Freightliner moves 341 jobs

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Freightliner LLC is moving 341 jobs to South Carolina to be closer to the truck manufacturer's customers and production sites.

The heavy truck subsidiary of German automaker Daimler AG said the move to Fort Mill, S.C., affects about 10 percent of its Portland work force, primarily in sales, marketing and dealer support positions.

Freightliner is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and has built trucks in Portland for 60 years. But the company has made several rounds of major job cuts in recent years.

Freightliner will keep its headquarters in Portland but said future relocations are possible, depending on the dynamics of the market and its relationship with affiliates. The company also said some incentive contingencies are in place should it move more of its operations there.

The new South Carolina site is near the state border with North Carolina, where the Freightliner's bulk of manufacturing facilities are located.