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Heading on the Highway this Weekend? Check Your Tires Before You Go!

Victoria Day weekend is almost here, which means that the first trip up to the cottage is also just hours away. You can almost smell the open road as you sit at your desk, reading this blog before you pack up your ride and head out to your summer escape.

Before you go though, we do want to advise you to do some tire maintenance before you head out on the road, lest you need to call for some roadside assistance this weekend (and yes, we will be available 24 hours a day in case the worst does happen).

First, be sure that your tires are at proper pressure. Under inflated tires can affect your fuel efficiency and affect the wear on your rubber, while overinflation can put unneeded pressure on the centre of your tire.

Next, do a thorough check for any nails or other objects that may be embedded in your tires. This happened to an associate of ours – as they were prepping to leave North Dakota to get back to Winnipeg, they discovered a large nail in their tire. Sure enough, it had made the trip to the States successfully, but deflated overnight in the hotel parking lot.

Finally, be aware of your tire’s tread. At worst, your tire tread should be 1.6mm in depth, but twice that amount if you’re going to encounter wet and slick road surfaces.

Ultimately, if you’re concerned about your tires’ state, take it to an auto shop for inspection before you hit the road. Otherwise, do be mindful of the weekend riders and the wildlife you may encounter along the way.

Have a great long weekend 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.

Watch The Road, not the Phone

Part of driving in the modern era, or doing anything for that matter, is avoiding the temptation to look at your cell phone.

Whether you’re using it to stream music to your car speakers via Bluetooth, answering calls on speaker or using a map app to find our way to our destination.

Now all of these uses are, to an extent, practical and even necessary for travel in the summer; but having said that, the distracted driving factor isn’t worth the risk of having your phone open beside you.

Wherever possible, have a navigator with you who can handle your phone responsibilities. Yes, it’s hard to cut the virtual chord and we’ll eternally joke about backseat drivers, but we have with our cells but its so pertinent that you are properly driving with your eyes ahead on the action that lies ahead.

At the same time, don’t become dependent on others to guide you – if you’re worried about your ride mate falling asleep during your travels, be sure to have proper apps in place. Make sure your GPS has speech capabilities, that your music app is set with all of your playlists, and for your own sanity put your phone on ‘airplane’ mode. We know it’s hard to ignore the beep of a text or an incoming mail, so best is to completely shut off communication streams – it can wait.

Enjoy the summer weekend and drive responsibly.

What Does Roadside Assistance From Dr. Hook Do For You?

We never plan to need roadside assistance – we just have it for when we need it.

But do you know what your Roadside Assistance with Dr. Hook Towing covers? It’s a lot more than you probably think:

Fix that Flat – More common than you think, a flat tire can put a damper on your day or weekend. But don’t panic! A call to Dr. Hook will be all you need to get back on the road.

Running on Empty -We all do it – the gas light pops up brightly on our dashboad and we say to ourselves , “I’ve got plenty left in the tank – I can wait to fill up.” Maybe we’re desensitized to that light too much. If you find yourself in a gasless bind though, Dr. Hook can help.

Key Retrieval – This one is one we’ve all done, but will never admit to (especially to our kids) – locking your keys in the ignition or sitting on your driver seat happens. A quick call to Dr. Hook (as long as you didn’t lock your cell in your car also…) is a simple solution to getting your key back from the worries of your sealed car.

Along with these services, we can also help you with battery troubles, but more often that is associated with cold weather, and we don’t want to think about that just yet.

For more information on Dr. Hook’s Roadside Assistance, click here.

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.

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.

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