Sterling Truck plant to layoff 600 employees in wake of pre-buy

Avatar photo

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – About one quarter of the workforce at St. Thomas Sterling Truck plant faces unemployment in the wake of a substantial pre-buy in 2006. Bracing for a sales slump in 2007, the truck assembly plant will eliminate 600 jobs within the next several months, according to The London Free Press.

Richard Laverty, chairperson of Canadian Auto Workers Local 1001, told the Free Press that the first 110 layoffs will come Sept. 15, with the remaining 500 jobs slated to be cut in the spring. Laverty blamed the forthcoming emissions regulations on 2007 trucks as making the cost of a new vehicle “prohibitive.”

Just two years ago, Sterling hired about 1,000 workers, bringing its employee numbers to more than 2,000. The Sterling plant makes the Acterra, a smaller, medium-duty truck, and the HX, a large 18-wheel truck.

The Sterling news comes shortly after International Truck in Chatham, Ont. announced it would be issuing layoff notices to 500 workers by the end of November, and 250 layoffs at one of its suppliers in Wallaceburg, Ont.

–with files from The London Free Press

Avatar photo

Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*