Praccar to end Canadian production of trucks sold in U.S., expects 300 layoffs

A Peterbilt truck at a dealership in Bolingbrook near Chicago, Ill., in 2014. Peterbilt Motors Company is owned by Paccar Inc.

American truck maker Paccar PCAR-Q is putting the brakes on production in Canada and laying off more workers ahead of a 25-per-cent U.S. tariff scheduled to start next month.

On Wednesday, the manufacturer, based in Bellevue, Wash., told employees at its truck factory in Sainte-Thérèse, Que., that it will repatriate production of all trucks sold in the United States back to its U.S. plants, according to Daniel Cloutier, Quebec director of Unifor, which represents the plant workers. He said some 300 jobs will be lost at Sainte-Thérèse, leaving about 500 workers remaining.

“They’re going to keep Canadian production in the plant,” Mr. Cloutier said. However, that