Eight Travel Tips for your Winter Trip
Heading to your nearby hill to hit the slopes? Whether you are skiing, snowboarding or just looking to get away, trips to these scenic wintery destinations are what some look forward to all year long. Travelling on winding, snowy and sometimes slippery roads can be challenging. Below are some tips to keep you safe as you head to your local mountain for a beautiful winter getaway.
- Tune-Up: Top up your coolant, oil and washer fluids in advance of your trip. Check the tread on your tires to make sure they will still keep you safe – or change to your winter tires if available.
- Pack Properly: Aside from your board and skis, be sure you have your emergency travel kit packed and ready to go. Included should be a blanket, jumper cables, extra washer fluid, ice scraper, travel shovel, boots with grips and some spare rope for towing.
- Assign Roles: Weather is fickle and can quickly change in the winter months. Designate a navigator, weather updater or even DJ ahead of time so everyone knows their role if you come upon a snow squall.
- Sun Up: Do not leave your sunglasses at home because the glare from snow on a sunny winter day can be distracting.
- Drive Accordingly: Leave more room than normal for the vehicle ahead of you, reduce your speed during snowy times and accelerate gently to reduce skidding on icy conditions.
- Stay Connected: Make sure phones are charged, inform others of your route and let people know your approximate time of arrival.
- Avoid Cruise Control: If your car hydroplanes and reduces speed in the process, cruise control can automatically accelerate affecting your control on the vehicle.
- Pay Attention: Take extra caution when changing lanes, maneuvering around mountainous twists and give yourself extra time for upcoming exits or merges.
February 20, 2019
A Moment with Michael Macaluso
We found a moment with Michael Macaluso, President of CARSTAR for North America, to learn more about his history, thoughts on the industry and future plans. How did you join the CARSTAR team? Sam Mercanti, founder of CARSTAR Canada, approached me back in 2008 to join the insurance sales team, thinking I would be […]
February 20, 2019
Premier Collision Repair Leader Host Regina Owners Event
CARSTAR, North America’s largest premier network of independently owned and operated collision repair facilities, hosted ‘Discovery Day’ in Regina, Saskatchewan to educate independent owners on the benefits of being a part of the CARSTAR family. With over 20 independent collision repair owners throughout Saskatchewan in attendance, CARSTAR leaders were able to share the brand’s story, […]
February 8, 2019
Performance in CARSTAR Drives Corporate Growth
Performance in CARSTAR Drives Corporate Growth CARSTAR, North America’s leading premier network of independently owned collision repair facilities, announces company-wide leadership realignment and promotions as it plans for strategic growth. Following a record year of performance, CARSTAR has plans to accelerate its growth as it enters its 30th year of business. Supporting this growth is […]
February 6, 2019
CARSTAR to Participate in Inaugural IBIS USA 2019
CARSTAR to Participate in Inaugural IBIS USA 2019, Joining Top Collision Repair Companies from around the World to Map the Future of the Global Collision Repair Industry CARSTAR, North America’s premier multi-store operator network of independently-owned collision repair facilities, will join the world’s leaders in the collision repair industry as a sponsor at the inaugural […]
January 30, 2019
CARSTAR Announces New Advisory Board Members For North America
CARSTAR Franchise Partners Contribute Experience and Insight to Help Drive the Organization CARSTAR, North America’s largest network of independently-owned premier collision repair facilities, has announced its 2019 advisory council members for the U.S. and Canada. These franchise partners meet throughout the year to review operations, explore growth initiatives and provide guidance on key issues or […]
January 29, 2019
Direct Repair Program Training
The online education platform, CARSTAR University, has accelerated its exponential growth throughout 2018. Adding new programs every day, CARSTAR University delivers applicable training programs that are industry leading and positively contribute to the growth and performance of its network. With 2,000 franchise partners and staff members enrolled in CARSTAR University and over 700 role-based learning […]
January 29, 2019
Learnings from First Year of EDGE Deployment
The EDGE Performance Score, the metric of assessment for the EDGE Performance Platform, has had a 15-16 per cent increase after the first round of assessments for the CARSTAR network. Proving the value of the EDGE platform, Jeff Labanovich, Director of Operations and the whole operations team, has been able to implement refreshers for storeowners […]
January 29, 2019
Insurance Outlook 2019
Insurance Outlook 2019: Demonstrating that performance drives growth through its many 2018 achievements, CARSTAR plans to build on this advancement in the New Year. As insurers continue to experience cost pressure, many are reducing field claims staff, assigning less resources to manage multi-store owner relationships and relying on these groups to “self manage” their […]
January 29, 2019
Lookback at 2018 Insurance Accomplishments
As CARSTAR accelerates its growth heading into 2019, the leading provider of premier collision repairs takes a moment to look back on some of its key accomplishments in 2018. In-house collaboration A major Canadian insurer has installed a first ever in-house Claims Assistance Advisor at the insurer’s office. Pioneering this new initiative is CARSTAR, […]