Hino will stop producing commercial trucks at its Long Beach, Calif., plant, nearly halving its U.S. truck-building capacity.


Following a 19-percent drop in sales last year, the company will move U.S. commercial production to its Williamstown, W.Va., plant. That will cut Hino's annual production capacity in North America from 9,500 per year to 4,500.

The California truck assembly line produced 4,800 trucks in the fiscal year ended March 31. The West Virginia plant has an annual production capacity of 2,500 vehicles but only product 300 during the last fiscal year. Another plant in Ontario, Canada, produced 1,300 trucks.

The slowing economy, credit crunch and high fuel prices are blamed for the drop in demand for Hino trucks.

The California plant will continue to be used by Toyota, Hino's parent company.