New Kalmar Ottawa T2 terminal tractor is everything-but-sexy ‘hammer in toolbox’

The Kalmar Ottawa T2 terminal tractor may not be sexy, but the latest generation truck from the folks who invented yard hostlers back in 1958 is everything a trailer-spotting driver could desire.

“It’s the hammer in the toolbox. It doesn’t have to be sexy,” said Chris Booth, vice president for terminal tractors at Kalmar, which is a unit of Finland-based Cargotec. So, while the T2 fails to be in harmony with the 1999 Kenny Chesney hit “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” it does provide users in venues from distribution facilities to port terminals with a taller, thicker, stronger unit than its predecessors, according to Dave Wood, Kalmar’s vice president for sales and marketing of terminal tractors in the Americas. So solid is the T2 that, Wood noted, the internal project name for the truck while in development was Thor, the hammer-wielding Norse god and mighty Marvel Comics superhero. “We view it as a reliable tool,” Wood said. “The customer says, ‘I look at an Ottawa like a hammer.’” In fact, according to Wood, it was customers who inspired many of the features of the T2, making it even more reliable, easier to service and more driver-friendly than prior designs. Operations at the plant in the Kansas town of Ottawa – about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City – that has long been synonymous with terminal tractors are shifting to where 90 percent of the units moving through the production line are now T2s, with a capability to turn out as many as 22 a day. By converting the 128,201 square foot assembly plant layout to focus solely on making terminal tractors – and T2s in particular – production capacity at the 38-acre Ottawa site is up by 40 percent, according to Wood.

If the flow of T2 orders is any indication, the heightened production capability bodes to be vital. As of early June, 625 T2s had been built, with another 800 on order. Among features that Wood said are drawing attention are: • A modular steel-framed chassis and enhanced front suspension, both similar to designs used in Class 8 over-the-road trucks; • Improved boom and lift mechanisms; • Powder-coat paint application and complete undercoating to provide corrosion resistance; • Roomier ergonomics, including a wider rear door and elimination of the former model’s side door, which drivers indicated they seldom used; and better serviceability. In addition, rollover protection structure is a standard T2 feature, with falling object protection structure optional. And the T2’s standard two-year basic warranty is twice the prior offering. Whereas the T2 – built to last 20 years – offers the durability of an over-the-road truck, it can spot a trailer three times faster than a Class 8 tractor, while providing greater maneuverability and safety and burning less fuel, Wood said. With environmental requirements for emissions equipment driving up the cost of off-road terminal tractors, an increasing number of customers are opting to pay somewhat more for a T2 certified for over-the-road use, according to Wood, who added that the resale value of the OTR version can be significantly greater than that of its off-road cousin. Wood also noted “a fundamental shift” toward rental as opposed to purchase of terminal tractors. When, on June 10, Kalmar Ottawa announced the sale of its 60,000th terminal tractor, it was indeed a T2, sold to longtime customer Averitt Express Inc. of Cookeville, Tenn., which now has more than 100 Ottawa units in use. The terminal tractor has come a long way from the first Ottawa in 1958, with its open-air cockpit and apple-box seat. The Kalmar Ottawa T2 features in-cab positioning for electronic yard management systems and other leading-edge technology, while LED lights have become a popular option. The T2 even comes with a built-in cup holder. Efforts now include development of commercially viable alternative fuel units, according to Wood, who said, “We think there’ll be several breakthroughs in the next few years.”