Caterpillar’s product manager for large mining trucks, Sudhanshu Singh, manages truck models with payloads ranging from 150 short tons to 400 short tons.
“We do see a trend toward of the 240-ton size truck; that segment of the market continues to be strong. There is also a trend of requiring larger trucks of 300 tons and higher,” said Singh in a video interview with MINING.com last month.
Singh said adding to the bottom line is the key customer demand.
“We are always focused on delivering the best cost per ton. We try to make sure our customers make more money with Cat trucks.”
But the trucks are only as efficient as the driver operating them.
“These trucks are getting more sophisticated. The more the driver can understand the different features and controls, the better value the customer can get from the truck.”
“We have seen productivity gains at all the sites that have proper driver training.”
Automation in mining trucks continues apace with safety being a key driver for adoption.