Freightliner layoff - Cleveland, NC

[CUMMINZ]

A friend of mine just got laid off notice from the Freightliner big truck plant in Cleveland, NC. 1200-1500 laid off due to poor sales. They are introducing a new P3 model that is cheaper truck to offset the higher cost of engine. Go figure. They have acres of trucks just sitting around in neighborhood lots.

 

[CDonaldson]

That is a shame, tough to loose a good job. Freightliner is building an enormous, state-of-the-art plant in Sedillo MX, right next door to the DC truck plant. Other Freightliner manufacturing plants are also going to experience big layoffs as well. The new plant is supposed to open sometime this year, think it's in the last quarter?



CD

 

[MRector]

Volvo/Mack in Dublin VA is doing the same thing, two friends of mine work there, one got the axe last week-the other- next friday, feb 2nd. It seems like they do this every three to four years.

 

[betterthanstock]

I heard from a source that F-liner will be rebadging a Dodge chassis cab. Don't know for sure yet.

If it's true, that may be a lower priced truck (at list prices, not after dealing).

Parts are a lot cheaper at FL.

 

[bmoeller]

Freightliner is building an enormous, state-of-the-art plant in Sedillo MX, right next door to the DC truck plant.

Makes sense, since they are owned by the same company. Still sucks, though.

 

[jelag]

Its been said in the trucking publications that maybe a FL plant will build the 4500 and 5500 with both a Dodge and Sterling badge...



Its also been said that they have been shipping trucks to to beat the 2007 deadline and that there were no other orders when the old engines were gone... no one wanted the up to 10K upcharge or the new engine and the additional operational costs that will come with it... some are unknown... . The authors have said that one of the engine plants and several of the body builders would be in real trouble with the slow down in sales... .



Maybe they were right... .

 

[gsbrockman]

CUMMINZ :



Your friend that just recently got laid off was probaly getting all the overtime he wanted just recently.



Around a year or more ago, I talked with a Sales Manager at a Freightliner Dealership in Lexington, KY. He was talking about how all the added emissions components was adding such a large amount to the cost of new trucks. He was taking orders left and right from several trucking companies for new trucks, trying to avoid that extra price increase.



Some companies were even buying trucks that were not really in queue for replacement based on miles and / or in service dates.



I guess the ol' "feast or famine" rule of thumb has finally kicked in. Lots of pre-January trucks have been on order and purchased and post January build trucks will be setting for a while.



Greg

 

[jmy]

A friend of mine just got laid off notice from the Freightliner big truck plant in Cleveland, NC. 1200-1500 laid off due to poor sales. They are introducing a new P3 model that is cheaper truck to offset the higher cost of engine. Go figure. They have acres of trucks just sitting around in neighborhood lots.

CAT also announced recently that they will cut Greenville SC truck engine production from 600 to 100 per day.



http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2006/Oct06/103006/110306-01.htm

 

[Schrowang]

Volvo/Mack in Dublin VA is doing the same thing, two friends of mine work there, one got the axe last week-the other- next friday, feb 2nd. It seems like they do this every three to four years.

Ask the good citizens on Plainfield, NJ about Mack Trucks. Plainfield had a huge Mack engine plant right on the Central of New Jersey RR tracks. In the middle 50's the UAW struck Mack over wages and benefits. It was a real ugly time :-{} . At the end of a long strike, the union gained some concessions, but in the end ..... well, you guessed it! Mack moved the whole plant to Hagerstown, MD, which at that time had cheap labor and no unions. Of course the blue collars weren't invited to the new party.



Boy, talk about a ghost town. And that happened right around Christmas, 1955 or 1956. Merry Christmas from the Bulldog!



What goes around comes around

 

[NeverSatisfied]

Let me start off by saying that what is happening in the trucking industry is horrible but it is mostly unavoidable due to new EPA regulations. I live near the Freightliner headquarters and have been reading about this issue. Please see below for the latest local article about the layoffs at the Portland truck plant.



Most of the posts below are correct, that the cost of the engine itself is going up between 6 and 10k depending on the engine and size. In addition, as all of you know, the reliability is in question but hopefully this will be answered in the coming months.



About the new plant, I have read that it is not within this year that in fact it is around 2009. I think in a previous article they said what would be built there but I am not sure at this point. Either way, the point of feast or famine in this industry is clear as I have been living in the area for decades. I do have to believe that the corporate headquarters is doing everything it can to not lay off workers because of the fact that they still have to pay these employees for the next while, depending on their contract (I believe).



Either way, it is a shame and I hope the market rebounds so many of these people can get their jobs back.