Caterpillar Expands Autonomous Hauling to Smaller Quarries

Caterpillar is pushing the boundaries of autonomous hauling systems (AHS) with its deployment at Dolese Bros' Richards Spur quarry in Oklahoma. Building on previous success with Fabick Cat, Caterpillar's Command for Hauling system has been adapted to handle smaller quarry geometries and more complex traffic patterns typical of aggregates sites.

The Richards Spur project involves automating rigid-frame haul trucks on short, repetitive haul cycles, which demands precise localization, collision avoidance, and tight maneuvering logic in the AHS. This is a departure from traditional large open-pit layouts, where ultra-class mining trucks are often used. With aggregates-scale benches and faces requiring more frequent road and face reconfigurations, the system must accommodate these changes.

Geofencing and exclusion zones become increasingly important with traffic interactions in constrained quarry areas. The deployments at Richards Spur and Drummond Island provide early operational data on AHS performance in confined layouts, paving the way for broader adoption in US quarries.