Kalmar Ottawa, part of Cargotec, opened its new test track at the Terminal Tractor Competence Center in Ottawa, KS. The track is the first testing facility specifically for terminal tractors.
At 0.75 miles, the track was constructed with reinforced concrete to handle loads up to 80,000 lbs. The track’s dog bone shape features two loops connected by a quarter mile straight.
“The new track will be utilized by engineering, production and sales to better design, test, produce and sell terminal tractors to be used around the globe,” said Bob McTernan, vice president of sales, marketing and service for Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors. “We continually strive to produce the world’s best terminal tractor and with our recent improvements to our facilities, we’ll be better equipped than ever to do so.”
The track also features a hill with a 15% ramp on one side to simulate a ramp used in RoRo (roll-on-roll-off) port applications. The opposite side of the hill is a 20% slope to meet the grade holding requirements of the FMVSS brake test. In addition to the primary lane of the track, there is a paved cobblestone section on one end for durability and stress testing. The test track will also be the designated area for road testing of all units coming off the production line in Ottawa.
“A safe, quality product is our goal every day,” said Chris Booth, vice president of Terminal Tractors. “The test track helps us accomplish both by putting trucks through the paces before shipment while also providing a designated area to test our product out of harm’s way of other employees.”
