Property Damage Appraisers’ Heavy Equipment Training Class Offers Best-In-Class Solutions, Expertise

Since its founding in 1963, Property Damage Appraisers, Inc. (PDA) , has worked diligently to become the nation’s leading independent damage-appraisal firm by offering consistent, top-quality services at unparalleled speed. Using a combination of human expertise and technology, PDA completes over 420,000 appraisals a year — many with guaranteed Same-Day Service for specialty and heavy equipment, including over-the-road trucks, cranes, construction and farm equipment, busses, boats and more. PDA also offers same-day service for automobiles and will soon offer same-day service for property too.

PDA’s Heavy Equipment (HE) Training Class equips PDA appraisers with the ability to provide customers with informed, high-quality appraisals.

Since the class began in 2014, more than 460 individuals have completed the course.

“The purpose of the HE Training Class is to create a complete standardization throughout the entire PDA team,” said Lance Marlette, AVP of Training at PDA. “We are developing a consistent, high-quality product with our appraisers so when people look at the appraisal, they can tell from first glance it was completed by PDA.”

So what does the quarterly HE Training Class entail? To answer that question, meet Larry West, the man behind the class.

West, PDA’s franchisee in Bryan-College Station, Texas, has been a part of the HE Training Class since its inception in 2014. According to Marlette, West, who has racked up hundreds of hours of hands-on experience over the years and is the ultimate resource for the class, adds a level of expertise that is unmatched in the industry.

In each five-day class series held at PDA’s headquarters in Fort Worth, TX; students (new appraisers) attend a classroom session from Monday through Wednesday to learn the basics — the different types of equipment, how to fill out forms, the technology platforms used and how to assess images of damage. Students also take part in group discussions and interactive exercises.

On Thursday and Friday, students are taken off-site and into the field. West takes the students to a local truck shop , allowing them to see everything they’ve learned in the class in action.

“Once the students are taken into the shop, it all comes alive for them,” West said. “They see 25 to 30 different jobs, all at different stages, all being done at once. The students interact with the technicians, ask questions and take pictures of the work being done. I think it’s extremely beneficial for the students.”

After the field experience, students take a test, and once passed, they are officially certified by PDA to complete heavy equipment damage estimates.

Aside from being a prerequisite for certification, West says the HE Training Class offers an invaluable opportunity to network with the other attendees.

“The majority of PDA’s appraisers aren’t new to the industry, so they have already established a sense of what we do,” West said. “This allows students to tap into other students’ minds and learn something new about the equipment that they may not have known.“

This year, the HE Training Class features a new training module. PDA has moved to a new estimating platform designed specifically for heavy equipment called AdjustRite®. In a recent class students participated in hands-on demonstrations led by experts from AdjustRite’s team.

“The new heavy-equipment technology platform is a huge upgrade for PDA, and I think people love it,” West said. “We’re all about better, faster, consistent service, and AdjustRite will help us continue to stand out in the industry.”

In the six short years since PDA introduced the HE Training Class, the class has become an essential part of PDA’s commitment to education, quality and consistency companywide.

Lauren is the Vice President at No Limit Agency. The Michigan native graduated from Boston University and immediately began her career in public relations.