Insurance premiums are just one of the many major expenses of operating a vehicle fleet and there is just no getting away from it. Andrew Parker reports. 

Worse, possibly, than paying for insurance is actually making a claim because, while at this stage you probably love your insurance broker, the size of the claim will definitely impact on the size of the premiums you pay every month. 

It is with this in mind that Chanel van Rensburg, key accounts and marketing manager at Impact Commercial Repair Centre in Boksburg, says that far too often entire vehicles or repairable body panels and parts are simply scrapped instead of being repaired. 

“By repairing accident damage instead of buying new parts, costs and premiums are kept to a minimum,” she says. “Many truck owners do not realise just what can be done to restore a truck to its original specification after it has been involved in an accident, even if it looks as if it is ready for the scrap heap.” 

Chanel describes Impact Commercial as a “new generation repair centre” equipped with state of the art equipment and repair systems which ensure an exceptionally high standard of repairs. It certainly looks the part. During a recent demonstration of the company’s prowess, the workshop floor was so clean one could eat that proverbial dinner off it. 

“We are an approved panel repair workshop for Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Mitsubishi-Fuso and Volvo trucks,” Van Rensburg points out, “which means we are able to carry out repairs on these vehicles without affecting the operator’s warranty.” 

Impact Commercial recently unveiled its new look workshops fitted out with the latest state-of-theart chassis and cab repair systems in what turned out to be a R4-million investment. 

“We chose Josam equipment because that is what most truck manufacturers insist on before they will recognise it as an approved repair facility,” Van Rensburg says, adding that the new equipment not only improved the quality of the work but also significantly improved turnaround times. 

In addition to the truck manufacturers mentioned above, Impact Commercial are also authorised service providers for a number of major insurance companies including Santam, Mutual & Federal, Hollard, Absa, Captive, Zurich and Constantia, among others. 

The company also has its own 24-hour emergency towing company operating under the name of PGR Towing. It currently has four tow trucks, one each in Ogies, Middelburg, Witbank and Boksburg. 

Taking the tow trucks into account Impact Commercial is pretty much a one-stop shop with all repairs, including the spray painting and finishing, being done in-house. 

Among the new equipment Impact Commercial has just installed is the Josam cab repair system. Van Rensburg says the tolerances of this piece of equipment are such that it is possible to take a crash damaged truck cab and restore it back to the original spec’ enabling it to be fitted to a new chassis.

A new laser assisted wheel and axle alignment system and multi-purpose induction heater have also been installed in the repair shop. 

The alignment system is simple to use and, according to Van Rensburg really speeds up the alignment process. The measurements of the steering or non-steering axles are shown on a LCD screen and when adjustments are made the changing values can be seen on both sides at the same time and allow one to see how the different angles influence each other. 

Hands on. The Impact Commercial team at their Boksburg premises. From l to r: Morgan Tisbo, Dave Absil (back), Chanel Janse van Rensburg (front), Director Ricardo Beato, Dayne Absil.

Induction heater

The water-cooled induction heater is a fancy piece of equipment. Based on new technology, Josam claims it is extremely efficient and can be used in a variety of different applications on the axles, chassis, frames and even crane jigs. 

Because it does not have an open flame it completely eliminates the risk of damaging cables and wiring. The temperature, heated area and the degree of heat penetration are easilyand accurately controlled.

So there you have it. Gone are the days when the repair shop echoed to the sound of hammers on metal and the hiss of blow torches as panel beaters tried desperately to put a chassis back in line or patch up a mangled cab. 

It is definitely not all fun and games and at Impact Commercial, far from it in fact. Repairing and restoring vehicles to the original factory spec’ is hard work and there is a lot of pressure to turn around jobs as fast as possible. Something the management team is acutely aware of. More to this, behind every accident is a tale of driver fatigue or poor roads, inclement weather, injuries and sometimes fatalities as well. 

Van Rensburg says winter presents its own challenges for truck drivers. “During the winter months we find a significant number of accidents are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel after they have put the heaters on in the cab,” she says, adding that she isn’t too sure what can be done about this but it is certainly something truck operators and long haul drivers should bear in mind before they set out on the road. 

Van Rensburg concludes saying that Impact Commercial will be opening another branch in Witbank this month. Just like the repair shop in Boksburg, the Witbank branch will be fully equipped and capable of bringing a new lease of life to a very comprehensive range of trucks, buses and trailers.