Over 65% of the calls AMA has received for roadside assistance has been for battery boosts

By Shaun Penner

Battery Boosts

AMA, area tow truck companies kept busy during cold snap

Jan 17, 2020 | 1:01 PM

The extreme cold has been keeping local tow truck companies very busy.

With the recent cold snap creating battery and many other mechanical issues for area vehicles, the Alberta Motor Association says they are just starting to get caught up on the flurry of calls they have received this last week.

As recently as Thursday night, AMA had estimated wait times of 16 hours for full towing and winching services here in Grande Prairie, with similar wait times to get a battery boost or a tire change.

As of Friday morning, Brandon Klassen with AMA was happy to report that those times have been cut by almost half for towing services.

“We are starting to see some headway, getting caught up with all of our companies that we’re using in the GP area,” said Klassen. “Currently, we’re just updated to nine hours.”

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One of those companies used by AMA in the Swan City is Flynn’s Towing and Recovery. With the company offering 24-hour service, Kerri-Ann Sveinson-Gillett with Flynn’s says that has truly been the case.

“We have drivers working day and night,” said Sveinson-Gillett. “The other day, when I went home, we still had 50-60 calls that we were waiting to go to.”

In that situation, AMA does prioritize their responses based on necessity, meaning those who may be in an unsafe situation will get helped sooner than those wait times.

Klassen says in the most immediate situations, they would try to respond within 60-90 minutes.

“If we’re going to see people out on the highway, and they have no place warm to go, their vehicle is not running, so they don’t have any heater or anything in their car, we’re going to do our best to get to those people quicker than someone who is at home and is in a safe location.”

As of Friday morning, wait times were a little better in Sexsmith and Beaverlodge, which were sitting at five and two hours respectively. Up in Peace River and Grimshaw, times are comparable to Grande Prairie, sitting at an estimated 10 hours.

Wait times like that are not unique to this area of the province. In fact, many other parts of the province are seeing much longer wait times because of the extreme cold. Edmonton is seeing wait times of up to 48 hours, same as Calgary.

“Across the province, as of today (Friday morning), we (had) over 54,000 roadside assistance calls, which is 6.5 times more than we’d normally see in any given January,” said Klassen. “So, it’s busy out there.”

Klassen adds that over 65% of the calls AMA is getting is for battery boosts. He reminds drivers about the importance of plugging their cars in when the temperature dips, to keep the engine block and battery warm.

If you are an AMA member and the wait times are too long, Klassen says you can try another company for a quicker response. If the company is not affiliated with AMA, they will reimburse you a minimum of 50 per cent, depending on your planning. Contact AMA for more information.

As tow truck drivers and others work on area road ways to help those who may be stranded, Klassen asks for all drivers to be patient and cautious when driving past those working.

“Just slow down, give those guys room to work. It’s super important to make sure that they get to get home at the end of the day as well.”

The cold snap here in the Grande Prairie area is expected to last through the weekend, with temperatures returning back to seasonal averages by Monday.