Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Manufacturing Plants Reopen After COVID-19 Closures

After being closed for close to a month, U.S. manufacturing plants for Daimler Trucks North America, Yokohama Corporation of North America, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company have either restarted production or are in the process of restarting their assembly lines, with Detroit's Big Three still in limbo.

April 24, 2020
Manufacturing Plants Reopen After COVID-19 Closures

Yokohama's plant in West Point, Mississippi, is  scheduled to go back online April 27.

Photo: Yokohama

2 min to read


After being closed for close to a month, U.S. manufacturing plants for Daimler Trucks North America, Yokohama Corporation of North America, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company have either restarted production or are in the process of restarting their assembly lines, with Detroit's Big Three still in limbo.

According to an article on OregonLive, manufacturing resumed on April 20 at Daimler Trucks’ Portland, Oregon, factory, a closure that initially put 600 employees on unpaid furlough. The OEM redesigned its manufacturing process over the last month, giving workers more space on the line to keep up with social distancing recommendations. For example, by splitting its workforce into two shifts, employees have more room on the floor. In the OregonLive article, Plant Manager Geoffrey Jansen said that they went through 500 separate processes to make sure workers have at least 6 feet of separation.

Ad Loading...

Yokohama Corporation of North America has scheduled the reopening of its West Point, Mississippi, plant for April 27. The company has also implemented new safety procedures at the plant based on the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities, including a number of preventative measures that are currently in effect at all Yokohama facilities.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company plans to restart it manufacturing plants in Findlay, Ohio; Clarksdale and Tupelo, Mississippi; and Texarkana, Arkansas, next week. The facilities have been closed for approximately five weeks. Included in the company’s return to work procedures are required employee health disclosures, increased cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, social distancing, physical barriers, and visitor restrictions.

Following suit are OEMs Toyota Motor Corp., Tesla Inc., Hyundai Motor Co., and Volkswagen AG, which, according to Bloomberg, intend to resume production in the first week of May. Of the big three automakers, General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, only Fiat Chrysler has confirmed that it will progressively restart with government approval beginning May 4.

More Equipment

Red Kodiak-branded autonomous tractor with Charger-branded trailer backed up to warehouse
Fleet Management•October 30, 2026

Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking

An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.

Read More →
A GP Transco tractor-trailer crosses a bridge over a river, with trailer side skirts visible beneath the white trailer.
Fuel Smarts•by Deborah Lockridge•October 27, 2026

How GP Transco Builds Fuel Savings a Fraction at a Time

Aerodynamic specs, solar panels, and driver incentives help GP Transco turn small efficiency gains into savings it can reinvest in its people.

Read More →
YouTube thumbnail showing man being interviewed and backup camera and in-cab screen showing backup video
Safety & Compliance•by Deborah Lockridge•October 23, 2026

More Trailer Data Through the Same Seven-Way [Video]

Can trucking’s standard seven-way connector handle more cameras and trailer data? Grote’s Adam Slade shows HDT how the company is using new technology with its 4See trailer system, not only to add a new backup camera but also to expand other capabilities — without adding another connection.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Rear view camera on back of a semi trailer
Equipment•by Deborah Lockridge•October 23, 2026

Grote: More Cameras, Same Seven-Way Connector

The next-generation 4See rear-view backup camera from Grote uses the standard seven-way connector and supports additional cameras and other trailer data.

Read More →
wide angle photo of trade show booth with big "Mack" sign above, red Mack truck in the foreground
Equipment•by Deborah Lockridge•October 20, 2026

Trucks at ATA's 2026 MC&E in Charlotte, North Carolina [Photos]

From rigs decked out in patriotic America's 250 paint schemes to autonomous trucks and more, check out these photos from ATA's 2026 Management Conference & Exhibition.

Read More →
2027 HDT Top 20 Products logo beside “Nominations Open” text and images of 2026 award winners: a Cummins engine, Lytx dash cam, and Michelin truck tire.
Equipment•by Staff•October 16, 2026

Help HDT Find Trucking’s Top Products

Have you come across a new product that could make a difference for trucking fleets? Nominate it for HDT’s 2027 Top 20 Products Awards by November 9.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Yellow Volvo VNS heavy-haul sleeper truck with rugged tires and prominent grille, parked at night on a snow-covered lot beside a black truck, with a Volvo construction machine on a trailer behind it.
Equipment•by Wayne Parham•October 14, 2026

Volvo Unveils New VNX Heavy-Haul and Vocational Truck

Volvo Trucks has launched the VNX, a new vocational truck also available as a tractor in day cab and two sleeper configurations, with one heavy-haul model. The Volvo VNX is powered by Volvo's D13 platform, which delivers up to 540 horsepower and 1,950 pound-feet of torque and is EPA 2027-compliant.  

Read More →
Youtube thumbnail showing two people with a truck and the word "fuel" behind them, the HDT Talks Trucking logo, and the words "Small Gains. Big Savings."
Fuel Smarts•by Deborah Lockridge•October 12, 2026

How GP Transco Cuts Trucking Fuel Costs, a Tenth of a Gallon at a Time

What’s another tenth of a mile per gallon worth? GP Transco shares how equipment upgrades and driver coaching turn small gains into meaningful fuel savings.

Read More →
Photo of electric OrangeEV terminal tractor with a Lazer Logistics trailer
Equipment•by Staff•October 6, 2026

Electric Yard Tractors Move Beyond Pilots

Operating-cost savings have overtaken sustainability goals as the leading reason surveyed fleets are adopting battery-electric terminal tractors, according to new NACFE research.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Two truck tires with a muted highway background
Maintenance•by News/Media Release•October 2, 2026

Continental Introduces New Regional Truck Tires

Continental says its new Generation 5 steer and drive tires for regional operations offer longer tread life, with estimated mileage gains of 22% and 19%, respectively.

Read More →