CONSOLIDATOR REPORT: Gerber, Caliber Acquire Repair Centers in Arizona, Texas
The Boyd Group Inc. and Caliber Collision announced the acquisition of several repair facilities this week. The Boyd Group has acquired Big Sky Autobody in Arizona and also announced the opening of a new start-up in Georgia, all of which will operate under the Gerber Collision & Glass name. With these five new facilities, Gerber
Mitchell AutocheX Honors Top-Performing Shops at Annual Awards Ceremony
AutocheX, Mitchell International’s customer experience management group, honored collision repair facilities from throughout the U.S. and Canada for achievements in customer service and satisfaction at a special 20th anniversary celebration of the annual Premier Achiever Awards ceremony. Mitchell celebrated the event with top-performing shops at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas in conjunction
Recycled Rides Rolls Out 72 Vehicles During Nationwide Giveaway
The National Auto Body Council (NABC) announced that 72 vehicle were gifted to families and service organizations across the U.S. as part of the 2009 Recycled Rides initiative. Recycled Rides is a community awareness project whereby members of the NABC repair and donate refurbished vehicles to be donated across the country. Body shops, insurers, paint
CAA Considers Action on Non-Compliant Labor Rate Surveys
The California Autobody Association (CAA) is considering petitioning the California Department of Insurance (CDI) regarding at least two insurers’ labor rate surveys that it believes do not comply with current regulations. CAA says it’s the CDI’s position that if an insurer does not have a labor rate survey on file with the department, the insurer
OTC Adopts Coatings Model Rule Covering VOC Limits, Equipment and Training
The Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) – a regional group of New England and Mid-Atlantic states – adopted a resolution, the Model Rule for Motor Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Non-Assembly Line Coatings Operations, at its recent fall meeting in Baltimore. In creating the model rule, the OTC followed the California Air Resources Board Suggested Control Measure for
Minnesota DOI Fines GEICO $30,000 for Underpayment of Claims
Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce Glenn Wilson has issued a consent order to GEICO alleging that the company violated a state claims practice statute that requires insurers to pay "all costs for the satisfactory repair" of a claimant’s vehicle. GEICO was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $30,000 and to cease and desist from any
Auto Claims Spike as Gas Prices Drop
Auto insurance claim frequency has increased since gas prices have dropped from the record levels of 2008, National Underwriter (NU) reports. The publication says two large insurers and industry regulators noted the trend. The Hartford reported an uptick in auto liability claim frequency that President Juan Andrade said was "clearly driven by an increase in
BSB Names Collision Repair Shop Executive of the Year
BodyShop Business presented Lee Amaradio, Jr. with its 2010 Collision Repair Shop Executive of the Year Award at the annual International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) in Las Vegas. Amaradio is president and founder of Faith Quality Auto Body in Murrieta, Calif. The award has been given since 1984 to a true collision repair visionary
STRANGE BUT TRUE: Bad Driving Could Be in DNA
It’s not just you. There really are a lot of bad drivers on the road, possibly 30 percent of Americans, but the most frequent customers at collision repair centers likely can’t help themselves, a University of California Irvine (UC) research team claims. People with a certain DNA sequence that controls a protein affecting memory performed
CAA Combines Green Certification with EPA’s Collision Repair Campaign
The California Autobody Association (CAA) will promote a new pollution prevention partnership with the U.S. EPA by encouraging its members to apply for subsidies and rebates available under federal, state and local green programs, David McClune, CAA executive director, announced. The CAA partnership under the EPA Collision Repair Campaign (CRC) is an effort to address