Daimler Trucks to Cut More Than 1,200 Jobs in North America

While it’s tempting to only report the positive stories affecting our industry, like any other industry, there are ups and downs, and for Daimler Trucks’ North American operations, the trend is apparently down. The Wall Street Journal reports that Daimler plans to lay off more than 1,200 workers across its North American operations in response to slowing sales for heavy trucks. The majority of the jobs eliminated will be at its North Carolina facilities, including 600 workers at its Mount Holly plant and 200 workers in Gastonia. This follows cuts of 700 employees at the Mount Holly plant in February. Another 170 workers will be laid off in Portland, Oregon, and 270 workers at its plant in Santiago, Mexico, will lose their jobs.

The company is projecting a 15 percent sales decline in the North American market for its medium and heavy-duty trucks. Daimler Truck’s biggest brand in North America is Freightliner, which is the best-selling brand of Class-8 trucks in the U.S. Daimler also owns Detroit Diesel, which recently ratified a labor contract with the UAW, promising the plant production of new diesel engines in the years ahead. Workers at the Mount Holly plant are represented by UAW Local 5285.

Source: The Wall Street Journal