The Source for Trucking News, Opinions and Trucking Jobs | Freightliner’s Newest

I subscribe to a ton of industry newsletters so you don’t have to. In one, Freightliner announces a new truck model for 2010. Looks like a Century with a big hood. I don’t usually talk about trucks or even truck companies, but this might be my last chance. This line in the press release is funny and sad at the same time -

Freightliner unveils new on-highway truck

…It also offers larger seats, larger door openings for easy entry and egress, more head and belly room…

It’s a sad statement about truck drivers that a truck manufacturer has to build a truck with more belly room, no matter how true it might be. And to make sure your not too fat for their seat you can check out Find Your Fit, but it only goes to 350 lbs.

And since we’re on the subject…

Loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs accelerating
Laid off from her job assembling trucks at Freightliner’s plant in
Portland, Ore., she and 800 of her colleagues joined a long line of
U.S. manufacturing workers who have lost jobs in recent years. A total
of 3.2 million — one in six factory jobs — have disappeared since the
start of 2000.

Many people believe those jobs will never come back.

“They are building a multimillion-dollar plant in Mexico and they
are going to build the Freightliners down there. They came in and
videotaped us at work so they could train the Mexican workers,” said
Zimmer, 55, who had worked at Freightliner since 1994.

I don’t care how many plants anyone has in Mexico, more plants and more jobs in Mexico might slow the northward migration. And closing plants for production reasons is part of doing business. But when a company closes a plant in the States and moves it to Mexico, that’s moving what once were American jobs to Mexico.

Freightliner to build another Mexican plant
This 740-acre site will also include a PDI/transporter center and test
track, as well as room for future expansion. The plant could produce up
to 30,000 trucks annually, and employ up to 1,600 production and
management personnel. Groundbreaking is planned for second quarter of
2007, with start of production planned for early 2009.

Feel that American pride while driving your Cascadia! Even sounds Spanish.