Daimler Trucks North America will be laying off hundreds of workers at two North Carolina Freightliner plants within the next month.
The layoffs will take place on October 14 at the Freightliner productions facilities in Mount Holly, North Carolina and Cleveland, North Carolina.
Approximately 450 workers will be laid off from each of the two plants.
Daimler Trucks North America provided WBTV with a statement explaining their decision to lay off 900 of their workers:
Following a red-hot North American truck market of record sales and production volumes over the last twelve months, the market is now clearly returning to normal market levels. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) will have to adjust its production output in line with lower market demand and release approximately 450 production workers at its Cleveland manufacturing plant based in Cleveland, North Carolina and approximately 450 workers in Mt. Holly, North Carolina effective October 14, 2019.
This levelling-off in the market requires us to adjust our production levels to meet the normalized demand and therefore reduce our current build rates and employment levels at these locations. We have already witnessed some of our industry competitors making changes in their production plans and employment levels to accommodate. DTNA has been a committed member of these communities and is the leading manufacturer of trucks in North America.
Prior to the layoffs, the Cleveland plant employs 2878 workers. The North Holly plant employs 1,714 workers.