Category Archives: News

Vancouver may change towing policies

There is a high chance that Vancouver will change towing policies. Those affected will be people with the habit of not paying their parking tickets even if they have paid their fines.

With the current policy, a vehicle is towed if there are three parking tickets that are unpaid and are assigned to its licence plate. This is done if it is found at a meter that has expired.

With the proposed policy, a vehicle will be towed even if the fines for the previous unpaid tickets have been paid. The number of the tickets, whether paid or unpaid is also likely to be changed or increased. This is meant to curb those with a tendency of not paying parking fees irrespective of whether they have paid the fines that have been imposed on them or not. Therefore, if the policy comes into effect, a vehicle found parked at a meter that has expired will be towed regardless of whether the driver has paid previous fines. It is not yet determined the number of tickets a vehicle would have in total for it to be towed. According to the director of city streets Taryn Scollard, the number of tickets could be a given such as five or seven for a span of two years.  The policy is at the early stages and the analysis of similar application by other municipalities has not been done.

The intended change of policy is not about generating more money, but as a way of ensuring that people are following rules. Parking tickets are meant to help people change their behaviour and comply with the set rules. The city has seen a reduction of parking tickets issued over the past three years from 2012, and the new intended policy is meant to reduce that figure even further.

If you require Roadside Assistance, call Dr. Hook Towing. We offer emergency and scheduled service with direct dispatch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Toronto’s out-of province licence plates

Toronto HighwayToronto is planning to impose tough measures on vehicles that have licence plates that do not belong to the province and are repeat offenders of violating parking rules. Toronto Mayor John Tory wants to expand his zero tolerance approach to the fight against gridlock to include the vehicles whose licence plates are out of province.

The Mayor announced the policy, which began on February 2, 2015 as part of his crusade of reducing traffic congestion. The policy allows the city to tow vehicles that have out of town licence plates and are repeat offenders of violating parking rules.

Before the policy came into effect, Toronto did not have many options for enforcing the parking rules on vehicles with registration from a different province. With the policy in effect, the city can now tow vehicles that have not paid up to three tickets and can collect towing and impounding fees.

This will ensure that there is decongestion in the city by getting rid of those who have a tendency of not paying parking fees. The city will also generate revenues from the towing. The fees imposed are meant to discourage failure of paying parking fees. According to Anthony Fabrizi, manager of parking ticket operations in Toronto, there are a total of 120,000 tickets that are issued to licence plates belonging outside the province every year.

For all your Roadside Assistance needs or if you require a Recovery Expert call Dr. Hook Towing in Manitoba.

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.

 

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

Our Trucks Are Ready For You All Easter Weekend

Winnipeg, congratulations – you’ve reached the hallmark moment of the winter/spring turnover – Easter Weekend.

Over the past number of years, we’ve received such a variance in conditions outdoors that we can’t label any single day as the ‘unofficial’ start of the warm season; yet even in this, the coldest winter since the late 1800s, we’re looking great for this weekend with warmer temperatures and almost a full dissipation of snow.

Having said all this, there is a cautionary note – Winnipeg streets have fallen victim to the freeze/thaw/repeat cycle that we’ve had over the last couple weeks, continued problems are surfacing on Winnipeg roads. The result is that driving over the next few weeks will still involve some bobbing and weaving to avoid.

If you do hit one of Winnipeg’s potholes this weekend though, don’t fret – help is on the way and will indeed be here for you throughout the Easter weekend. That’s right. Our trucks will be in service throughout Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, just as we are each and every day of the year, regardless of holidays.

Our mission is to help Manitobans in need when automotive issues arise. Whether you’ve been in an accident, run out of gas or simply locked yourself out of your car, we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your roadside assistance needs.

Have a safe holiday weekend Winnipeg. Stay alert when driving!

Winnipeg Street Clearing, But….

If you saw a deluge of snowplows on the way to work this morning, there’s good reason – as of 7am today, Winnipeg has enacted a city-wide operation to clear residential streets.

As reported by the Winnipeg Free Press, clearing began with the plan to clear in anticipation of the spring melt. This plan will be moving forward over the next few weeks.

With this news comes questions by motorists, naturally, of whether their cars need to be moved from the street in advance of their zone being plowed. Some may have thrown up their arms in defeat to Mother Nature which blanketed Winnipeg once again Sunday night with a large sheet of snow and not shovelled off carpads or driveways, figuring the streets were just fine.

The good news is that an overnight parking ban is not in effect. Cars will not be ticketed or towed if they are found on residential streets while clearing operations are running.

That’s the good news. The bad news, however, is that by not removing your car you are hampering the city’s progress; so we still advise Winnipeg vehicle owners to move their ride, especially if you are parked in front of any drainage spots.

Pay Dr. Hook Online!

Dr. Hook Towing is committed to making your customer experience as easy and as smooth as possible.

As part of this pledge, we’re pleased to announce that you can now pay online for your service from Dr. Hook. Simply follow this link to head over to our online payment system, securely powered by TD Canada Trust, and you’re done.

The great part about using Dr. Hook Towing’s online payment is that you can pay not only for your own services, but for others as well! That’s right parents, if your teen has an unfortunate incident on a Manitoba highway and requires our roadside assistance, you can pay their bill right away. All you need is the payment amount and the call number.

So if you or a loved one has had an incident that needed Dr. Hook’s attention, click here now to pay online.

The Regrettable Perils of Winter in Winnipeg

Accidents are always regrettable, no matter whether they happen to a valued Dr. Hook customer or to a Dr. Hook employee.

The recent story of one of our employees intentionally neglecting damage he caused to a customer’s vehicle is something that we feel we must address, if only for our own peace of mind.

Dr. Hook does not employ the type of person who would ignore something like this. We consider ourselves to be a company with integrity, and the thousands of people that we help year-round can attest to the helpful and caring nature that we always strive to exhibit.

Our ratio of safety during particularly busy winters such as this one speaks for itself. Our employees do their best to assess situations in a matter of moments, knowing they have many other calls ahead of them. Our employees are only human – but we can assure you that they are not intent on making an already distressing situation worse for our customers.

This was not something that was done maliciously. This is precisely what Dr. Hook deals with on a daily basis – an accident. Never fun, never the preferred way to spend one’s day, but something that has to be dealt with nonetheless – and we feel that we did so fairly.

Dr. Hook Will Be Out in Winnipeg Tonight for New Years Service

While tonight’s festivities roll on, we do want to remind Winnipeg that New Year’s Eve comes with its challenges on the road, especially for 2013.

Most Winnipeggers, by now, know that there is an inherent caution that comes with travel on NYE 2013 – people for whatever reason will err in their judgement and unfortunately pull-overs by Winnipeg Police do occur due to intoxication.

We say this every year but it certainly bears repeating – if you have any, and we mean any trepidation of getting behind the wheel tonight, then we strongly encourage cabbing, using Operation Red Nose or finding a designated driver who has not consumed a single ounce of alcohol.

But the greater concern this year is the unseasonably cold temperatures. The unfortunate reality is that heading out to a party could mean not being able to plug in your car and coming out, at say 1:30am, to a car that won’t start.

If this situation does happen to you, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Hook Towing in Winnipeg. We will be on call for you tonight should you run into any problems and require our roadside assistance.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year celebration!