Peterbilt Adds 1,000 Denton Jobs as Truck Production Shifts

Peterbilt has added more than 1,000 employees at its Denton, Texas, manufacturing plant so far in 2026, and hiring is continuing, according to the Paccar division. The expansion comes as truck orders strengthened and Paccar moved additional work into Denton.

For fleets planning Class 8 or vocational equipment, factory staffing and model allocation are not distant business news. They are part of the availability, lead-time and service picture that sits behind an order plan.

More production concentrated in Denton

Peterbilt said production of Class 8 low-cab refuse trucks shifted to Denton from Mexico. Paccar also moved medium-duty truck production from Sainte-Therese, Quebec, to its Chillicothe, Ohio, and Denton plants. Denton is Peterbilt's largest truck manufacturing plant.

FTR Transportation Intelligence data cited by Transport Topics showed truck orders through the first nine months of 2026 were 95% above the comparable 2025 period. Peterbilt general manager Jake Montero said the company was supporting a strong U.S. manufacturing base.

A changed demand picture

The hiring follows a weaker 2025, when several manufacturers reduced plant staffing. Transport Topics reported that Daimler Truck North America and International Motors have since also moved toward adding capacity, while Paccar aims for a 35% share of the North American heavy-duty truck market. Its Peterbilt and Kenworth brands held a combined 30.3% share in 2025, according to Omdia Automotive data cited in the report.

What fleets should watch

More plant capacity does not guarantee a specific configuration will arrive quickly. Fleet buyers should still validate order-book timing, upfit sequencing, dealer allocation and service coverage. But the Denton changes are a meaningful signal that vocational and medium-duty production is being treated as a capacity priority.