Posts by Roger Nielsen

In his role as COO, Roger Nielsen leads and guides the core functions of Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA). He is responsible for the entire Daimler Trucks North American truck manufacturing network, as well as all levels of operations in product quality, supplier management, logistics, customer application engineering, and truck order administration. In addition, he oversees Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and DTNA's continuous improvement programs. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in May 2001.

Mr. Nielsen joined DTNA (previously Freightliner Corporation) in 1986 as an Industrial Engineer. He has since held positions of increasing responsibility, including Industrial Engineering Manager; Plant Manager, Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant, North Carolina; General Manager, Materials; and General Manager, Manufacturing Operations. Mr. Nielsen transferred to Daimler in Germany in 1998 where he served as Director, Production Network Planning and Technical Clearing, within Daimler's Commercial Vehicles Division before assuming the position of General Manager, Operations, at Western Star Trucks in 2000. In January 2001, Mr. Nielsen was promoted to President, Freightliner Specialty Vehicles Group, responsible for what was then Freightliner LLC's American LaFrance, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, Orion Bus and Thomas Built Buses business units.

Mr. Nielsen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University and is a registered Professional Engineer. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the economic development commission committed to promoting business growth in the 16-county region surrounding Charlotte, NC.