The trucks are programmed to run a specific route following the three kilometer stretch from loading in the Liikavaara mine to the crushers in the old part of Aitik.
There is no one in charge of the diesel-powered trucks, and therefore one operator can keep track of up to 15 vehicles on his own.
And there is a great responsibility on the operators – the trucks weigh over 400 tons when fully loaded and, according to the company, they are “in principle the world’s largest machines”.
– There are many balls in the air. Here, more things happen that we have to solve, says Pontus Wallgren when he compares the new job with the old one as a truck driver.
May become completely driverless in the future
The unmanned trucks can roll almost 24 hours a day and that way you save money. Fewer trucks are needed to do the same job, and this is important as each truck costs between SEK 50-70 million.
The introduction of the system itself has so far cost 250 million. So far, there is no decision to introduce driverless trucks throughout the Aitik Mine – but it is not unlikely.