Ford Invests $1.6B to Upgrade Truck Production
Ford is investing $1.6 billion to upgrade manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Ohio to support production of a new 10-speed transmission for certain F-150 models and Super Duty chassis cab.

Photo of the Livonia Transmission Plant courtesy of Ford.

Photo of the Livonia Transmission Plant courtesy of Ford.
Ford is investing $1.6 billion to upgrade manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Ohio to support production of a new 10-speed transmission for certain F-150 models and Super Duty chassis cab.
Ford will create or retain 650 jobs by investing $1.4 billion in its Livonia Transmission Plant and $200 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant. This investment is part of a $9 billion commitment the automaker made in an agreement with the United Automobile Workers Union in 2015, according to Ford.
The investment creates or retains 500 hourly jobs at the Livonia Transmission Plant to build a new 10-speed transmission for the 2017 F-150 Raptor and certain F-150 models. Production on this transmission begins in June.
The investment and 150 hourly jobs at the Ohio Assembly Plant, located in Avon Lake, will be used to build the Super Duty chassis cab.
The Livonia Transmission Plant currently builds a 6-speed transmission used in a wide range of its vehicle lineup. The Ohio Assembly Plant currently produces the F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty, F-650, F-750, Ford E-Series cutaway vans, and stripped chassis.
In the past five years, Ford has invested an estimated $12 million in its U.S. plants and created almost 28,000 jobs.
More Operations

Fleet Has a Talent Pipeline Problem. What Comes Next? | AF News Recap
Where will fleet’s next generation of leaders come from? This week, we’re looking at the industry’s talent pipeline, what certification can add to a fleet career, how to build an award-worthy track record, and the return of Automotive Fleet’s Personal Use Survey.
Read More →
Smith System Launches Driver Risk Management Program
Fleets have more driver data than ever, but identifying risky behavior doesn't necessarily correct it. Smith System's new Driver Risk Management program combines monitoring, training, and follow-up coaching to help fleets connect risk signals with driver intervention.
Read More →
Automotive Fleet Opens 2026 Personal Use Survey for Commercial Fleet Managers
Less than two weeks left! Commercial and corporate fleet managers are invited to share how their organizations handle company vehicle personal-use policies, charges, and driver eligibility.
Read More →
From AI Prompts to AI-Generated Safety Songs | AF News Recap
Can better prompts make AI more useful for fleet managers? This week, we’re breaking down smarter fleet analysis, an AI-assisted experiment that turned safety training into music, and what happened to fuel prices in August.
Read More →
How to Write Better AI Prompts for Fleet Analysis
Include these six elements in your fleet prompts to generate more relevant analysis and accurate answers.
Read More →
Fleet Meets: Eric Kilgore
This edition of the Fleet Meets series features one of the industry's best leaders driving multi-market and national operations.
Read More →
Why Reactive Fleet Management Is Becoming Too Expensive to Sustain
Research highlights a growing need for proactive management strategies to address rising costs in fleet operations effectively.
Read More →
What Your Fleet KPIs Aren’t Telling You
Tracking fleet metrics is only useful when the data leads to better decisions. This guide helps fleet leaders assess cost, utilization, and downtime more accurately, identify performance gaps, and prioritize the actions that can improve operational results.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
Turning Fleet Payment Data into Executive Insights
Does data alone drive results in operations?
Read More →