Auto Spa Towing says the majority of calls they have received this week have been to boost vehicles that won't start during the cold weather - Photo by Ross Lavigne

By Charles Lefebvre

Tow truck companies kept busy during extreme cold

Jan 16, 2020 | 3:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB —Tow truck companies across Alberta have been working overtime during the cold snap impacting the province.

Since Sunday, the Alberta Motor Association have responded to over 30,000 calls across Alberta for roadside assistance.

Auto Spa Towing in Medicine Hat, which fields calls from AMA in addition to direct calls, says they’ve been receiving between 100 and 200 calls per day, both from AMA members and non-members.

“We’ve been really very fortunate, we’ve had a couple of guys every day, they stepped up and worked their days off, so we had a larger staff than we normally would carry for regular days,” said Kraig Kohls, owner of Auto Spa.

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Kohls says they were behind between 30 minutes to an hour during peak times. He adds the majority of calls they have responded to have been vehicle boosts, but they’ve also been called to change tires and tow cars to garages.

“The cold weather is very hard on a vehicle,” he said. “We’re towing a lot of the vehicles that are frozen up or need new batteries, because in this weather, even though we do offer the mobile battery replacement, it is too cold for us to be out there with our bare hands putting in batteries.”

Kohls says the weather serves as a reminder to drivers to plug in their vehicles when it gets cold. AMA recommends plugging it in at least four hours before driving it when the temperature outside is at least -15 degrees Celsius or colder.

“That is key to basically giving us a chance to get the vehicle going,” he said. “The other thing is to make sure you have a newer battery that is fully charged, ready to go, and do some due diligence, make sure you warm up your vehicle before you start driving. Because a lot of times, they aren’t warmed up satisfactory, and a lot of times, they’ll die down on the highway or have a problem down the road.”

Kohls adds drivers should also check their tires to make sure they’re in good working order, and to also ensure they have a full tank of gas in their car before they hit the road.