Caterpillar hauls 1m tons autonomously in aggregates industry first

Bull Run Quarry became the first site in the aggregates industry to deploy Caterpillar’s autonomous Cat 777 trucks. Image: Caterpillar

Caterpillar says that this achievement is a first for both it and the aggregates industry and underscores the success of its autonomous haulage system (AHS) in a quarry environment.

The OEM added that the milestone, “demonstrates the safety and productivity of autonomy beyond traditional large mining applications.”

Luck Stone is the largest family-owned and operated producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel in the US.

“Reaching one million tons hauled autonomously at Bull Run shows that autonomy isn’t just for mining – it’s scalable, reliable, and ready to transform the aggregates industry,” said Denise Johnson, group president, Resource Industries, Caterpillar.

The collaboration between Caterpillar and Luck Stone began with a shared vision to transform quarry operations through technology. Bull Run Quarry became the first site in the aggregates industry to deploy Caterpillar’s autonomous Cat 777 trucks, supported by a full autonomy technology stack and site integration services.

Since the initial deployment, the collaboration has focused on validating autonomy along with the people and processes in conditions that are typical in quarry operations but distinct from mining.

“Reaching the one million tons hauled milestone has engaged every part of our operation, from training and mine planning to operating efficiency and teamwork, proving that this technology can work, and work well, in a quarry environment,” added Charlie Luck, president and CEO, Luck Companies.