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Lawsuit Claims GM Price Matching
Program is Illegal
New
Court documents describe antitrust,
monopoly, and predatory pricing concerns.
Connecticut Shops Awarded $20 Million
in Labor Rate Suit Against The Hartford New
Court grants injunctive relief to stop
Hartford's practices found in violation of Unfair Trade Practices Act.
 Collision Industry Production: First Quarter 2013
Drop in hours and employees hurt overall
production, but industry seems to be holding recent gains.
New
CT Physicians Seek to Jointly
Negotiate with Insurers
Legislation seeks level playing field
against large insurers who doctors say make it nearly impossible to
negotiate terms of reimbursement.
Massachusetts Bill Seeks State-Set
Labor Rate
Insurance commissioner would set minimum
rates based on rates in neighboring states.
NADA Shares Concerns about
PartsTrader
Members of the nation's largest auto dealer
association raise issues with State Farm's new parts program.
State Farm Responds to PartsTrader
Questions
Updated
We pose questions regarding the national
roll-out and elimination of the Fax-Only option. Updated June 7, 2013
with added responses from PartsTrader.
Rhode Island Bill Proposes Class
Rating System for Shops
Insurers would be required to determine
separate prevailing rates for each class.
PartsTrader Rolling Out
Nationally
Insurer confirms testing is over, names
first four states in national rollout.
Vehicle Miles Traveled Down Second
Consecutive Month
Another large decline leaves 2013 behind
last year, but still above 2010-11 levels.
Collision Repair Industry Business
Conditions: Q1 2013
Shops report sales off slightly in Q1, but
optimism is up and earnings are improving.
Is the U.S. Shop Population Growing
Again?
New data shows something we haven't seen in
over 10 years: more shops.
CIC Participants Overwhelmingly
Support Newer Data Standard
Majority say it's time for information
providers, others to convert to the more secure standard.
 Dan
Risley, Interim Executive Director, Automotive Service Association
Risley details ASA position on PartsTrader,
Most Favored Nation and upcoming changes for ASRW show.
Driving Down Big Again in February
But a closer look shows 2013 may actually be
off to a strong start.
Average Length of Rental Increases in Q1
National industry average reaches highest
level in five years.
Body Repair Prices, Auto Insurance and Inflation
Insurance prices continue to outpace body
repair prices and overall inflation.
Collision Industry Wages and Employment
Taking the industry pulse by examining the
paychecks of estimators, painters, and body techs.
Big Auto Insurers See Decline in
Market Share
Our annual look at the market share of the
largest auto insurers in the U.S.
Michigan Bans Most Favored Nation
Clauses for Health Insurers
Preferred provider contracts that require
insurer to receive lowest price found anti-competitive.
Insurers Seek Repeal of Labor Rate
Survey Law in RI
Just one of four auto body bills scheduled
for a hearing on March 27.
Nevada Bill Proposes Cap on Vehicle
Storage Charges
Measure would require state to survey shop
rates, set maximum daily charges
 Mitchell's
Greg Horn on Industry Trends
Q1
Dipping appraisal values, a coming rise in
paint and materials, and shop efficiency
CIC Survey Shows Lack of
Understanding on Standards Controlling Data Privacy
Data Privacy Committee among those setting
agenda for upcoming meetings
RI Bill Proposes Minimum Damage
Before Total Loss
Unique bill proposes owner's consent to
total unless damage exceeds 75%.
 Clark
Plucinski,
Collision Repair Education Foundation
Former vo-tech student, turned shop-owner,
turned MSO executive, is now putting his 40 years of experience to work
for the future of his industry.
DuPont Ready for New Life as Axalta
Coating Systems
Management excited about coming change, but
focused on smooth transition.
Study Examines Historic Decline in
Traffic Crash Rates
Number of drivers in crashes dropped by a
fifth over 14 year period.
New Vehicle Tech, Rising
Costs on Industry's 2013 Watch List
Rising costs, the need to invest in
business, training top industry focus for 2013.
North State v Progressive Settled
But not before establishing legal precedent
that will alter future cases between insurers and shops.
 Peter
Roberts, Former CEO Thatcham
A frank discussion on the problems and
politics involved with creating a national repair standard.
Insurers Not Pleased with New
California Aftermarket Parts Regulations
Insurance associations hint at possible
legal action against the Department of Insurance.
 Rick
Tuuri, VP of Industry Relations for Audatex
Tuuri discusses the factors that have driven
average repair costs and claims volume down since the recession and when
they may return to 2008 levels.
Two Jobber Groups Expand through
Sizable Acquisitions
National Coatings & Supplies buys four-state
operation, Wesco completes eight location buy.
2012: The Year of the Consolidator
Boyd Group's latest acquisition caps off
very busy year of body shop buying.
Study: Insurer Perception of
Vendors in Claims Process
Survey asks insurance execs what they think
of estimating system providers, rental car companies, collision repair
MSOs, and more.
NY Appellate Court Issues
'Monumental' Steering Decision
New legal precedent clears the way for body
shops to sue insurers for steering.
Honda Develops New Welding
Technology, UHSS Structure for 2013 Accord
One of the first cars with ultra high
strength steel body structure landed in showrooms on Wednesday.
Independent Repair Facility
Population, State Breakdown
California remains largest state by number
of establishments. Represents 11.5 percent of U.S. total.
Research: Independent Repair Facility Population Decline Slowed in 2010
Latest data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms continued decline in the number of independent repairers with payroll.
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