Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) announced its second quarter earnings and plans to build the largest truck plant in the U.S. this week. The site for the plant will be named later this year.
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Last month, DNTA announced it will move the remaining production of Freightliner and Western Star trucks away from Portland, Ore., where Freightliner trucks have been built since 1942. That will happen by year's end and will move to the East Coast and the company's Carolina facilities. The company's headquarters and other facilities will remain in Portland, and Daimler says the decision to discontinue manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest is unrelated to the new plant.
Jeff Allen, senior vice president of operations and the head of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles, told TPS sister publication CCJ that the site will hopefully be chosen in the next couple of months.
"It will be the largest manufacturing plant in the U.S. for trucks when all is said and done," John O'Leary, president and CEO of DTNA, says. The company is evaluating multiple locations for the ability to access and support a stable and efficient supply chain and skilled workforce, transportation and logistics infrastructure, a favorable business environment and alignment with the company's manufacturing strategy.
Construction on the new plant is expected to begin later this year with an opening set for 2029.
Daimler reports Q2 earnings
Like many other companies in heavy-duty, Daimler is also revising its 2026 guidance upwards as it reported second quarter earnings on Friday.
"Strong results at Trucks North America and an improved outlook for the region, driven by higher unit sales and a lower tariff impact for the remainder of the year give us confidence to raise our full-year guidance," says Karin Radstrom, president and CEO of Daimler Truck.
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The company boosted its forecast for unit sales from 330,000-360,000 to 340,000-370,000. In North America, the company now expects to sell 160,000-180,000 units, up from 150,000-170,000 with an adjusted return on sales of 9-11%.
For the global company, revenues in the quarter were up 5% year over year to $14.21 billion. For DTNA, revenues were up 2% year over year to $5.9 billion. Unit sales in North America were up 8% year over year to 41,687.
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Financial services revenue was up 3% year over year to $1.01 billion. New business was up 4% versus Q2 2025. The bus sector saw incoming orders plunge 25% year over year with unit sales down 13%, but revenue remained up 6% over Q2 2025.
Despite improved numbers, Daimler says there were some downsides in the quarter. That includes higher material and manufacturing costs in North America, largely due to tariffs; and negative effects from its mix of sales in the region. However, these were offset by improved pricing and significantly higher unit sales, among other factors.
