[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Third-Generation Leader Guides Volvo Truck, Plant Evolution
Marcus Minkkinen Emphasizes Teamwork at New River Valley Plant
Key Takeaways:
- Serial production of Volvo Trucks North America’s redesigned VNR began in February at the New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va.
- The plant underwent a $400 million overhaul to support launches of the VNR and longhaul VNL models.
- Executives see improving prospects for 2026 as Class 8 truck orders rise despite earlier production pauses.
Serial production of Volvo Trucks North America’s revamped VNR regional-haul tractor at the New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va., began in February after the Volvo Group division’s second major truck overhaul in two years.
VTNA’s main assembly plant received a $400 million overhaul of its own in advance of the launch of the latest iterations of the longhaul flagship VNL and the VNR, both of which are intended to drive the parent company’s aim of a 25% North American heavy-duty truck market share by 2030.
The man in charge of New River Valley is General Manager Marcus Minkkinen, a native of Sweden who also is a third-generation Volvo employee.
Minkkinen, his father and grandfather all worked at the Skovde foundry, machining and assembly plant in southern Sweden — the site of Volvo’s first foundry in 1868 and where the company’s first engine was produced in 1907.
The third generation of Minkkinens started work at Volvo in 2004, some 30 years after his father. It was 44 years after his grandfather joined the migration of Finns to a Sweden still undergoing a post-World War II industrial boom.
Minkkinen grew up wanting to be a professional ice hockey player. At school and university, he liked math and problem solving.
Collaboration, teamwork and problem solving remain central facets to this day for Minkkinen, especially as VTNA and New River Valley prepare for a third tractor launch in the coming quarters.
Image
Ѿ쾱Ա
“This is not tennis we’re playing in the plant. You know, it’s not an individual sport. It’s a team sport, and it requires collaboration and teamwork at all levels all the time to be successful,” said Minkkinen, who beyond playing hockey in his youth has coached his two sons in the sport.
“I love to work together with people, obviously. I love to win. I hate losing. I hate not to be successful. So, I try to always instill this winning mindset and behavior and lead by example,” he told Transport Topics.
New River Valley celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025. Volvo bought the plant after the original owner, White Motors, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1981. The first Volvo trucks came off the production line in September 1982.
Plant 2, which TT reporters toured the day it began full-scale operations, is the most automated plant across Volvo Trucks’ global facilities and operates with 40 to 50 staff per shift.
VTNA also redesigned every square inch of the original Plant 1 bought from White Motors, completely flipping the cab assembly sequence.
Minkkinen is known to walk around the two plants.
“Operationally, I think it’s very important that we meet and we understand where we are, what big problems do we have, what’s the outlook for the day. And I don’t like sending emails … I want to meet people. I want to interact with people,” he said.
Typically, there’s a right and a wrong answer for a math problem. With a manufacturing plant that’s usually not the case, but working through the steps of problem solving requires a similar discipline.
“That’s what I do daily, solving problems, people problems, strategic problems, tactical problems, performance problems. I’m a problem solver,” Minkkinen told TT.
Jeremy Sanders and Todd Eicher of Stoughton Trailers look at where trailer demand stands today and where the market is headed.Tune in above or by going to .
Collaborating with colleagues is key, he said, in keeping with Volvo Trucks’ overarching philosophy that “a vehicle is made by and for people.”
“We meet to solve problems, make decisions and be very aligned all the time on where we are. And my philosophy is that we do that together as often as we have to [in order to] be successful as a plant,” Minkkinen said.
Facing up to the COVID-19 pandemic sharpened those skills, the executive said.
“It was a bit challenging. I mean we were essential workers in our business producing trucks or components to trucks. So, we needed to find a way very quickly to run the plant with all these restrictions and [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines and all that,” Minkkinen said.
“One thing I learned through the COVID time here was really how important it is to be simple in your communication and have frequent touch points,” he said.
Image
The first Volvo trucks came off the production line at the New River Valley plant in September 1982. (Volvo Trucks North America)
New River Valley paused production for individual weeks in the first quarter of 2026 due to the industrywide demand softness seen in order books as a result of the ongoing freight market weakness.
But executives are becoming more optimistic about the prospects for the rest of 2026, including VTNA President Peter Voorhoeve, who told TT in a sit-down at the New River Valley plant that he expected a mild pre-buy to boost purchases.
North American Class 8 orders soared 156% year on year to 46,200 trucks in February, according to ACT Research data, while preliminary March figures show a 126% year-over-year rise to 37,200 trucks.
In 2025, VTNA’s heavy-duty truck market share was 8.4%, down from 9% in 2024. Sister company Mack Trucks’ share rose to 8% from 6%.
