Car and truck owners need choices when it comes to maintenance and repairs, the president of the Auto Care Association told members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 13, Bill Hanvey testified in support of the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act, which is commonly referred to as the REPAIR Act. The bill aims to ensure that consumers have access to data relating to their motor vehicles, including critical information regarding maintenance, service and repairs.
“The need for the REPAIR Act is critical and real,” Hanvey wrote in his submitted testimony. “Over the last 10 years, owners have seen threats to their repair choices. Vehicle manufacturers are increasingly restricting access to critical repair and maintenance data to owners and independent repair shops, forcing vehicle owners into franchise dealer repair facilities, where costs are, on average, 36% higher and repair wait times are significantly longer.”
That need is also essential to truck drivers, Hanvey said.
“The REPAIR Act is as critical for commercial vehicles as it is for passenger cars,” the auto group representative told lawmakers. “There are millions of large commercial vehicles on the road. Against that operating population, the franchised dealer footprint is finite. American Truck Dealers reports approximately 5,600 medium- and heavy-duty truck franchises nationwide. Even assuming every franchise has robust service capacity, that network cannot be the only option for maintaining an aging, high-utilization commercial fleet.”
In advance of the House hearing, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told committee members that the REPAIR Act is a must for small-business truckers.
“OOIDA members are the safest drivers in the trucking industry and have the most experience maintaining and repairing their own equipment,” Association President Todd Spencer wrote in the letter sent to committee leaders on Jan. 9. “It is critical that truckers have the necessary capabilities to work on their own vehicles, or when needed, work with trusted independent repair shops in their communities or while on the road.”
The REPAIR Act, or HR1566, was introduced by Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., in February. As of Jan. 14, it had 43 co-sponsors.
Have advanced driver assist systems improved safety?
The hearing also spent considerable time discussing the benefits and concerns regarding autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., asked about how ADAS features have reduced crashes.
Despite common assumptions that these advanced technologies have resulted in huge safety benefits, the Center for Auto Safety’s executive director said that is not the case.
“Currently, I believe the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as noted that ADAS features don’t have any proven safety benefits at the moment,” Michael Brooks said. “It’s something that could change for things like lane assistance … but for now I think it’s another area where I think we need a lot more data collection and research to make a determination.” LL
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