Kalmar Ottawa Leads the Way with Emissions-Compliant Terminal Tractors

OTTAWA, KANSAS - Underscoring its position as the leading manufacturer of terminal tractors, Kalmar Ottawa is setting a clear standard for engineering trucks that produce fewer emissions and deliver better fuel efficiency while actually improving performance.

In 2012, Kalmar Ottawa was the first terminal tractor maker to offer trucks equipped with Cummins Inc., QSB6.7 engines meeting new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards for "off-road" vehicles that took effect in January 2012.Since February 2012, the company has produced more than 1,500 trucks that conform to EPA's Tier 4 Interim (Tier 4i) emissions requirements, exceeding the EPA's manufacturer production mandate.

Today, the company stands as the undisputed industry leader in building and selling Tier 4i-compliant terminal tractors. Now, ahead of another transition to a new generation of EPA emissions requirements that take effect in January 2015, Kalmar Ottawa is busy field testing prototypes equipped with engines that meet those Tier 4 Final standards. As with Tier 4i, the company is aiming to be the first North American terminal tractor manufacturer to bring Tier 4 Final trucks to market in 2015.

"Over the course of the last several years our trucks have consistently been first to meet or exceed changing and increasingly stringent requirements for emissions, in turn giving our customers a chance to operate with environmentally-beneficial technologies," says David Wood, Director of Terminal Tractors, Americas. "We're leading the way with 'green' precisely because that is one of our responsibilities as the big fish in the pond."

Tier 4i-compliant Kalmar Ottawa trucks put 90 percent less particulate matter and 45 percent less nitrous oxide (NOx) into the air than those equipped with engines meeting EPA's phased-out Tier 3 standard. Kalmar Ottawa trucks that meet the Tier 4 Final requirements will cut NOx emissions by 90 percent compared to Tier 3 engines.

The Cummins QSB6.7 engines, specifically designed to meet the Tier 4i emissions standard, deliver improved fuel economy as well. A Kalmar Ottawa Tier 4i truck uses three percent less fuel than one equipped with a Tier 3 engine, and similar savings are projected for those equipped with Tier 4 Final engines.

That fuel savings is important to customers partly because the cleaner trucks carry a slightly higher price tag. That efficiency, combined with the engines' cleaner profile and uncompromised power and performance, give progressive Kalmar Ottawa customers a clear reason to make the switch to "greener" trucks, Wood says. For the average user, a Tier 4i truck will burn $600 less fuel in a year than a Tier 3 version, translating to potentially big savings.

"That's $6,000 in fuel savings per tractor over a typical 10-year life cycle," he says. "And if our customer has 10 trucks for those 10 years, he'll save about $60,000 total - just in fuel alone. "That's very serious money for any terminal tractor operator."

By being out in front of EPA emissions requirements for off-road vehicles, Kalmar Ottawa is making it easier for customers to take a forward-leaning stance on environmental responsibility. At nearly every stage of EPA's off-road emissions standards phase-in over the last several years, the company has consistently been ready with new generations of trucks ahead of schedule.

"As the terminal tractor industry leader we are proud that we were able to add early transitioning to the Tier 4i Cummins QSB6.7 engine to our list of product development 'firsts,' and we look forward to a similar rollout of Tier 4 Final trucks," Wood says. "While our customers aren't anxious to pay more for trucks, they are at the same time anxious to do their part in improving the health of our environment."