There Are No Shortcuts

by Kris Burton, WMABA President

The other day, a friend of mine sent me an industry article from 2007.

His email said, “Read this article, and let me know your thoughts.” While I was reading the article, I thought about how much had changed, but also how much had not changed. We are still talking about the same issues: insurance steering, paint materials, vehicle technology, rising costs, increases in total losses, labor rate reimbursement, etc. It all comes back to what you allow to happen to your business. 

I was on a call earlier today where we were shown scientific data of vehicles that were incorrectly repaired and subsequently not calibrated as intended. These vehicles were then tested over and over in a controlled environment where they failed each time. There is no shortcut; it is straightforward to do it right…or else. Our customers rely on us to be professional repairers to make the correct decisions about what is best for their safety. We are fortunate to have all the OE documents, training and equipment available. It’s up to us to ensure that we are following those procedures. 

The realities of our industry are that repairable vehicles are down, total losses are increasing. Shops are slow not just in our area but across the nation. A few years ago, we all had more vehicles than we could manage, booked out for months. We were in the driver’s seat, deciding what vehicles to bring in and what those repairs would cost. Carriers are aware of this and have doubled down on steering, labor rate suppression and denial of required procedures. The intent is to find a crack and exploit it in the market to regain control. Not all adjusters and companies are bad; we should be working with those that want to do the right thing and allow us to be profitable. We have chosen to refer our clients to insurers and agents that we are able to work with. If you don’t like your market, change it. 

We’ve chosen to be OEM certified, and that directly puts us at odds with carriers who choose not to follow procedures. It’s not a question of DRP or not – it’s about doing what is right, and I’d rather align with the people who made the car, not the ones who insure it. These are the times where the power of associations and support of those companies who support us is more important than ever before. 

We just came off a successful Southeast Collision Conference and are already planning our next events. I look forward to connecting. Please feel free to reach out for anything.

Want more? Check out the July 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!