Kalmar and Forterra announce autonomous terminal tractor

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Kansas-based Kalmar Ottawa announced last week the Kalmar Ottawa AutoTT, an autonomous terminal tractor designed to operate in distribution centers, container terminals and  industrial yards. The AutoTT is undergoing a second round of testing at distribution centers across North America with plans to expand into container terminals and other industrial locations globally following successful tests. Full production of the AutoTT is anticipated by late 2026.

The partnership between the terminal tractor manufacturer Kalmar and autonomous systems provider Forterra was established in March 2024 with Kalmar being the OEM solution. The autonomous technology relies on Forterra’s AutoDrive, an autonomous driving platform built for both commercial and military applications. Kalmar is also providing Kalmar One, a scalable automation platform in use for container operations, allowing customers to manage fleets of up to 200 autonomous units.

Timo Alho, director, product management, automation for Kalmar, said in the release, “The Kalmar Ottawa AutoTT is a game-changer for our industry. By combining our trusted terminal tractor technology with Forterra’s advanced autonomous driving system, we’re giving customers a solution that enhances both safety and efficiency. This marks an exciting step in our automation journey, building on our global experience with autonomous vehicle projects and taking it to the next level.”

The autonomous announcement and second round of testing will be followed by continued improvements in the drive-by-wire technology which controls things like acceleration. The next milestone slated for 2025 will be a proof of concept validation with operational fleets. Following validation, a broader pilot with select customers will follow with a safety driver being present before Kalmar launches full production by late 2026. 

The Kalmar Ottawa AutoTT will first be available for the Kalmar Ottawa T2. An electric version, T2EV, was announced earlier in March. The Kalmar Ottawa T2EV is Kalmar’s third-generation electric terminal tractor, building upon additional improvements compared to the first-generation EV, which was launched in 2018.

Another benefit of electric terminal tractors is that their operations by design involve a limited range versus adjacent applications like on-highway, off-highway and last-mile transportation. Adding autonomous features to an EV terminal tractor opens up additional opportunities for the TT to navigate itself to charging locations or opportunistically charge between jobs.

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