California Automotive Business Coalition
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Going back in time there have been a number of bills introduced to the State Legislature attempting to create change. On a personal note which may not be the position of CalABC or the Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee (IMRC) is that industry has been served by the sanity check the BAR has been able to provide. By looking at industry and what they think they can impose there has been a blending of regulations and the ability to perform by the shops that are faced with the various rules and regulations that are decided upon. In my opinion the BAR has taken a practical approach to improving the program while at the same time understanding that there is a relationship between the desires of those seeking to improve air quality and the providers of the service necessary to perform the testing along with the motoring public and their understanding that it is their car that is ultimately responsible for helping to prevent pollution. The latest issue has been an unreleased report from Sierra Research that will show that upwards of 49% of vehicles tested which have passed a smog test are failing at road side tests. However the new spin on the report which hopefully will be released shortly is that the evidence is pointing to the vast majority of the vehicles failing road side should not have passed in the first place. There are a number of thoughts as to how this could happen and the BAR has been hard at work trying to determine the underlining cause of this and how as the agency charged with quality control of the program can provide guidance on closing this gap. Along these lines they have developed the STAR system which stands for Station – Technician – Achievement – Rating. The thought here is that they have the ability to look at the accumulated Smog Check data which is provided electronically by the testing stations and can determine which locations show a likelihood of low performance when it comes to effective testing. They also believe that there is a split of responsibility for the quality of the test from the location to the technician. The automotive repair industry has been interested for some time in supporting a mechanism where technicians could be held to a performance standard along with the shop. BAR has decided that this might be an opportunity to blend the requests of industry regarding technician performance along with the standard the shop is being held to. You can read more about this important STAR approach at: http://www.bar.ca.gov and look under HOME > STATION PERFORMANCE > REPORT ON 1/09, 2/09 AND 3/09 WORKSHOPS. Although this is a huge step forward towards gaining better performance from the program it could even be better. If this passes it would make it extremely difficult for someone who has gotten behind to catch up when they will be restricted from working. One of my sports hero’s was Bill Walsh former coach of the San Francisco 49ers. During his first two years with the team they were the laughingstock of the National Football League. In an effort to turn things around quickly he brought in an incredibly high number of athletes to try out for the team. There were so many of them that he simply could not remember all of their names and had the trainer place white medical tape across the front of all of the players helmets with their names on them. The turnover was unbelievable as he struggled to put a competitive team on the field. At one point a player came into Walsh’s office after practice and told the coach he knew he wasn’t going to make the squad and appreciated the opportunity to try out. Then he mentioned that he knew Walsh had made inquiries with other clubs seeing if he could place him with another team. He told Walsh he couldn’t believe he was going out of his way trying to help him catch on with another organization. Walsh stopped him and said that as long as he was wearing the 49ers uniform he would get all he had to offer him, and even after he would support him anyway he could. The player relating the story some time later said that the exchange he had that day with Coach Walsh changed his life forever. Why bring it up – why tell the story? Because it is possible we are at a point in time where the BAR could provide that kind of feedback and support Coach Walsh provided to the industry and all of the shops that provide the products and services to the motoring public. In order to do this the BAR needs to create both a mechanism for measuring performance and then support industry for meeting that performance while at the same time provide feedback to those that are falling short so they can make the necessary adjustments which will enable them to join the effort that industry must provide to enable us to meet our clean air goals. With this kind of feedback and support framework in place the performance of the shops could skyrocket and achieve incredible results. From the small Mom and Pop shops to the large chains, from the shops that perform smog checks, to the heavy duty garages, the change could be remarkable. I for one urge the BAR to work with industry in creating this kind of performance model. A model that we can all be proud of and would no doubt put a smile on the face of Coach Walsh. CalABC has been working hard at trying to build better relationships with the regulators and the regulated. Keep the faith – stay informed and get involved. The industry is stronger when we all work together to make things better. Spread the Word! -Bud Bud Rice is Secretary on the CalABC Executive Board of Directors and is President of Side B Corporation the Franchisor for Quality Tune-Up in the North Bay, Peninsula, East Bay and Napa Valley with 19 locations. You can contact Bud at budr@sidebcorp.com or 408-374-2001. |
Feet on the Street: by Bud Rice