Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) today announced that it plans to add 628 new positions in its Mt. Holly and Gastonia manufacturing plants to accommodate rising customer demand and expanding production schedules.


Company officials also confirmed that hiring will occur at all the company's truck and parts manufacturing facilities during the first half of the year totaling approximately 1,300 positions.

The Mt. Holly Truck Manufacturing Plant, located in Mt. Holly, NC, plans to fill 447 new manufacturing and 27 plant-based administrative positions beginning in mid-March. The Mt. Holly plant manufactures Freightliner M2 Business Class medium-duty, hybrid, and natural gas trucks.

The Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant, located in Gastonia, NC, plans to add 149 manufacturing jobs and five related administrative positions during the February - May time period to support increased network build rates. The 628 new positions will sharply increase daily production at both facilities. Planned 2011 hiring will also include approximately 600 positions in DTNA's Mexico manufacturing plants in Santiago and Saltillo to help meet production and customer delivery schedules for the company's medium and heavy-duty product lines.

"We have received a clear vote of confidence from a broad range of customers," said Martin Daum, president and chief executive officer, DTNA. "Our new hiring in Mt. Holly and Gastonia is a direct reflection of incoming orders and the resulting production schedule. We remain cautiously optimistic regarding economic and industry recovery but this is a significant and welcome step forward."

Today's announcement follows the reinstatement of over 1,600 manufacturing and related administrative positions throughout the company's manufacturing network since January 2010, in response to rising customer demand. New collective bargaining agreements were reached in 2010 with all the company's U.S. plants.