Machinery
BHP Billiton has partnered with Caterpillar to test CAT ’ s fleet of 240- ton vehicles at its Jimblebar iron ore mine in Western Australia
technology are remarkable . The unmanned trucks can streamline the rigorous procedures mining can take , running 24 hours a day , seven days a week with no breaks or shift changes .
According to a professor from the University of British Columbia , the benefits of driverless technology include 15-20 percent increase in output , 10-15 percent decrease in fuel consumption , and an eight percent lowering in maintenance .
The driverless robotic trucks have been met with huge success , now spanning across three different mines . In April , Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh said its fleet had “ moved more than 150 million tons of material .” -- up from 100 million tons a year ago .
“ To put this in perspective , this would
20 June 2014