Calm, cool and collected

Andre Chocquette, Dixie, and his wife standing in front of the GMC Sierra 1500.

When Andre C. hit a deer in rural British Columbia, an OnStar Advisor was there to help.

British Columbia Highway 3 crosses the province in the south, from the Alberta border to Hope, B.C., where it meets the Trans-Canada Highway. Between those points, it runs past Christina Lake, an idyllic town of barely 1,000 people where Andre Chocquette lives.

He’s an accountant with corporate and individual clients around Vancouver and throughout B.C. So once a month, he gets in his 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Diesel and makes the nearly 500-kilometre drive to the coast.

“It’s probably one of the most notorious highways in Canada,” Andre says. “A lot of it is two lanes. It’s curvy. It’s not uncommon to see accidents.” And because Highway 3 runs through remote areas, it also isn’t uncommon to be without cell coverage. He used to pull over and text his wife from time to time during the drive, so she knew he was safe and still on his way.

Andre was just on the edge of cell service, cruising along with his dog, Dixie, the day he hit the deer.

“There were actually two deer,” Andre says. He missed one. He couldn’t miss the other. There are times, he says, when you can go a good long while without seeing another car. At that moment, however, there was another vehicle behind him. Before that driver could pull over and check on Andre, an OnStar Advisor was checking on him.*

When Andre struck a deer in his GMC Sierra 1500 on a remote British Columbia highway, an OnStar Advisor was immediately on the line asking him if he needed help.

An accountant, Andre regularly makes the drive from Christina Lake, B.C., to Vancouver to meet with clients.

GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck driving on a road with a deer warning sign.

Often, he’ll have company on the drive, including one of his dogs, Dixie, who was with him the day they struck the deer.

Andre Chocquette driving his GMC Sierra 1500.

Andre appreciates the added peace of mind he has when he knows OnStar is along for a long drive on winding rural roads.

Scenic view of a GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck driving on a road.

“All of a sudden, I hear, ‘Mr. Choquette, are you okay?’” Andre says.

He was. And he quickly located Dixie who was also fine.

“She asked if I need an ambulance or if I needed the police,” Andre says. “And then she went as far asking if there was anybody that she could call.”

In the moment, he says, it can be hard to think through everything you need to think through. Was the truck drivable? It was not. She asked if there was anything under the truck that would keep him from getting it off the road. He found a headlight assembly under a front tire and moved it. She asked if he needed a tow truck. Coincidentally, the client Andre was on his way to meet owned a towing company, so he didn’t need a tow.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “Take a minute.”

Andre says he was impressed by not only how calm the Advisor was but how it didn’t feel like she was working through a script. She even tried to call his wife to let her know what had happened and that Andre was fine.

“Absolutely fantastic,” Andre says, recalling the Advisor’s help.

Andre Chocquette working on a laptop in his GMC Sierra 1500.

Fortunately, he was near a resort and could use his phone. The truck got repaired, and he upgraded his OnStar plan to include in-vehicle Wi-Fi,* which helps him when he visits clients.

Now Andre can handle some of his business right in his truck. After pulling into a client’s driveway or parking in front of their house, he connects his laptop to the network and a tablet, making it easy for clients to sign any necessary documents. Andre figures the in-vehicle Wi-Fi saves him at least 10 minutes per client. That adds up by the end of the day.

“It turns my truck into a mobile office,” Andre says. “Having that capability is fantastic.”