Daimler Trucks North America is the only U.S. truck manufacturer to increase production capacity

Portland, Oregon, USA

* Since the beginning of 2010, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is able to list more than 21,400 orders for EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) 2010-compliant commercial vehicles
* DTNA expects production of Class 8 trucks in the U.S. to be 67 percent higher in July 2010 than in July 2009
* DTNA recalling 540 workers at three production locations in North Carolina

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is the only U.S. truck manufacturer currently able to increase its production capacity. The company plans to produce 67 percent more heavy-duty Class 8 trucks in July 2010 than were manufactured in the same month last year.

Because of the strong order situation, DTNA will also have recalled approximately 540 workers at its Mt. Holly and Cleveland truck manufacturing plants and at the Gastonia Components and Logistics Plant by mid-July 2010. All three plants are located in North Carolina. DTNA signed new three-year collective bargaining agreements for comprehensive redesign of work contracts for these plants with the United Auto Workers in April 2010. Besides a significantly increased flexibility in production, the new contracts for these production plants include baseline commitments which will provide job stability and security for plant employees.

Between January and April 2010, DTNA had a 34.2-percent market share of the Class 8 segment in the U.S. and Canada, which means orders in this segment represent more than one-third of the industry backlog. The Class 8 year-to-date market share is at nearly eight percentage points ahead of the closest competitor.

The recent increase in sales figures results from two major orders placed by the by U.S. transportation companies Western Express of Nashville, Tennessee, and Schneider National of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Western Express ordered 900 Freighliner Cascadia trucks, while Schneider National ordered several hundred Cascadia trucks which will give both companies a predominantly Freightliner vehicle fleet. Western Express and Schneider National are both longtime customers of DTNA.

The Freightliner Cascadia trucks from the two new major orders are equipped with engines from Detroit Diesel Corporation. The engines from the New Engine Generation combine the know-how of Daimler Trucks units in Europe, the U.S., and Japan, which have been jointly developing the engines since 2002, to achieve superb fuel efficiency and meet the respective emissions limits. The engines are manufactured in Redford, Michigan.

All engines of the New Engine Generation incorporate the BlueTec emissions technology to substantially reduce nitrous oxide, particulate, and CO2 emissions while at the same time achieving high fuel efficiency. DTNA introduced the BlueTec emissions treatment system to meet the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) 2010 limits. The Detroit Diesel engine was introduced in the Freightliner Cascadia heavy-duty truck in 2007 and has demonstrated its reliability and fuel efficiency over millions of miles.