The Training Crossroads: Why Massachusetts Must Seriously Consider Minimum Standards

by Douglas Begin, MABA Vice President

As the vice president of MABA, I’ve spent my career advocating for the shops that keep the Commonwealth moving.

I see the pride our technicians take in their craft every day, a dedication to restoring vehicles that are often a family’s second-largest investment. However, I also see a growing, silent crisis: the widening gap between the rapid evolution of vehicle technology and the baseline requirements to hold a repair license in Massachusetts.

The time has come for our industry, our stakeholders and our regulators to have a hard, honest conversation about establishing a minimum training floor. Specifically, we must seriously consider making I-CAR Gold Class recognition the benchmark for every registered auto body repair facility in the state. We can no longer rely on standards established in an era of simple steel and mechanical components when we are now tasked with repairing sophisticated, software-driven machines.

A Strategic Partnership for Professionalism

To lead by example, MABA has taken a proactive step toward supporting our members in this pursuit. I am proud to announce that I-CAR has officially joined MABA as a sponsor through our Vendor Affinity Program. This is a landmark moment for our association and our members across the state.

This isn’t just a corporate partnership or a logo on a website, it’s a deep-seated commitment to our members. My goal as vice president is to ensure that if we are going to push for higher standards, we provide the ladder to reach them. Through this program, MABA is attempting to make the path to elite training more accessible and affordable, ensuring that local, independent shops aren’t left behind as the “technical tsunami” of modern vehicle design hits our shores. This partnership provides a tangible bridge for those ready to commit to excellence, offering the resources necessary to navigate the increasingly complex path of modern collision repair. It ensures that the small, family-owned shop has the same access to world-class education as the largest consolidated networks.

Putting Consumer Protection First

In Massachusetts, the current barrier to entry for an auto body shop is largely administrative: a bond, a license and a physical location. While this keeps the business side in order and ensures a level of fiscal responsibility, it offers no guarantee to the consumer that the technician touching their car understands the physics of a 2026 electric vehicle or the chemistry of ultra-high-strength steel. We are essentially allowing a 1990s regulatory framework to govern a 2026 reality.

Modern cars are effectively “computers on wheels.” When a vehicle is involved in a collision, it isn’t just the metal that is damaged; the sophisticated ADAS-like automatic braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control are often compromised. These systems rely on precise sensor alignments and camera calibrations that can be thrown off by even a minor structural shift.

Without verified, up-to-date training, a shop might return a car that looks perfect on the outside but possesses a “blind” safety system. By making I-CAR Gold a serious consideration for registration, we are prioritizing the lives of Massachusetts families over the status quo. We are advocating for a system where a registration number on a shop wall serves as a testament to technical mastery, not just a receipt for a licensing fee. Consumer protection must mean more than just fair pricing; it must mean a vehicle that performs exactly as the manufacturer intended in the event of a second accident.

Why I-CAR Gold?

The I-CAR Gold Class designation is widely recognized as the highest role-relevant training achievement in the collision repair industry. It is not a one-time certification but a rigorous, ongoing commitment. It requires continuous, annual education for key staff members, including estimators and technicians, ensuring that the shop’s knowledge doesn’t expire as new models are released.

This ongoing education is vital because a technician’s knowledge can become obsolete in as little as 18 months given the current pace of automotive innovation. I-CAR Gold ensures that the people working on your car are trained in the specific “Platinum” roles required for a modern repair, covering everything from non-structural repairs to complex structural steel and aluminum welding. By adopting this as a baseline, we eliminate the guesswork and replace it with a culture of documented, verified proficiency.

A Hard Consideration, Not a Burden

I understand the word “mandate” can be polarizing and can cause concern among those who have operated successfully for decades. Some worry that it creates an unnecessary hurdle for small businesses or an added financial weight in an already tight-margin industry. But we must ask ourselves the difficult question: Is the cost of training higher than the cost of a failed repair? Is the investment in education more burdensome than the legal and ethical liability of returning an unsafe vehicle to the road?

By moving toward a standard like I-CAR Gold, we aren’t trying to exclude anyone or shut doors; we are trying to protect everyone. We want to elevate the entire profession. Through our new sponsorship with I-CAR, MABA is working to lower the financial and logistical barriers to this training. We want to see every shop in the Bay State thrive, but we want them to thrive safely. Investing in our people is the only way to safeguard the future of the independent repairer against an increasingly litigious and technically demanding environment. It turns our technicians from “body men” into highly skilled technical specialists, which is exactly what the modern market demands.

The Path Forward

The “Right to Repair” is a cornerstone of our state’s automotive identity and a point of pride for Massachusetts. However, as vice president of MABA, I believe that right is only half of the equation. The other half is the responsibility to repair vehicles correctly. A consumer’s right to choose their repair facility is only a win if every choice on the list meets a high standard of safety and competence.

It is our duty as industry leaders to ensure that the technicians of the Commonwealth are equipped with the precision and knowledge that 21st-century vehicles demand. We cannot wait for a high-profile tragedy to trigger a change in our regulations. We must be proactive.

I am calling on our members, our colleagues and our state regulators to take a hard look at where we stand today. Let’s move toward a future where “Registered in Massachusetts” is a guarantee of technical excellence and a badge of honor. With I-CAR now standing with us through our Vendor Affinity Program, there has never been a better time to raise the bar.

Our consumers deserve the protection, our technicians deserve the professional standing, and our industry deserves a standard we can all be proud of. Let’s make Massachusetts the national leader in collision repair safety.

Want more? Check out the March 2026 issue of New England Automotive Report!