All week we’ve been changing our store displays from Winter to Spring & Summer – an exciting time of year!

Our Spring Features:

• Summer Thunder Washer Fluid $1.99/jug
• Blue Thunder Washer Fluid $2.99/jug
• Seafoam Motor Treatment $7.99/can
• Brake Clean (Non Chlorinated) $3.16/can
• Brake Clean (Chlorinated) $4.00/can

Come check out our safety supplies selection and car cleaning / washing selections. We’ve recently remodeled our Lisle Tools, Kleen-flo and Seafoam displays - it’s all coming together!

We have all you need this SPRING and what isn’t in our displays we can source from one of our local warehouses in no time flat!

Happy Spring to All AND Go Jets Go! We Support You Boys!

GO JETS GO!

CTR is supporting you every step of the way!

Congratulations Carrier Crew!

CTR’s Owner Don Harvey and Business Development Manager Merv Enns attended Carrier’s Annual Dealership meeting held in San Diego, California (March 18-21). The two days of meetings are capped off with an awards night and what a night it was! CTR’s Carrier team was awarded with the following three awards:

-Quota Buster Award

-Q-Triple Double Award

-Platinum Dealership Status

To receive the Quota Buster award the dealership needs to reach their Truck, Trailer and Parts quotas and the Triple Double award means achieving double digit growth in all three categories: Truck, Trailer, and Parts! This is a huge accomplishment and the result of a cohesive team that should feel proud and honored of the dedicated efforts.

Receiving platinum status is the highest status a Carrier dealership can receive.  Last year CTR’s service department earned the Extra Mile Award, and the Dealership moved from silver status to gold status. When all that happened the Carrier crew became hungry for platinum! This year 25 out of 79 Dealerships received platinum status. Great job to every member of the Carrier team - sales, service, parts a job well done and well deserved. Again – the teamwork and dedication shown by all is fantastic!

Experience PLATINUM LEVEL SERVICE first hand!

Book your spring service now

Call Greg or Cheryl at 204-788-4344 ext.2

Friday's Feature

Stop in for Blue Thunder Washer Fluid

3.78L Jug

$2.99

Happy Friday!!!

Here are a couple of our helpers today...

Here is our 1st place winner - Merv Enns!  Congratulations!

Some Sweet!  Some Meat!  Some Heat!

Our Friday at Central Transport Refrigeration....

Today we hosted our 1st ever chili cook off and it was a delisious turn out!  The day started off as a staff event and turned into a nice surprise for our walk-in customers.  Each of the chili entries were unique and absolutely delishous! 

The winners of today were:

3rd place - Tom Remple's "Eco Friendly"

2nd place - Rob Liptrot's "Big Bold Beast"

1st place - Merv Enns' "Chili X"

Congratulations Winners!

The cold temperatures, snow, road salt and potholes were less than kind this past winter. It’s time to give special attention to your batteries, tires, belts, hoses, fluids and brakes to ensure you are taking the best possible care of your motorized baby.

Make sure you have a clean, tight & corrosion free battery connection

Test & replace weak batteries

Check tires for bulges & bald spots

Make sure your wheels are properly aligned

Check tire pressure. Low pressure = decreased gas mileage & tire life

Inspect shock absorbers & chassis parts (ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links & bushings)

Replace belts that are worn, cracked, blistered or soft

Inspect your brake system: lines, hoses, parking brake and brake fluid

Check fluids: engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering, coolant & washer fluid

Practice engine damage control & change your dirty air filter

A new air filter helps eliminate abrasive dust, dirt & bugs from entering your fuel system air intake

Dirty filters decrease gas mileage & increase emissions – change yours

Winter weakens windshield wipers, check for cracks

Check interior & exterior lights. Replace dull bulbs

Eliminate metal corrosion & perform a thorough cleaning

Keep cool. Check coolant levels, flush your radiator & check for coolant leaks

Inspect your exhaust system, check for leaks, damage, broken supports & hangers to avoid damage

Use only automotive car wash products to prevent stripping your vehicle’s wax finish

De-clutter your interior & ditch winter gear

Visit us at 986 Wall St for all your AUTOMOTIVE NEEDS

5 Clever Car Tricks for Winter

(Adapted by Taylor Shea from Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things (Reader’s Digest Association Books)

Foggy windshields blocking your view?

A great tip for clearing a foggy window is to keep a chalkboard eraser in your car – quickly wipe your window (it doesn’t leave smudges). This is warmer then rolling down your window to let the fresh air do the defogging.

Ice side mirrors?

To prevent icy side mirrors cover them the night before with plastic bags and secure with rubber bands or clothespins.

Wiper blades frozen to your windshield?

Soak a soft cloth with full-strength rubbing alcohol and wipe each blade. The alcohol keeps the blades from sticking even on the coldest day of the year!

Car door locked with ice?

1^st trick: heat your car key with a match or lighter then gently push the heated key into the lock to melt the ice. 2^nd trick: take a regular drinking straw and blow directly onto the frozen lock, your hot breath should melt the lock in no time!

Icy windshields messing with your morning?

Who likes scraping ice in the am? Fun little trick to help - rub a raw onion half on windows/windshield the night before a big freeze. The big question here is – what is worse…scraping ice or smelling like an onion?

Surviving -44C Weather – Winnipeg, MB

People who are not from our friendly province of Manitoba think we are crazy for choosing to live in weather like this… are we crazy?! No way! We are Survivors!

CALL

204-772-2481

For ALL YOUR WINTER NEEDS

• Canadian Energy batteries “Built for Canadian Winters”
• Temro block heaters and cords
• Cathelle plug ends (for those “Oops” moments)
• Kleen-flo Ice Melter
• Shell / Quakerstate / Irving Synthetic Oil

Last week I polled our CTR staff to see who was “resolution – ing” for 2015 and I was impressed by what I heard! Some of us are working on weight, smoking, family stuff, learning to cook cabbage rolls, running across Manitoba or maybe they said running the Manitoba Marathon?! Anyways the point of this blog is to share the fact that we have a very motivated and highly inspirational team on our hands!

Let’s do this 2015!

For those of you readers who made resolutions CTR wishes you the best of luck, hopefully you are sticking to them especially during these extremely chilly temperatures.  With weather like this it’s not easy to head out for a run and it’s definitely tastier to ditch the baby carrots and eat an extra-large bowl of pasta…but STAY STRONG people!  CTR supports you!

One more thing – are you suffering from cabin fever??? Come visit us at 986 Wall Street where there are lots of friendly folks waiting to serve you today!  I’m pretty sure it’s a proven fact that shopping for auto / industrial supplies is the leading cure for cabin fever like symptoms…Google it!

Stock Your Vehicle – The Bitter Cold Snap Is Here!

It isn’t fun to wake up to -37F but it’s even worse to wake up to a dead vehicle. Then imagine having to wait 3 or more hours for help to arrive and your 8:00 a.m. business meeting has now been tossed out the window…time to be self-sufficient and grab a Rescue Portable Power Pack today!

Come by CTR and check out our huge selection of winter emergency supplies:

                -First aid kits

                -Shovels

                -Flashlights

                -Fire extinguishers

                -Fuel deicer

                -Lock deicer

                -Quik melt

                -Windshield washer fluid

                -Booster cables and more!

This month’s feature: Rescue Portable Power Pack

Follow these tips if you are stuck in the snow:

Try to stay calm and don't go out in the cold. Stay in your car: you will avoid getting lost and your car is a safe shelter.

• Don't tire yourself out. Shoveling in the intense cold can be deadly.
• Let in fresh air by opening a window on the side sheltered from the wind.
• Keep the engine off as much as possible. Be aware of carbon monoxide poisoning and make sure the exhaust pipe is not obstructed by snow.
• If possible, use a candle placed inside a deep can instead of the car heater to warm up.
• Turn on warning lights or set up road flares to make your car visible.
• Turn on the ceiling light; leaving your headlights or hazard lights on for too long will drain the battery.
• Move your hands, feet and arms to maintain circulation. Stay awake.
• Keep an eye out for other cars and emergency responders. Try to keep clothing dry since wet clothing can lead to a dangerous loss of body heat.

Prepare an emergency car kit

Always have winter safety and emergency equipment in your car. A basic car kit should contain the following:

• Food that won't spoil, such as energy bars
• Water—plastic bottles that won't break if the water freezes (replace them every six months)
• Blanket
• Extra clothing and shoes or boots
• First aid kit with seatbelt cutter
• Small shovel, scraper and snowbrush
• Candle in a deep can and matches
• Wind‑up flashlight
• Whistle—in case you need to attract attention
• Roadmaps
• Copy of your emergency plan

Items to keep in your trunk:

• Sand, salt or cat litter (non-clumping)
• Antifreeze and windshield washer fluid
• Tow rope
• Jumper cables
• Fire extinguisher
• Warning light or road flares
• Information courtesy of the Government of Canada website www.canada.ca

We’ve been busy little elves at CTR! We’ve proudly collected several boxes of perishable goods and gifts for a local Winnipeg family via the Christmas Cheer Board. This is our first time building a hamper for a family and we’ve had an excellent experience working with the Cheer Board. In past years our dispatching department has collected donations from CTR staff throughout the year then at Christmas time CTR matches the employee’s donation to present to the Cheer Board. Both projects will be continued into the New Year and we are looking forward to optimistically building 2 or 3 hampers in 2015. Big props to the Christmas Cheer Board – Winnipeg is lucky to have you!

If you are interested in supporting the Christmas Cheer Board please visit:

http://www.christmascheerboard.ca/

Happy Holidays!!!

Here are some fun facts about some of CTR’s greatest customers:

So how do people in Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory, get around without roads? Where does their water and food come from? Is there really a Tim Hortons there? In the largest and least populated region of Canada–covering over 2 million square kilometres–here are 7 surprising facts about life in Nunavut.

There are No Roads in Nunavut

This isn’t entirely true. There are roads within all communities, but there are no roads to connect the 25 communities with each other (except for a 32 km stretch between Arctic Bay and Nanisivik). Instead of hopping on a bus, locals have a different form of public transit: small planes.

The only other way to reach communities is by boat. Some of those along the coast are included on small expedition cruise ship itineraries, like those run by Adventure Canada.

Taking a Taxi in Iqaluit

As the capital city of Nunavut, Iqaluit has a population hovering around 7,000, the largest in the territory. Even in the “big city,” though, there isn’t very far to go from one side of town to the other.

If you take a taxi, there is only one price: $6. The museum, legislative assembly, visitor’s centre and a few hotels are within walking distance of each other, but heading up to the newer part of the city or the neighbouring community of Apex (where you’ll find original Hudson’s Bay Co. buildings) is usually taken by taxi.

Recycling and Composting

There is no municipal recycling program in Nunavut. Some residents who travel outside of the territory on a regular basis actually take bottles and stacks of paper with them to recycle down south.

For those interested in growing their own produce, there is a small and seasonal greenhouse in downtown Iqaluit. Composting is done through one man with the Bill Mackenzie Humanitarian Society. He voluntarily visits those on his list every two weeks, picking up their compost and taking it to an old dump site where it is eventually used again in the greenhouse.

The Beloved Sealift

As you can imagine, getting groceries shipped up north can be inconsistent. There are grocery stores in each community, but prices are exceedingly high. A two litre carton of milk can ring in at $12.49, with most other items being about double the cost than we’re used to.

A sealift carrying dried goods arrives after the ice breaks up in the summer. Families who can afford it will pre-order their food for the rest of the year and wait for the sealift’s arrival so they can fill their cupboards.