New Cooperation between FERNRIDE and Terberg

Today, FERNRIDE, a pioneer in the field of autonomous trucks, and Terberg, the market leader in terminal tractors, officially announced their collaboration. The goal is to jointly develop an automated and CE-certified tractor for series production. This solution offers both teleoperation and autonomous driving functions to ensure a smooth and gradual transition to full autonomy with a “Human-in-the-Loop” approach.

(Hamburg) The partnership between the two companies began in 2021, and series production of the aforementioned terminal tractors is set to follow in 2024. The first 100 tractors will be exclusively delivered to customers of FERNRIDE and Terberg for use in container terminals, production facilities, and distribution centers, aiming to reduce logistics costs, increase efficiency, and ensure a higher level of safety.

FERNRIDE provides its customers with an end-to-end management software solution to seamlessly integrate automated tractors into existing yard management systems (YMS) and terminal operating systems (TOS) in real-world environments. The partnership also leverages Terberg’s global maintenance and service network to ensure maximum availability for customers during their operations.

Terberg manufactures both fully electric and diesel-powered tractors with a drive-by-wire interface and will integrate FERNRIDE’s hardware kit, consisting of a computing unit, connectivity module, and sensors, into its production line. With FERNRIDE’s software for autonomous and teleoperated driving, the automated terminal tractors will be prepared for driverless operation at customer sites.

“We are excited to bring our technology to market together with the European market leader in terminal tractors,” said Hendrik Kramer, CEO of FERNRIDE. “This collaboration means we can offer our customers an industrial-grade solution to maximize the productivity, efficiency, and safety of our customers’ yard logistics processes.”

Rob van Hove, CEO of Terberg Special Vehicles division, said: “We look forward to taking our collaboration with FERNRIDE to the next level by integrating FERNRIDE’s state-of-the-art software and hardware kit with Terberg’s advanced drive-by-wire tractor and successfully implementing the combined solution at customer sites.”

As market leaders in the development of autonomous driving and as manufacturers of terminal tractors, the two companies are well-positioned to provide customers in the areas of container terminals, production facilities, and distribution centers with the technology and services that accelerate the transition to autonomy.

Photo: © FERNRIDE / Image caption: Drive by Wire technology from Fernride installed on a Terberg terminal tractor.