Roadside Assistance Manitoba | Dr. Hook News Blog

Tag Archives: Roadside Assistance Manitoba

Your car’s least favorite things about winter

Groundhog 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

If 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

“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.

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.

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.

Tow Your Camper With Caution

Ahh the serenity of summer. Nothing like a trip up Manitoba’s highways with a portion of home tugging behind.

Yes friends, it’s camper season. Our mini mobile homes are ready to get hitched up and tugged to your camp site for another summer of usage.

Of course, the last thing anyone wants is for an accident to strike. As much as it might be satirized in Hollywood, a detached camper that separates from your car or truck mid-haul is a major hazard on the road. Imagine, for example, getting detached on Highway 8 on one of the long stretches of one-lane road. Definitely something to avoid.

So before you load up and hitch up, keep these pieces of advice in mind:

1. Know Your Capacity – not all cars are created equal. There may be weight restrictions on how much your car can tow.

2. Know Your Hitch – Having a stabalizing bar as part of your hitch-up will help you avoid swaying. If you’re like many of us and have tossed the owner’s manual a long time ago, do a quick Google search for it to know what hitch will work best for your car or truck.

And if the worst happens, know that Dr. Hook is just a phone call away. Keep our toll-free number – 1-800-561-4665 – in your contacts list just in case you run into trouble.

Beware the Re-Freeze!

We were so close… so very, very close to winter being over.

With warmer temperatures over the last few days, pavement and asphalt could be seen again on sidewalks and streets, or at least through murky puddles. Like little kids, we would happily splash through these mini basins of water as we drove to and fro. Sure, we were still digging ourselves out of another large snowfall, but the end was in sight – our warmer days were in sight and we would soon be in the clear.

Then Tuesday evening happened.

With temperatures dropping into the -20 region overnight, freezing once again became an issue on Winnipeg streets, and with that comes the everpresent reminder of cautious driving.

Unfortunately, this cycle isn’t looking like it will slow down any time soon.

With this in mind, we want to encourage you to be mindful of road – and especially highway conditions around Winnipeg. Blowing snow from the previous fall (and another forecast to be on its way next week) is going to make driving harder, along with melt-and-freeze temperatures that look to take us almost through the end of the month.

Should an emergency arise, don’t hesitate for a moment to call Winnipeg’s towing experts. We provide roadside assistance both in the city and outside the perimeter, and can help get you back on the road.

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 – Breast Cancer Awareness

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.

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.