- Daimler Truck North America will close Freightliner’s Swan Island plant in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 30, ending local truck manufacturing that began in 1947.
- The closure affects about 375 jobs, or 387 layoffs per a state notice, as production shifts to North Carolina and South Carolina.
- Union bargaining over severance and benefits begins the week of Aug. 3 as DTNA expands Carolinas production amid stronger truck-demand expectations.
Daimler Truck North America’s Swan Island manufacturing plant in Portland, Ore., will close Oct. 30, a spokesman confirmed, ending Rose City manufacturing by Freightliner for the first time since 1947.
The plant at 6936 North Fathom St. opened in 1969. It was Freightliner’s third plant in Portland, starting with the original Northwest Quimby Street site opened by fabled company founder Leland James.
It is the second time Daimler Truck or a predecessor has announced plans to shutter the Swan Island plant since acquiring Freightliner in 1981. The first occasion was in 2008, when the plant was expected to shut in 2010, but a reprieve came in 2009. Production was scheduled to switch to North Carolina and Mexico, Transport Topics reported at the time…