PDA certifies all franchisees in heavy equipment training

As the only provider of both classroom and hands-on training, the school has established a consistent and accurate approach to heavy equipment estimates across PDA’s national network of appraisers. When franchise owners leave the school they are fully equipped to write estimates on tractor trailers, school buses and almost any type of over-the-road heavy equipment and more importantly, pass on the wealth of knowledge to their staff of appraisers.

“The heavy equipment training curriculum was developed to fine-tune the estimating process for heavy equipment to build consistency and accuracy throughout the PDA franchise network,” said Jason Brown, manager, PDA Heavy Equipment Training School. “The week-long course includes ‘real steel training’ in the salvage yard and repair shop, as well as in-the-classroom training on processes and functions like reporting and documentation for an accurate and complete estimate package.” 

One of the benefits of Heavy Equipment Training School is that it improves the overall customer experience for clients. Attendees become more than technical experts, they are able to guide clients and insurance companies through the estimate process. In-person evaluations of heavy equipment such as tractor trailers allow franchisees to see vehicles in mid-repair and communicate with repair shop techs to get insight into the process.

“I love the idea of getting together and developing a mindset that’s consistent. A philosophy of how to do this, so that we’re all on the same page,” said Tom Diehl, managing appraiser, PDA. “We’re all facing the same questions, the same way. Through this training we’re coming up with a cohesive answer across the country and we’re able to deliver the same product from state to state.”

With at least one heavy equipment certified appraiser at every PDA franchise office, claims that are filed across the country have a consistent look and the details are the same which expedites the process to resolve them faster. Franchise owners monitor quality control and can check files to ensure that they are up-to-speed with standards for a streamlined process.

Another focus of the course is on alternative parts usage (APU). A component of this is demonstrating how to find the price of used parts immediately online, as opposed to waiting on a truck dealer to reply back about the cost of original manufactured parts (OEM), making the claims process more cost effective and reducing cycle time. 

Attendees are taught to reduce overlap in estimates to ensure accuracy, which includes details such as labor pricing and refinish labor. Heavy equipment estimates, just like car estimates, should be written on-site to save time and also produce the most accurate estimate.

Through a national network of experienced appraisers, PDA is the only service provider capable of estimating heavy equipment across the U.S. This means PDA can arrange an estimate for truck drivers and keep over-the-road vehicles constantly moving instead of increasing downtime when an accident occurs.   

To learn more about PDA and Heavy Equipment Training School, visit http://www.pdacorporation.com.