Caterpillar has reached a significant milestone of 500+ Cat® autonomous trucks in operation worldwide, stating: “This achievement is exciting not only for the mining industry, but also our broad customer base as we scale autonomy into quarry/aggregates and construction industries’ product lines with competitive offerings. While Cat mining trucks have been around for generations, each new class brings cutting-edge technology built on a foundation of industry leadership. No doubt, these massive yellow machines are the heavy haulers of the mining industry. Their sheer size is daunting. And the fact that these trucks get the job done without an operator in the cab is, well, seemingly magical.”

The statement adds: “Of course, it’s not really magic. Nor is it new. Caterpillar has been investing in autonomous development for decades. From 1994 to 1995, Caterpillar ran the first two prototype Cat 777C autonomous mining trucks at a Texas limestone quarry, where they successfully hauled more than 5,000 production loads over a 2.6-mile course. Then in 1996, MINExpo guests witnessed a live autonomy demonstration via satellite from Tinaja Hills Demonstration and Learning Center. And that was just the beginning. Today, Caterpillar has the world’s largest autonomous fleet of haul trucks – now numbering more than 500 machines. But it’s not surprising that Cat equipment leads the industry in automation. Our engineering teams look to the future when developing onboard technology, and we partner with our customers to ensure our products and services are tailored to achieve our customers’ specific business goals and meet the industry’s most pressing needs.”