Caterpillar’s fleet of MineStar Command-enabled autonomous mine trucks has passed the one billion tonnes hauled mark without a single lost time injury (LTI).
“No lost time injuries have been attributed to Cat autonomous haulage,” Caterpillar Mining Technology product manager Sean McGinnis said.
“Command for hauling has demonstrated how it enhances safety by eliminating truck operating errors and by reducing the number of people working in the active mining area.”
Cat’s Command for hauling autonomous system has expanded to over 150 machines at six companies spanning Australia and the Americas since being launched in 2013.
Part of the wider MineStar Command technology solution, Command for hauling, as the name implies, is designed for mine trucks. Other technology in Cat’s Command range includes Command for dozing and Command for drilling.
Much of Caterpillar’s Command fleet is made up of Cat 793F trucks capable of carrying 227-tonne payloads. Other trucks in Cat’s autonomous fleet include the Cat 797F (363-tonne capacity) and Cat 789D (181-tonne capacity).
According to Caterpillar Mining Technology product manager Sean McGinnis, Command for Hauling the trucks have travelled over 35 million kilometres to hit the one-billion tonne milestone.
“The fleet is growing quickly and production continues to climb as mining companies benefit from greater truck productivity, increased truck utilisation, consistent truck operation and reduced costs,” McGinnis added.