Daimler Truck is set to close its truck assembly plant in Portland, Oregon and transfer that production to existing facilities in North Carolina and South Carolina, marking a significant operational shift for the manufacturer in the U.S. The consolidation will result in the loss of 375 jobs tied to the Portland assembly operation, even as the company keeps a foothold in the city through its corporate and engineering presence.
According to the company, Daimler Truck will retain its headquarters and testing facilities in Portland, signaling that while assembly operations are moving out of the Pacific Northwest, the market will remain an important base for management and product development activities. The Portland factory currently produces vehicles under the Freightliner and Western Star brands, both established names in the commercial truck segment.
The production work that is leaving Portland will be absorbed by plants in North Carolina and South Carolina, where Daimler Truck already maintains a manufacturing and engineering footprint. The company has an established presence in High Point, North Carolina and Gaffney, South Carolina, locations that are becoming increasingly central to its North American manufacturing network.
Triad Business Journal has previously reported that Daimler Truck North America formed a specialized business line, Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles, by combining the operations of Thomas Built Buses in High Point with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., based in Gaffney. That merger aligned complementary product lines and manufacturing capabilities within a single organizational structure, focused on chassis and specialty vehicle platforms.
Freightliner Custom Chassis produces the chassis that Thomas Built Buses uses for its school bus products at the High Point complex. The Gaffney operation also manufactures chassis for recreational vehicles, certain commercial trucks, shuttle buses, and walk-in vans, providing a diversified production base that supports multiple transportation and specialty vehicle segments. This broader manufacturing platform gives Daimler Truck additional flexibility in how and where it allocates assembly work across its network.
The combined Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles unit is expected to employ nearly 3,000 people across its two principal locations, including about 1,900 employees at Thomas Built Buses in High Point and more than 1,000 employees in Gaffney. As the Portland assembly plant winds down, the Carolinas operations are positioned to take on a larger share of the company’s North American specialty and chassis production, while Portland remains a key center for corporate leadership and vehicle testing.
