Caterpillar and Luck Stone expand quarry autonomy

Caterpillar said its autonomous trucks have collectively hauled more than 13 billion tonnes and travelled more than 455 million km with no reported injuries while operating. Image:

Autonomous trucks at Bull Run have hauled more than 3.5 million tons since the system went live in November 2024, according to the companies.

The expansion will see Caterpillar’s autonomous haulage technology deployed across two fleets of Cat 775 trucks at Luck Stone’s Boscobel and Bealeton sites.

Caterpillar said it would be the first deployment of its autonomous haulage system on the Cat 775, a haul truck model widely used in quarrying.

The technology will be delivered by Caterpillar and supported by local Cat dealer Carter Machinery. The project will also include complementary technologies to support loaders and other site equipment.

Luck Stone said the use of autonomous hauling was intended to improve safety, increase production consistency and create new technology-focused roles for employees.

Travis Chewning, vice president of engineering and operations support at Luck Stone, said, “Autonomy is creating a safer workplace that improves consistency for our customers and gives our associates opportunities to develop new skills as our industry continues to evolve.

“Our collaboration with Caterpillar has helped us do exactly that, and we’re excited to continue building on what we’ve learned at Bull Run.”

Denise Johnson, Caterpillar group president, Resource Industries, said the work with Luck Stone had helped Caterpillar refine and scale autonomous hauling for wider use.

“By working together, we’ve gained insights that help us refine and scale autonomous hauling solutions that create measurable value for both operations and workforce development,” she said.

Caterpillar said its autonomous trucks have collectively hauled more than 13 billion tonnes and travelled more than 455 million km with no reported injuries while operating.