AOCA puts spotlight on labeling compliance

May 15, 2019

Some of the labeling and receipt requirements for engine oil and transmission fluid products may vary from state to state. But across the country, governments are getting tougher on compliance oversight. A presentation on day three of iFLEX touched on a push within the quick lube industry to promote and train compliance.

NASHVILLE, May 15, 2019—Some of the labeling and receipt requirements for engine oil and transmission fluid products may vary from state to state.

But across the country, governments are getting tougher on compliance oversight. A presentation on day three of iFLEX touched on a push within the quick lube industry to promote and train compliance.

“Over the last couple years, state regulators have kind of caught onto this trend,” said Justin Cialella, Victory Lane CEO. “And now they’re taking a stand.”

Cialella also chairs the government affairs committee of the Automotive Oil Change Association, and he said they’ve been working to recognize and promote labeling and receipt protocols so that operators don’t run into trouble when an inspector arrives.

Oil Changers President Eric Frankenberger said at the presentation that the costs of noncompliance include fines, increased insurance premiums and even fraud-related charges. And if an inspector finds a mislabeled bulk tank, for example, that product might be off-limits.

“If you don’t have the correct labeling on your bulk tanks, they’re gonna lock it down,” Frankenberger said.

At the core of compliance is making sure that the paper trail for oils and transmission fluids fully describe the types of products being used, the standards and specifications of those products and what their intended uses are.

It’s true for container labeling. But it’s also true for receipts, from the distributor to the point of sale with a customer.

“The good operators, I think have always been transparent about this,” Cialella said. “Now it’s going to be much more of a standard and much more of a requirement going forward.”

To promote this, the AOCA and corporate partners are close to finalizing a training module for operators. Tom Staker, the international director of training for FullSpeed Automotive, said that the presentation will cover what specific information needs to be on labels and receipts, who enforces compliance and how, what noncompliant labels look like and why it’s beneficial to follow the regulations.

Staker said that a finalized training course should be ready for distribution in a couple months.