CollisionCast

Lead from the Front Lines

Leadership isn’t just for those with a title. Every team member has a leadership role. Whether you're a manager or a technician, success comes from shared vision, ownership, and consistent action. Great cultures are built intentionally by people who lead from the front, together. Everyone, regardless of their role, has the power (and responsibility) to lead by example. In this special episode of CollisionCast, Chris Messer, executive vice president of EndeavorB2B’s Transportation Group and Mike Jones, president and master trainer at Discover Leadership, discuss being the standard instead of just setting one.

Preparing Your Shop for In-House ADAS Calibration

There are several reasons to consider adding ADAS calibration, including reducing cycle time, offering a profitable service, or gaining control over quality.
Steve Dawson, regional manager in the Washington, D.C., area for Hunter Engineering, joins the CollisionCast to talk about what you might need for a facility and the return on investment you can expect, which Steve says can be recouped in as little as a few months for higher volume shops. Conservatively, a shop can generate $140,000 in annual revenue doing just one calibration per day.
We’ll also talk about training needs for your technician and why ADAS calibration is a "team sport." Everyone in the shop, including estimators and front office staff, needs a basic understanding to properly communicate with customers and insurers on the importance of calibrations and the conditions under which they’re performed.
Check out Hunter's ADAS Learning Tool and other ADAS information here.

Follow Up, Follow Through

Are you a manager, or are you a leader? Do you know the distinction? If you are setting specific outcomes and making sure projects are moving forward, not just waiting until the deadline, you’re likely a leader, someone who follows up and follows through. For over 30 years, Mike Jones, president and master trainer at Discover Leadership Training, has urged his followers to follow up and follow through. To help his followers remember this, he uses the catchy term “motherFUFTer.”
In this special episode of the CollisionCast, Jones joins Chris Messer, executive vice president of Endeavor B2B's Transportation Group, to talk about one tip to help operate your business at a higher level.

Calibration Crisis: How Drivers' Safety May Be Placed at Risk

As it relates to ADAS calibrations in collision repair shops, what is the skill level of technicians?
AirPro Diagnostics conducted a survey and presented the data to professors at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, for analysis.
The 26-page report from Dr. Debbie Wang and Dr. Pingying Zhang, "Skilled Labor Shortage in Auto Collision Industry Posts Motorist Safety Risk," was published in July and is available for download as a PDF at FenderBender.com. AirPro Diagnostics’ Michael Quinn, senior Vice President of business development, and Fred Iantorno, VP of strategic solutions, provided the data, contextual understanding and industry insights, and the paper draws on multiple industry resources.
We’re joined on the CollisionCast by Drs.Wang and Zhang and Michael Quinn to discuss the findings of the report, as well as some ways the collision repair industry can meet these challenges head-on.
Download the full report here.

How Training and Development Drive Success at CARSTAR

In this episode, we explore the critical role that training and development play in driving success at CARSTAR, one of the leading collision repair networks in the country. Our guest, a proud CARSTAR owner, opens up about the inspiration behind making employee growth a top priority and how this focus has transformed both their team and customer experience. 

Failure Isn't Fatal

For anyone who has ever uttered the words, “failure is not an option,” Mike Jones, president and master trainer at Discover Leadership Training, has a message you should consider. In this special edition of CollisionCast, Jones, who works extensively with small to medium-sized business owners and their teams on evolving to improve, talks with Chris Messer, the executive vice president of the Transportation Group at Endeavor Business Media, FenderBender’s parent company, on why “Failure isn’t Fatal.” If you’ve ever said the words, “failure is not an option,” then this episode is especially for you.

Slow Sales? Shop Profits' Greg Lobsiger Shares How to Help Turn Things Around

At a time when many across the country are experiencing slowing sales, Greg Lobsiger, owner of Loren's Body Shop in Bluffton, Indiana, and monthly FenderBender Shop Profits columnist, had the best sales month since his grandfather opened the shop in 1951. Lobsiger offers a message of hope and a few tips shop owners and operators can implement immediately, and at little cost, to help bring more dollars through the door.

Talking Tariffs with Greg Horn of PartsTrader

The on-again, off-again nature of the various tariffs that apply to our industry can be confusing. To help our listeners gain a better understanding of what tariffs currently apply and how they could soon affect collision repairers, we talk with veteran analyst PartsTrader Chief Industry Relations Officer Greg Horn. Go here for a summary on FenderBender.com of Greg's blog post, as well as a link to the original post. 

Changes Coming from BAR for California Repairers

In California, the Bureau of Automotive Repair is implementing new regulations July 1 that will change how collision repairers will do business. These changes will be detailed in the Write it Right guide, also on July 1.
Andrew Batenhorst, body shop manager of Pacific BMW in Glendale, California, Glendale and Foothill chapter president of the California Autobody Association, and FenderBender columnist, joins the CollisionCast to talk about five principal areas of change that will affect repair shops.

Why is Claims Frequency Down?

Vehicle complexity, including the growing average number of replacement parts — up by 15% — and lightweight parts that more often need to be replaced instead of repaired, means repair times are longer and the labor required for this is more specialized.
This has increased severity. Meanwhile, claims frequency is down. In this CollisionCast episode, John Barbagallo, strategic advisor for fleet safety and compliance telematics firm SambaSafety, talks about some of the reasons for that, as well as the driving behaviors defined by insurers as high-risk. SambaSafety just released its 2025 Driver Risk Report. Click here to learn more.