About

Terberg's history

The Terberg Group started on a very small scale, with a village forge. Over the years Terberg Benschop developed into a major supplier of specialist vehicles while other divisions of the Terberg Group cover bin handling equipment, vehicle modification, and vehicle leasing.

1869

Johannes Bernardus Terberg sets up a blacksmith’s forge in the village of Benschop and his work is continued by later generations. Benschop is located close to Utrecht, in the centre of the Netherlands. At the time this was mostly an agricultural area and Johannes made and repaired farm equipment.

1949

The business starts converting trucks obtained from the American army for use in the construction industry. Later Terberg starts building complete vehicles.

1966

Delivery of the first Terberg 6x6 dump truck, the SF1200 based on our own chassis fitted with a Mercedes cab and engine. For many years, Terberg dumpers are widely used on construction projects in the Netherlands.

1972

The first Terberg trucks are exported to customers in Western Europe and the Middle East where they soon build up a reputation for reliability at a wide range of construction sites.

1973

Delivery of our first terminal tractor, to a customer in the Port of Rotterdam. It provides a much more efficient alternative to the road tractors used at the time for handling trailers in ports. Over the years the terminal tractor concept has been refined and the units are now also used in other industries.

1975

To cope with the increasing demand for Terberg tractors in other countries, Planmarine in Switzerland take on the international distribution. Units are also supplied to the Soviet Union.

1987

The 1,000th terminal tractor is built. The demand for these units continues to grow, supported by their reputation for reliability and Terberg’s ability to customise the vehicles for every customer.

1990

Delivery of our first container carrier. At certain sites, container carriers are a more efficient option than terminal tractors and container trailers. Additionally, container carriers can be used not only for shipping containers but also for a range of other containers used for materials handling and waste disposal.

1992

Introduction of the Terberg Swap Body Carrier. Swap bodies have a much lower weight than ISO shipping containers and can be loaded by raising and lowering the vehicle suspension, thus avoiding the need for costly container handling equipment. Swap bodies are widely used in Germany and the surrounding countries.

1996

Special Transport Vehicles development department set up

Terberg DTS building, Halifax

Terberg DTS workshop

2000

Terberg DTS (UK) Ltd. set up for distribution in the UK and Ireland
Joint venture set up with Sime Darby in Malaysia to produce Terberg tractors for the Asian market and the Pacific region. Having a local presence brings us closer to our customers and saves on import duty
Further development of our network of international distributors and establishment of our international subsidiaries, which now serve over 90 countries
Terminal tractor no. 10,000 built

2007

Terberg Nordlift GmbH set up in Hamburg for distribution in Germany

2008

Terberg Middle East FZE set up in Dubai. This subsidiary supplies our tractors and spares throughout the Middle East and Africa and provides after-sales support.

2009

The first Road/Rail tractor developed together with Zagro (Germany) - a perfect example of joint development by companies with complementary expertise

2010

At customer's request the first RT dumper was built for use in tunnels and on construction sites in Switzerland, high in the mountains.

2011

Complete refurbishment of the plant at Benschop to increase production capacity and efficiency and to optimise workplace conditions for our personnel. The plant combines the efficiency of an assembly line with our tradition of full customisation. When designing the line we listened closely to our tractor assembly personnel and incorporated their suggestions.

2012

Introduction of our first fully-electric tractor. This unit enables customers to reduce their CO2 footprint while also saving on operational and maintenance costs. The electric driveline is also a good choice for indoor operations such as in warehouses and distribution centres.

2014

Terberg Tractors Americas Inc. is established at Miami to better serve the South, Central and North American markets. This will enable us to develop our operations in these regions where so far our presence has been relatively limited.

2015

On 30 January the 25,000th Terberg vehicle is assembled, an RT tractor for DFDS in Denmark, a customer for almost forty years.
This important event is celebrated at the Benschop plant and underlines our long-term commitment to supplying reliable and efficient vehicles, based on long-term relationships with our clients.