not as cognizant of the distracted driver or the road-rage driver. Between Smartphones (despite the legal implications) and the mad dash drivers make to beat the lineups for door crashers, Winnipeg turns into a free-for-all on roads which can be extremely hazardous.

We know the anxiousness that comes with the season, but we highly, highly recommend that it is better to take care and arrive late than to try to rush and run the risk of needing our trucks.

Have a safe holiday season.

Winnipeg Residential Parking Ban Lifted, But…

The City of Winnipeg has lifted the residential parking ban.

To the delight of all Winnipeggers, plowing of streets down to concrete is all but done on side streets and we’re free once again to park overnight on front streets.

However, we’d still like to caution against this.

The unfortunate reality of parking in front of one’s residence, especially in the harsh winter conditions we’re currently in, is not the best choice to make. With regulations preventing one from extending a cable across sidewalks, plugging in from the front of your home is not an option.

As such, leaving your car on streets can mean a dead battery when you go out in the early morning.

Yes, we know the temptation – head in through the front door means less time scrambling through the garage, less noise to wake up everyone (if you have a creaky door like many of us do) and fewer things to possibly trip over, especially if you’re coming home in the wee hours (say like you will be doing in all likelihood on New Years’ Eve), but the reality is leaving your car without energy flowing in can mean a frozen four wheels in the morning, and no one wants to have to deal with that when we’re already late for work, the kids are howling or it’s just plain too damn cold out!

So with this in mind, Winnipeg, we highly encourage you to keep your car in your garages, on your car pads, or on your driveway where you can plug in.

If you do end up with a dead battery, Call Dr. Hook right away at 204 956-4665. We’ll help you get your car back in working order before you know it.

Stay warm, Winnipeg!

Remedies for Frozen Car Doors

If there’s anything worse than a back lane or street that hasn’t been plowed, making Winnipeg roads torturous, it’s not being able to get into your car in the first place.

We’re not talking about locking your keys in the car or forgetting them at the office after security locks up; instead we’re talking about that rather unfortunate where snow and ice have built up so much that you literally can’t open the door.

This is one of those cases where home remedies may be your best solution.

One of the tricks we always hear about is using a hot air dryer to melt the ice buildup. It’s pretty practical if it can be achieved, but that can be hard to do if you’re parked away from a power outlet or, you know, have a hot air dryer.

So we crawled the web in search of some other handy tips for opening your car, and here are a few home remedies for your frozen four-wheel.

1. Praise Lifehacker for this gem – hand sanitizer, which seemingly everyone carries these days, can be used as a lock de-icer.

2. WikiHow offers up five suggestions (including our aforementioned hot air dryyer), the simplest? Push on your car door to break the frozen seal.

3. Catalogs.com, appropriately, has a variety of methods listed. Heating a key with a lighter, if available, isn’t a bad step.

Of course, lock de-icer is still the best solution, but if you don’t have this at the ready, then you now have some more solutions in your back pocket.

Stay warm Winnipeg!

Introducing Our Prepaid Roadside Assistance Gift Card

When it comes to driving in Manitoba, stuff happens.

On a busy thoroughfare, a dark highway or on your own residential street, we encounter all kinds of mishaps from dead batteries to flat tires.

In days of yore, this is what we had our ‘Emergency 20’ for. You remember this – the single bill you’d fold into your license and hold for that time when you needed roadside assistance.

And yet, even though we knew that $20 bill had a very useful and understandable purpose, we’d use it for other things en route. Maybe we “needed” to roll through McDonald’s or legitimately were out of cash when we went to the grocer. Either way, that Emergency 20 wasn’t there, often when you needed it most.

Recognizing the eternal peril of not having this money when the worst happens, Dr. Hook has the perfect solution for you – our new Prepaid Roadside Assistance Gift Card. Now, you can load up your card and be prepared if you ever run into trouble on the roads in Winnipeg or across Manitoba.

The best news is that ordering your prepaid gift card is as easy as a few keystrokes. Simply click here to access our purchase page and you’re well on your way to peace of mind, either for yourself or for someone you love.

Our gift cards never expire, and there is no membership required.

Remember – Dr. Hook Towing in Winnipeg offers 24 hour-a-day service year round. If you’re in need of roadside assistance in Manitoba, call us right away at 204 956 4665.

Be Safe This Halloween in Winnipeg

We’re just days away from Halloween, the single busiest day of the year for kids in Winnipeg.

This year, Halloween is expected to be fairly chilly with treating time hovering around the 0 mark. This means kids will be dashing quickly door to door, and in all likelihood across streets across residential areas of Winnipeg.

Costumes, of course, don’t necessarily light up well in Winnipeg streets, and with more parents driving their children around to different areas of the city, this could mean more trouble on the road.

So that we can all prevent pedestrian-driver incidents over All Hallow’s Eve, take necessary precautions:

– Drive slowly if you’re commuting. A child can duck out from cars without a moment’s notice.

– Ensure your child’s costume has some reflective material, especially if they will be going with friends and potentially bobbing and weaving through Winnipeg streets.

Be happy this Halloween but be safe.

Dr. Hook wishes all of its customers and Winnipeg a Happy Halloween.

When Should I Put On My Winter Tires?

The white stuff has begun to fall in Winnipeg and that, unfortunately, means that winter is fast approaching.

While we have yet to experience our first ‘permanent’ snow, we have seen flakes start to fall and even collect, albeit briefly, on some surfaces. We’re also seeing the thermometer dip below the dreaded 0.

Now this means, of course, that Winnipeg drivers are going to start panicking in their driving habits and there may be a few more incidents on roads in our fair city, which leads to the question of when we should switch over to our winter tires.

Generally speaking, the time to make the changeover is when the temperature is 10 degrees or less consistently; so looking at the forecast over the next few days in Winnipeg (though it will inevitably change), the temperature is going to be in the mid-single digits most of the week, save for Friday when we’re slated to hit 9 Celsius.

While the outlook beyond Friday is looking cooler and cooler, and there is expected snowfall over the next 7 days, the temperature could still shift up and down so be sure to keep an eye on this before deciding to change your tires.

For more winter driving tips in Winnipeg, keep an eye on our blog over the coming weeks.

Dr. Hook In The Community – 2013 Truck Convoy

When a call comes from the Winnipeg community, Dr. Hook Towing answers with enthusiasm. We consider it an honour to help organizations throughout our city with their charitable projects that help others. Over course of the next few blogs, we’ll be sharing with you the stories of organizations who we’re happy to support in Manitoba.

Longtime readers of our blog will undoubtedly remember our participation in the 2012 World’s Largest Truck Convoy which benefited the Special Olympics.

So it should come as no surprise that we once again revved up this past September and took part in the beneficiary event once again.

Dr. Hook was once again part of the Convoy and we thought we’d share the sight with you. If you have yet to be on hand for the Convoy as it rolls through Manitoba, the sight below might convince you to join us in 2014!

Congratulations to all members of Manitoba’s trucking industry for the incredible effort you have shown once again. We’re proud to be part of this opportunity with you.

Dr. Hook In The Community – United Way Truck Pull

As an organization, the Manitoba Trucking Association is one of the most supportive groups of community activities in Manitoba, and it gives us great pride to be part of their fundraising initiatives when the opportunity presents itself.

One of our favourite events, year in and year out, is the Truck Pull for United Way. Six teams ‘competed’ this year in groups of 10 for the top award, as full-size trucks were manpowered around the Polo Park parking lot.

The sight drew spectators and on-looks from passing traffic. It was certainly a wonder to see as we competed alongside Big Freight Systems Inc., Payne Transportation LP, Bison Transport Inc., Maxim Truck and Trailer, Cummins Inc. and defending champions Sysco Food Services.

As you may have already heard, Dr. Hook’s “Team Hooked Up” won the competition. While we were elated to share the victory with staff, we were even more excited about the money raised from the one-day event: $3,500 going to United Way Winnipeg, raised in under two hours!

We want to take a moment to thank everyone who made a donation to support this fun afternoon event and worthy cause.

Avoid a Summer Tow – Prep Your Car for Storage

Alas, Summer is drawing to a close.

Yep, as much as we don’t want to admit it (and hope that the 2011-12 winter weather will return for another year), it’s just about time to start prepping your home for the cold weather.

Among the activities we’ll be doing is putting our ‘summer cars’ – the convertables and collector vehicles – in storage for another year.

For many of us, April can’t come soon enough. Melting snow means that another glorious summer is almost upon us and we’ll be ready to once again drive around in our favourite wheels with the tops down and the music blaring.

That will happen, if you properly stow your car over the winter.

We all know that for a car to best survive the blustering conditions, it is best stored indoors, or at least under a protective tarp – but if you want to avoid having to have your car ready to be towed in May, be sure to take proper care of it over the winter.

The best bet is to remove the battery before putting it in storage to ensure there is no damage suffered over the winter. Even if it freezes over the winter, some batteries can be recharged when the winter is complete. Head to a local battery professional for more information.

Also, if at all possible, find indoor storage for your car and, of course, outfit it with a proper tarp to avoid dust and other collection over the cold season.

Dr. Hook In The Community: Richer Roughstock Rodeo

Quick – name your favourite summertime activity that involves horses, bulls and other livestock.

If you said rodeo, then you’re thinking is along the lines of ours, and you may very well have been at one of our latest community projects – the Richer Roughstock Rodeo.

Taking place earlier this month – August 9 to 11 – the rodeo included the feature event, along with mechanical bullrides, kids activities, a social evening and plenty of other activities.

The rodeo wasn’t just an opportunity to get out in the warm Manitoba summer weather for heart-pounding action though – funds raised also had a charitable aspect. A pancake breakfast held Sunday benefited the Richer Day Care.

Dr. Hook was happy to once again be able to help in community efforts. We provided donated services of transporting bleachers to and from Richer for this important event.

We’re always happy to see the appreciation on the faces of community members. What’s important to Manitoba is, indeed, important to us.