Would it help regulate the industry if glass vendors only delivered to brick-and-mortar locations? Or would that impair all mobile operators, including the safety-minded ones? A recent post in an industry Facebook group sparked spirited debate on this topic.
A recent post in the Auto Glass Tech Talk Facebook group argued that limiting auto glass deliveries to brick-and-mortar shops could help improve standards across the industry. In follow-up comments, the poster said the concern stems from mobile operators who may lack proper credentials or a commitment to quality and safety. The post suggested that work performed in parking lots or other informal locations can negatively affect the industry’s professional image. As a possible solution, the poster proposed that vendors verify customers have an active business license before selling auto glass.
Mobile Operators Push Back
As he predicted, that opinion proved controversial. Brian Crandall, owner of West Willow Auto Glass in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, is one of those commenters.
“I get the negative perception of mobile shops that operate out of a storage unit [or something similar], but there are plenty of mobile owners and installers out there with plenty of experience in the industry and the credentials to prove it,” he tells glassBYTEs.
Brian Crandall’s shop, West Willow Auto Glass, is entirely mobile.
West Willow Auto Glass is a fully mobile shop. While the company itself is approximately a year old, Crandall has been in the industry for more than 20 years.
“The industry definitely needs to be more regulated and licensed, but to say that people who operate without a brick-and-mortar location can’t have glass delivered isn’t practical,” he says.
Crandall says he’s shown his own commitment to safety by registering West Willow Auto Glass as an Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) member. Crandall is an AGSC-certified master technician.
Safety and Practicality
Junior Turner owns and operates Budget Auto Glass, a mobile company serving Knoxville, Tennessee. He, too, commented on the post.
Junior Turner’s company, Budget Auto Glass, is also mobile-only.
“I know the big conversation right now is whether or not mobile shops can safely do static Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibrations [in the field],” he tells glassBYTEs. “But that’s not a factor for all mobile shops.”
Turner explains that he does a lot of work for dealerships, auto body shops and fleet accounts that have their own controlled environments for him to perform recalibrations. He doesn’t have to recalibrate for most of his individual customers.
“This area is pretty rural, so most of the cars are more than 10 years old and don’t have ADAS systems,” he says.
Delivery Logistics
Mike Waites, who owns and operates Glass Doctor of Andalusia in Alabama, also commented on the post. He technically has a physical location, but he doesn’t consider it a brick-and-mortar shop because he doesn’t have a storefront.
“Not delivering to mobile shops would be a disadvantage to both consumers and small businesses,” he says. “I agree that there should be more regulations on auto glass installation, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of every mobile shop.”
Mike Waites won the 2024 Windshield Repair Competition.
Waites says his closest distribution facility is more than an hour away. He says it wouldn’t be practical to drive there regularly to pick up glass on a will-call basis, and he believes many mobile technicians face the same problem.
“On the flip side, it won’t prevent those mobile owners [who aren’t concerned about quality or safety] who are close to the distribution center from picking up glass themselves,” he says.
An “Old-School” Perspective
Kevin Kerr of Mountain Mobile Auto Glass and Tint in Arizona left a supportive comment on the post.
“I make up for the delivery charge by ordering as many parts at a time as possible,” he says. “Mobile shops can’t do that. If they order 10 windshields at once, how can a mobile installer store those safely?”
Kevin Kerr was a finalist in both the 2017 and 2018 Auto Glass Technician Competitions.
Kerr says he doesn’t necessarily object to mobile deliveries in general, but he believes vendors should prioritize brick-and-mortar shops.
“[Mobile shops are one reason why] will-call pickups exist,” he says. “That’s the old-school way.”
As a 40-year industry veteran, Kerr is a big proponent of “old-school” values.
“People who have physical locations pay a lot of money to be there,” he says. “They deserve to be treated right.”
A lot of us started out of the house or garage. I have 3 times so far and built up to a shop location. If you only deliver to shops you will still have the same problem of folks getting the cheapest spot they can and call it a location. We will still deal with the fly by nights that do things as cheap as they can thinking they are making money. It will always be a part of this industry. The one thing I would like to see is that the warehouses only sell to actual glass shops and not every body shop and dealer in the area. That hurts the local shops more than anything because then they just use whoever will do it the cheapest. On the flip side though they will still do the same thing if they can’t buy the glass but at least a real glass shop or business will get to make something off the glass also.
As long as PGW is around they will sell to anybody that has a pulse. So sad to see standards for what was a great wholesalers at one time diminish. Another merger with the big Equity owned glass companies will help the industry a lot. There the true issue along with solutions group steering and controlling claims management.
Sorry but i think theres nothing wrong with someone getting there glass installed at there work place or home and recalibration why did they invent mobile calibration machines in the first place back in 1985 i remember my pops installing glass on a el camino ive 1991 i wouldgo on my school vacation to work sweep the shop and go mobile with the techs that had 2 man set windshields prep the glass for them i was 13 yrs just 2023 july started my own and its not easy lots of material license insurance for van and to work on peoples cars and still i buy high end quality urathane primer have my ADAS Autel mobile machine and take care of customers cars safety is first thats something us old school tech know if its not right dont do it .