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Emergency Preparedness: Keep Yourself Charged on the Road

There’s a classic scene that has been rendered somewhat cliche in Hollywood. A young couple is stranded on the highway with their hood up. The male is seated on a gas jug while the female stands with her thumb out hoping that a noble stranger will help them in their time of need.

This scenario was certainly the case for Manitobans just a couple decades ago, but thanks to cell phones, all it takes is a call to Dr. Hook, and the case for a happenstance handsome stranger to play the hero is obsolete.

Obsolete, that is, as long as you have your phone charged up and ready.

Let’s admit it to ourselves – as careful as we are with our smartphones, we can get caught up in our “other” activities like web browsing and gaming that drain our batteries and we’re at times left without being able to communicate; and whether you’re in the city or out on the highway, this is not an ideal situation.

With this in mind, it’s important that as part of your emergency preparedness, especially when you are embarking on a long highway travel, to have your phone fully charged and ready to go. Having a charger in your car and even a spare power source is a great way to ensure that you are good to go and are more than ready should an emergency happen with your car or truck.

Remember – your roadside assistance experts are always just one phone call away.

Be Prepared in Case You get Stranded

Dr. Hook can help you when you have a flat tire. The realities of highway driving are fairly fierce, but they’re a reality for a reason.

As difficult as it is to digest, there always exists the possibility of being stranded – either from your engine conking out, a flat tire or another emergency situation.

Given Manitobans propensity for travel-by-road, it’s integral that you be prepared should an urgent situation come about. Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure you have an emergency kit in your car – At minimum, you should have blankets for warmth, a flashlight with fully-charged batteries, jumper cables, an air compressor, tow ropes, some non-perishable food and other pieces. A power generator isn’t a bad idea either.

2. Load up your phone with the right apps – Calling Dr. Hook is the first step to your roadside assistance (made even easier by our mobile site which you should bookmark!), but a GPS app will make it easier to find you as well. Google Maps, for example, can pinpoint your location pretty accurately, making it easier for you to convey information to us as to your location on a given highway.

The most important thing to do if you get stranded, as simple as it may sound, is to remain calm. Human nature is to panic, but that doesn’t do you any favours in the longrun.

For more information on Dr. Hook roadside assistance, contact us or click here to register for our roadside assistance program.

Dr. Hook In the Community

As a follow up to our series of “In the Community” blogs, we at Dr. Hook have put together a video montage of the events we’ve been proud to be a part of in the Winnipeg community.

Stay Safe this Holiday Season

Winnipeg is unquestionably in the holiday spirit. Whether it’s on the streets or in our homes, the festive season is vibrant and alive in our city.

With the celebration, however, unfortunately comes over-celebration, and that’s when we, unfortunately, have to do our job over Christmas and New Years.

The reality is that no matter how often and how repeated the word is spread by organizations like Operation Red Nose, drivers in Winnipeg aren’t always conscious of how many drinks they’ve had amidst their celebrations and their hazardous effects. They may think that the augment of a healthy serving of food for dinner that their tolerance is bolstered, or they may think that the difference between two and three drinks is minimal.
Combine this with what can undeniably described as treacherous conditions in our city then we have the recipe for disaster in Winnipeg. Single or multivehicle accidents are far too common and can not only ruin a time that should otherwise be peaceful.

It goes without saying that we strongly advise Winnipeg drivers to play it safe and maintain a low consumption of alcohol during the holiday season, but as we stated above there will always be people that don’t heed this word.

So instead, we’d like to remind all drivers in Winnipeg to be aware of the conditions around them. Getting to dinner or a club 15 minutes late won’t hurt you, but being sideswiped will. Don’t rush to get home because of your babysitter – the extra few dollars for them to stay while you drive slowly and carefully far outranks the price to have us come and haul your vehicle away from a crash.

From all of us to all of you, have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

Dr. Hook in the Community – Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade

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.

There may be no annual event in Winnipeg that is more anticipated by children of all ages than the Santa Claus Parade.

As one would expect, the Parade was attended by thousands of Winnipeg families, with fathers and sons, mothers and daughters and children and grandparents taking in the festivities.

Being part of the Santa Claus Parade was a unique honour for Dr. Hook. As you’ve seen over the last few weeks, we enjoy taking part in activities for the community, be they public or private events; but nothing compares to taking part in the parade. It warms our hearts to have had the opportunity to join with other Winnipeg businesses and organizations for this once-a-year occasion.

Fun Fact

Did you know that the Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade has been running for over a century? It’s true. The first Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade was held in 1909 and was put on by Eaton’s. Along with a parade in Montreal, it was the second in Canada, following the first Santa Clause Parade in Toronto in 1904.

Dr. Hook in the Community – Breast Cancer Awareness

Answering the call of duty is more than just an opportunity to help a Winnipegger in need of a tow – it also gives us the chance to give back to our community and loved ones.

Such an opportunity exists for us this month.

As you may already be aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer currently ranks #2 in leading causes of death amongst women in Canada, accounting for 5,100 passings in 2012 alone. It is also the number one incedence rank. (All statistics courtesy the Canadian Cancer Society.)

Dr. Hook is proud to be part of the fight against this deadly disease. In October, we will have our special pink Dr. Hook trucks on the road. Each time a Dr. Hook pink truck is sent out to assist someone in Winnipeg, a portion of its revenue will be donated to breast cancer research.

So be sure to look out for our special pink Dr. Hook trucks – each time you see it, know that our work is for a good cause.

Dr. Hook Part of Convoy That Helps Special Olympics

The Manitoba Trucking Association has become known for being a true brotherhood in our province, and the kinship is never more visible in Winnipeg than at the annual World’s Largest Truck Convoy.

Taking place every September, the convoy brings together Manitoba companies in a site that is really something to behold.

Dr. Hook was proud to be part of this year’s convoy, which took place on Saturday, September 15. It was one of five concurrent convoys that took place across Canada, including events in Winnipeg, Halifax, Saskatoon, Paris, ON and Moncton, NB.

Across all cities, 351 trucks took part in the convoy and raised almost $200,000 for various charities. The Manitoba convoy alone saw 141 trucks, with more than $65,000 raised for Special Olympics.

Dr. Hook in the Community – Red River College

There’s no question – education comes at a price.

As we’ve seen recently, the rising costs for post-secondary education are not going to slow down, so the opportunity to help students out is one we couldn’t pass up.

That’s why, this past February, Dr. Hook was a sponsor for Red River College’s entry into a skills Canada Manitoba competition, which saw students in skilled trades and technology to build a modified 1933 Ford car.

The car would go on to provide valuable experience for the participating students, while also serving as a fundraiser – lottery tickets were distributed for the opportunity to own the revamped ’33 model. The work by the students was also on display at World of Wheels and at several events over the summer.

“Our motto at Skills Canada Manitoba is supporting career development through education and technology, and we’re really excited that the students are going to be able use their education and skills working on this project,” said Maria Pacella, executive director of Skills Canada Manitoba, in an interview with Red River College.

To learn more about Skills Canada Manitoba, click here.

Dr Hook Contributes to Breast Cancer Awareness

We are proud to introduce our newly colored truck to our fleet of Winnipeg Tow Trucks.

As part of our contribution to bringing awareness to the battle against Breast Cancer, we have recently taken one of our brand new tow truck and wrapped in pink.

The Breast Cancer Awareness truck will be driving the streets of Winnipeg helping not only those who require Roadside Assistance, but those fighting breast cancer.

Stay tuned to find out more on the Dr. Hook Breast Cancer Awareness tow truck.

Our Business is Keeping Your Business Moving

Your business runs on wheels, and your customers rely on you to keep those wheels rolling. Late deliveries, missed appointments and lost man-hours cost money. When one of your rigs breaks down, you need to know that there’s prompt, professional help just a phone call away. Getting the right equipment to the scene as quickly as possible is essential to your bottom line. You can’t afford long waits, or hit-and-miss phone calls. You need to get your vehicle back in service as quickly as possible, and your driver out of harm’s way. You need one phone number you know you can dial to reach people who will get those wheels rolling for you again, safely and efficiently.

At Dr. Hook Towing, that’s not just our business, it’s our commitment to you. With over 600 years of combined experience, and more than 65 state-of-the-art vehicles available to handle any size job, our team of highly-trained professionals is dedicated to delivering courteous and efficient service to every customer, on every service call. Our business is helping people, and treating each person with dignity and respect. So when you make that call, know that you can rely on Dr. Hook Towing to dispatch the best-trained, best-equipped heavy equipment towing operators in Manitoba, to keep your business moving.