Rowan Plant Cutting Up To 100 Jobs

(By Jefferson George, jgeorge@charlotteobserver.com) A Rowan County company that transports newly-made trucks plans to lay off up to 100 workers by March 16, anticipating a dropoff in business from the nearby Freightliner plant, according to a notice filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce.Auto Truck Transport of Cleveland said the cutbacks are necessary because Daimler Trucks North America – Freightliner's parent company – plans to cut heavy truck production at its Cleveland plant by 50 percent this spring.The Auto Truck Transport layoffs will come from a pool of 150 drivers, shop workers and other employees, and the length hasn't been determined, the company said.