End of an Era on Swan Island: Daimler Truck Will Close Its Portland Plant October 30

Daimler Truck North America is closing its Swan Island manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon on October 30, 2026 — ending a truck-building legacy on the island that stretches back to the late 1940s. The move affects 387 workers per the company's WARN filing, including 343 union-represented employees.

What the plant builds — and where it goes

The Portland facility currently assembles the Western Star X-Series along with Daimler's electric trucks, the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2. Production shifts to the company's plants in North and South Carolina — Cleveland, Mount Holly and Gastonia in NC, and Gaffney in SC. Mount Holly is already recalling 400 workers and plans to hire 200 more by year-end.

Some displaced Portland employees may be offered positions at the East Coast plants; the company says severance and transition support will be available for those who don't relocate. Three smaller Daimler sites around Portland are winding down alongside the main plant.

A blow softened, not erased

Portland isn't losing Daimler entirely: the city stays on as DTNA's North American headquarters and a key center for engineering, product development, testing and validation. But for the machinists of IAM District W24 — who say the announcement landed just as they were preparing to negotiate a new contract — the loss is immediate. The union has started effects bargaining, pushing to extend benefits beyond the closure date and lining up retraining and job resources with the Oregon AFL-CIO.

“ IAM District W24 and Local 1005 still have our members' best interests in mind and will continue to fight for them, even in these difficult circumstances. ”