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Vol. 10 / Issue 8 / November 2019
ABAC’s New Season Begins With CollisionAdvice Presentation
Speakers Discuss Need to Know and Follow OEM Calibration Steps for ADAS
by Chasidy Rae Sisk
by John Yoswick
The Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) returned from summer break on Sept. 26 when nearly 100 attendees gathered at the USS Chowder Pot IV in Hartford, CT, where they received updates on the association, learned about future plans, and enjoyed a presentation on “Creating a Non-Negotiable Final Bill,” delivered by Scott Simmons of CollisionAdvice. ABAC President Bob Amendola kicked things off by thanking attendees and sponsors for their con-
George Lesniak, Autel’s director of sales and training, said one of the biggest challenges for shops working to follow OEM collision repair procedures – in particular, the steps necessary for calibration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) – is the variation among automakers. “There’s a complete lack of consistency across the different OEMs when it comes to their service information: where that information is located, where you find the procedures and specifications,” Lesniak said during the recent Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) “Connex” conference. But some of the challenges shops encounter in following OEM proce-
Scott Simmons of CollisionAdvice delivered an informative presentation on “Creating a Non-Negotiable Final Bill” during the ABAC’s Sept. 26 meeting. Credit: ABAC News
tinued support and attendance before introducing ABAC Legal Counsel, See ABAC’s New Season, Page 10
New Effort Unveiled to Ease NH Vehicle Inspection Law, NH Only State Not a Part of Earlier Study by Rick Green, The Laconia Daily Sun
There’s no evidence New Hampshire motorists are safer because the state mandates that vehicles undergo a yearly safety inspection, says a state representative who is preparing legislation to ease that requirement. Rep. Casey Conley says under his proposal, a yearly computer check would still be required to make sure a vehicle’s emission system was operating properly, but safety items like brakes, tires and lights would not have to be examined. “New Hampshire is in the mi-
nority of states that have these safety inspections,” the Dover Democrat said in a telephone interview. A 2015 report of the U.S. General Accounting Office said 16 states required annual safety inspections. New Hampshire was the only state among the 16 that did not participate in the GAO study. Bipartisan Support Conley said he hopes to gain bipartisan support for his bill, but he expects opposition from businesses and people who sell and service ve-
dures, he said, has little to do with that inconsistency in how the information is organized. “The one thing that I’ve found to be very consistent is technicians’ ability to skip steps,” Lesniak said. “The key skill set required to do calibrations is the ability to read, interpret and follow complex instructions and make detailed measurements. Knowing how to use a metric tape measure is absolutely foreign to most technicians. We’ve found that 50 percent of calibration failures come down to missing or skipping steps in those preliminary instructions.” Those steps, he said, include having the required space with the right environmental conditions, such as proper lighting, and ensuring that nothing is interfering with the field See Speakers Discuss, Page 20
Collision Repair Shops Learn How to Attract, Retain Military Veterans by John Yoswick
Collision repair businesses of all sizes have a potential talent pool of new employees, including those conclud-
See Inspection Law, Page 26
Roxann Griffith of the Department of Labor said military veterans can be a good source of new employees for collision repair businesses of all sizes.
ing their service in the U.S. military, according to a speaker at this past summer’s Collision Industry Conference in Indianapolis.
Roxann Griffith, with the U.S. Department of Labor’s employment and training services, said Texasbased Service King, which operates more than 340 shops in 24 states, has hired hundreds of veterans over four years. Griffith encourages body shops to hire those who have served our country in any capacity by sharing tips and resources with collision repair businesses on how to hire and retain those who have exited the military. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hiring Our Heroes” program, for example, offers free hiring fairs on military bases and at other locations around the country, she said. Those looking to hire veterans should check out the advice and resources included in the free 22-page See Military Veterans, Page 30
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