March 6, 2025
By the time you finish reading this article, 50 vehicles requiring ADAS calibration will roll into shops across America. Yet 40 of those vehicles might leave without proper calibration—putting both drivers and shops at risk.
Here's what's driving this urgent situation:
Moreover, industry sources predict that 106,000 qualified ADAS technicians will be needed by decade's end, which we have the strong potential to fall short of.
Couple those trends with increasing requirements from both manufacturers and regulators and what was once a specialty service (ADAS Calibration) has become a core business necessity.
This creates both a challenge and an opportunity for forward-thinking business owners of repair shops.
Compliance with ADAS requirements, regulations, and the like are akin to insurance for your business: you can't operate without it, and the cost of getting it wrong far exceeds the investment in getting it right.
Let's break down exactly this mean for your existing operation:
That said, as ADAS adoption continues to scale rapidly, so too do the calibration requirements.
Consider this: by Q4 2025, 60% of collision repairs will require at least one mandated calibration.
Miss these requirements, and you're not just losing revenue but putting your shop at legal risk.
In the end, the best defense is a solid documentation process. Here's what you should incorporate into your processes at baseline:
We recommend storing these records digitally with backup copies. These will be important for both insurance claims and potential liability protection.
As with many aspects of regulation in the US, the regulatory landscape varies greatly between the State and Federal level.
What is consistent are documentation and penalties for failing to properly ensure safety systems are working correctly In addition to liability, compliance penalties in certain states can reach up to $2,500 per violation.
At the Federal level, however, the REPAIR Act is something you’ll want to familiarize yourself with. While currently in the legislative process as of this writing (March 2025), this bi-partisan bill marks a significant shift in the automotive repair landscape, particularly for shops dealing with ADAS-equipped vehicles.
This legislation addresses longstanding concerns about access to critical repair information and tools, while also establishing new safety standards for the industry.
Under this Act, the following would be required on the part of manufacturers:
This bill also introduces requirements on the part of repair shops. They may need to adopt new protocols for handling sensitive repair data. This includes training for technicians and making sure all shop systems handle data securely.
It remains to be seen whether this bill will be adopted by Congress but compliance with this act would be fulfilling best practices for both protecting your customers as well as your business.
Considering California is the world’s 5th largest economy, any regulations the state sets often dictates how the country goes and has an impact worldwide. Their new Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection Program (VSSI) is very likely to become the national template for ADAS inspections.
Here's what you need to know:
While currently California-specific, we suggest repair in every state implementing similar protocols as this legislation is likely to drive nationwide requirements.
NHTSA's latest standards don't just affect manufacturers—they're reshaping repair requirements too. By 2029, every light vehicle must have AEB systems that meet specific performance criteria. Here's what this means for your shop today:
As you can see, each of these requirements, legislation, and standards have a few things in common.
Let’s chat about what your shop should be standardizing in your ADAS repair workflows.
Having the right equipment to conduct calibrations is only part of the equation. Understanding the compliance requirements protects both your customers and your business. Let's break down what this means in practical terms.
Most shop owners don't realize this: the biggest risk of potential ADAS-related liability issues stem from inadequate documentation, not technical errors.
To avoid that, we mentioned up top what you should have in place. Here’s a quick refresher:
Think of documentation like a detailed medical record. It can be a pain to document but in the long run, it protects both the service provider and the customer while at the same time ensuring proper procedures are followed every time.
If documentation for ADAS calibrations is a frustration for your shop, consider using a software like Revv which can auto generate nearly all the documentation you’ll need to protect your business.
Never ever ever settle for hand waving OE calibration requirements and saying something like "We can just do the calibration in the parking lot".
This could literally cost your shop thousands should the ADAS feature in question fail.
Here's what proper calibration processes should entail:
If your current facility doesn't meet these requirements, consider partnering with a dedicated calibration center rather than risking improper calibrations.
Successful calibration messages or a lack of DTC codes doesn't always mean the system is functioning correctly.
Your quality control process should include:
A proper ADAS calibration workflow protects both your customers and your business.
Regardless of how regulations and laws evolve, strong documentation is always going to be the best defense for your business.
Implementing technology that makes this process as easy as possible puts you ahead of the curve as regulations continue to evolve and become more stringent.
Revv is here to help you make your ADAS identification and documentation process seamless, saving your team hours per month.
Book a demo with the Revv team today to see how our comprehensive solution can save you time, reduce liability, and help you capture additional revenue from properly identified calibrations.