Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing Collision repairers face challenges in today’s market unlike anything that’s ever been seen before. Unprecedented rates of inflation drive costs up, compounded by constantly advancing technology that requires ongoing investments in tools and equipment. At the same time, shops struggle to hire and retain qualified employees amid the ongoing workforce shortage. The most recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC), held in Oklahoma City, OK, addressed these challenges and more. “The recent rise of inflation affects a growing number of businesses, but small businesses in particular are faced with the challenge of determining how to adjust and pass it along to ensure that…

Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Want to watch a shop owner or estimator’s blood pressure rise? Merely utter the phrase “insurance appraiser!” Many shops engage in contentious dialogue with appraisers during the appraisal process. As the expert in the repair, it can be quite frustrating to have your Labor Rate be challenged, to have OEM required and recommended procedures be rejected or to be told you’re “the only one.” On the other hand, appraisers argue that they can’t pay more because the Labor Rate is set by the insurance company, they uphold viewpoints that seem contradictory to conducting a safe repair, or sometimes they merely…

Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Although experts predict that the increase in safety features will reduce accident frequency, repair complexity is apt to lead to increasing severity – and repairers can expect these trends to magnify as electric vehicles (EVs) become more prevalent. Collision repairers have been bracing for the “Technical Tsunami” for nearly a decade as a dwindling number of shops are inundated with constantly advancing vehicles while simultaneously struggling to process unprecedented high volumes of repair with a limited staff. Although experts predict that the increase in safety features will reduce accident frequency, repair complexity is apt to lead to increasing severity – and…

Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing “Review and follow the OEM repair procedures on every car, for every reason, every time.” The instructions sound simple enough, yet collision repair shops often encounter challenges in regards to insurer reimbursement, largely based on which of two simple words the vehicle manufacturer opted to use: required or recommended. Since “required” translates into “essential or indispensable,” repairers experience less pushback when performing those procedures, but what about “recommended,” a word that merely means “advised or suggested”? For many, this subtle shift in semantics grants permission to skip a process, but industry leaders disagree and have expressed the opinion that the two…

Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Collision repair offers a wonderful career path, but fewer and fewer young men and women enter the trade each year. With students’ fading interest in collision careers resulting in decreased enrollment, many high school auto body programs have fallen into oblivion, limiting the industry’s ability to inject new blood into shops. During the 2020-2021 school year, the auto collision repair technology program at Salem County Vocational Technical School (SCVTS) in Pilesgrove desperately needed resuscitation – only 12 students were enrolled in the class, barely keeping it alive. Eager to revitalize the languishing program, SCVTS Principal Jason Helder and Jack Swain, superintendent…

Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Since ABAT began in 2014, association leadership has been in constant contact with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) in relation to consumer under-indemnification. Attempts to rectify the situation repeatedly meet with frustration on ABAT’s part as TDI continues to turn a blind eye to insurer abuses. “It seems like TDI is actively deciding not to do anything,” ABAT Executive Director Jill Tuggle claimed last month (catch up on the story at bit.ly/blindTDI). “Any attempt by TDI to downplay or disregard indemnification issues is disingenuous and appears to be an attempt on TDI’s part to distort the facts.” In hopes of getting to…

Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Collision repair industry professionals around the country struggle to find and retain qualified help, but with the average technician age now exceeding 50 years old, it’s obvious that a lack of young people entering the industry is driving the tech shortage. Last month, New England Automotive Report featured insights from three local collision repair instructors whose various experiences yielded a cohesive message: “Schools and industry have to work hand in hand,” according to Kenneth Stukonis (Assabet Valley High School; Marlborough). “Engagement from local shops is great because they help us and our administration understand which tools and equipment to buy and what…

Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing If an employee in your shop blatantly refused to perform the job you hired them to do, they probably wouldn’t maintain their position for very long. That’s generally the case at any job, in any industry; however, when it comes to some state agencies governing the insurance industry – the entities tasked with protecting consumers from unfair business practices and under-indemnification – it seems that employees are encouraged to shirk their duties and protect the insurers, rather than the consumers who are being injured. In the December 2021 edition of Texas Automotive, ABAT accused the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) of being…

Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and growing your own food), it’s impossible to ignore the rising costs in every area of life – from groceries to gas and everything in between. With inflation hitting a 40-year record high of 7.5 percent, everyone is feeling the impact, especially shop owners who are contending with rising costs from every angle, including paint and materials, for which they aren’t being properly reimbursed. “Raw materials is the main issue,” according to John Shoemaker (BASF). “On top of that, a limited number of items are able to enter and leave the ports, making transportation…