ACOFAS, the American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists recently held its 18th Technician and Management Training Clinic. This latest clinic was held at Mutual Wheel Company, Milan, Ill. and hosted by Ron Stone Service Manager and the Engstrom family. The two day clinic focused on Frame Diagnostics, Analysis, and Gauging. Technicians, shop owners and managers, and insurance adjusters came from across the United States and Canada to attend.
The attendees were instructed on Frame Diagnostics or what to look for on a chassis:
- Chassis with need for leveling due to a leaning problem.
- Chassis with a front end pull.
- Chassis with unusual tire wear problem.
- Chassis that has a bad shake or vibration problem.
- Chassis that was in an accident involving rollover, twist, or impact.
The attendees were instructed on Frame Analysis, or once it has been determined the frame has damage, what needs to be done to correct the problem:
- Who owns the vehicle?
- Who is the responsible party?
- Is this an Insurance claim?
- If this is an insurance claim, what is the chassis market value, salvage value and owner deductible?
- What needs to be removed and reinstalled to facilitate the frame repair?
- How are you going to straighten the chassis frame?
- Will the frame need to be reinforced after correction?
The participants were divided into two groups and given different scenarios for the inspection and gauging of two tractors that had been in collisions. The teams were required to determine if the vehicle could be repaired, what had to be removed to accomplish the repair, and gauge the frame to justify the repairs. The teams also needed to estimate the cost of repairs to determine if the repairs were cost effective. The following is the type of information given to the teams:
- Who the owner of the truck is.
- If the damage is an insurance claim.
- The year of the truck.
- How the damage was caused.
The next ACOFAS function will be the Annual Business Meeting. The meeting will be held Monday, January 21, at 4:00 P.M. in the Barbados A room at the Mirage Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting is in conjunction with HDAW13 and follows the SOLD! service orientated seminars. To promote attendance to the three meetings, ACOFAS is offering a $100 rebate to all ACOFAS members who attend HDAW13, and another $100 rebate to all members that attend the SOLD! seminars. These rebates will be used to reduce the cost of member's annual dues. ACOFAS will be at booth 1521 during the HDAW13 Exhibition.
