The perfect coupling

JOST, a producer and supplier of safety-critical systems for the commercial vehicle industry, has been driving innovation in logistics for many years, through continuous research and improvement.

The latest iteration is its JOST KKS automatic coupling system.

With the global transport industry facing growing pressure from driver shortages, rising operating costs, and demand for automation, JOST has created a solution to answer logistics issues in road and refrigeration transport – the JOST KKS automatic coupling system.

This innovation has now emerged as a critical building block in the digital transformation, or digitalisation, of logistics, as JOST seeks to set new benchmarks for performance and reliability in the transportation industry.

Leveraging the KKS, JOST is now expanding its application beyond the road, to now include yard logistics.

In spring 2025, JOST presented its KKS solution for on-yard use with the specially developed JSK80 fifth wheel – a major step forward in automation and efficiency.

“With the JOST JSK80 KKS, we are enabling fully autonomous and hands-free coupling in distribution yards and port terminals,” said JOST Trailer Europe Head of Sales, Dietmar Franke.

“This is a game changer for modern logistics – efficient, safe, and a key solution for tackling logistics challenges like the ongoing driver shortage.”

Moreover, the JOST KKS is a scalable system that is fast, safe and highly efficient.

With just one product, fleets benefit from the automatic coupling system’s increased safety, reduced coupling times, lower maintenance needs, and improved working conditions for drivers.

Fast, safe and efficient operation

The KKS enables drivers to couple and uncouple semi-trailers automatically, safely and quickly via remote control without leaving the driver’s cabin.

The driver is guided through the entire coupling process, with sensor technology providing live information on the KKS remote control throughout every step of the process.

For example, the support plate sensor indicates when the trailer plate is touching. In addition, the position of the king pin is also monitored by sensors in real time.

As a result of this technology, drivers needing to climb out of the cabin to manually open the fifth wheel, then cranking down the landing gear and manually connecting the spiral cable, air and brake connections are all things of the past.

Time, comfort and safety gains are made possible with just one product.

Versatile combinations

JOST introduced the KKS to the market in 2020 and by 2025 the KKS system has already proven itself as a game-changer in the industry.

JOST actively listens and delivers. Due to its many close cooperation and collaborations with customers and suppliers, JOST has created its KKS system that is unique in the market, enhanced through real-world feedback and improved production processes made possible by economies of scale.

Since its inception, the KKS system has been optimised, fine-tuned, and made more efficient.

This means fewer components, design upgrades and reduced production costs.

The constant improvements also means that the JOST KKS is more than one coupling system – it is the ideal solution for the needs of every truck-trailer combination.

JOST has proven that the KKS system is already highly effective with the following combinations:

JOST KKS-U Connector: The KKS-U Connector is retrofittable to existing trailers that are already on the roads of this world. Therefore, existing trailers can be equipped with JOST KKS technology with little effort. The KKS-U connector controls all the mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic connections between the truck and trailer, eliminating the need for vulnerable air, electrics and ABS/EBS spiral lines.
JOST KKS-Cool: The JOST KKS-Cool is developed for refrigerated trailers. Specifically designed for temperature-controlled transport, KKS-Cool meets even higher safety requirements.
JOST JSK80 KKS: Fully autonomous transport in depots and terminals is already becoming a reality with the JSK80 KKS.

At the core of this solution is the specially developed JSK80 fifth wheel, delivering fast, hands-free, and consistently reliable coupling, every time, resulting in JOST providing fully automated coupling to distribution yards and port terminals, enabling seamless and efficient trailer handling.

Designed for compact, highly manoeuvrable autonomous vehicles, the system allows for up to twelve coupling processes per hour, where time is a precious commodity.

Autonomous operations – NUFAM 2025

The next phase of the KKS system’s introduction to the transport and logistics industries will be at the NUFAM 2025 exhibition, held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 25-28 September.

JOST will highlight, through hands-on demonstrations, how the KKS is not just a product but a platform for autonomous logistics, showing that autonomous driving cannot function without automated coupling.

At NUFAM 2025, JOST experts will be on site to answer questions, explore implementation scenarios, and discuss the future of autonomous logistics with fleet managers, OEMs, and system integrators.

With the JOST KKS portfolio being showcased at NUFAM, the company will show that end-to-end automation of transport chains is more feasible – that if a truck is to be considered autonomous and operate safely and legally without a driver, the trailer systems must also have autonomous, rather than manual, connections.

As a result, the JOST KKS is already able to contribute to the automatisation of on-yard truck movements and support Industry 4.0, representing not only a leap in physical automation, but also in the digitalisation of transport.

The logistics sector is at a tipping point – finding qualified drivers is becoming harder, while the expectations for delivery speed and supply chain resilience continue to rise. Automated solutions, such as the JOST KKS, cannot be futuristic wish lists – they are mission-critical for the fleets of tomorrow.