MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. (WBTV) - More than 500 employees are set to be laid off from a major Gaston County manufacturer.
Records showed the state was notified of the layoffs at Daimler Truck in Mount Holly on Friday, July 11.
A letter sent from Daimler Truck to the state said 573 workers would be subject to a “temporary layoff,” beginning July 18, 2025. The letter said those workers will continue to be paid their regular wages through Sept. 9, 2025.
According to the letter, the people subject to the layoffs are made up of the following jobholders:
The letter said the layoffs are the result of “a sustained reduction in orders and diminished build rate.” The letter acknowledged that the layoffs are expected to be temporary, but the length of the layoffs are “of an unknown duration at this time.”
When reached for comment, Daimler Truck said it was working in a “challenging economic environment.”
“As we navigate a challenging economic environment, we’ve seen a notable slowdown in new truck orders, particularly in our medium-duty, on-highway, and electric vehicle segments,” the company said in a statement. “To align with current market conditions, we’ve made the tough decision to implement workforce reductions across several facilities.”
“Approximately 2,000 employees across 5 locations including Mount Holly and Gastonia, NC; Detroit, MI; Portland, OR; and Saltillo, Mexico, will be affected," the statement continued. “Each site will experience different impacts based on local business needs. None of the locations are being closed. We remain optimistic that market conditions will improve, enabling us to reassess operational needs and potentially reinstate affected roles.”
The Mount Holly location is on North Main Street, not far off the Catawba River and Mountain Island Lake.
In addition to the Mount Holly facility, Daimler Truck also has North Carolina locations in Charlotte, Cleveland, Gastonia and High Point. The company has South Carolina locations in Fort Mill and York.
According to Daimler Truck’s website, it employs over 100,000 people worldwide and is one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers. Daimler makes trucks and buses under the Freightliner, Thomas Built, Mercedes-Benz and other names.