Caterpillar has reached a significant milestone, announcing that more than 500 Cat autonomous trucks are now in operation worldwide. This achievement is exciting not only for the mining industry, but also its broad customer base as the company scales autonomy into quarry/aggregates and construction industries’ product lines with competitive offerings.
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.
Caterpillar Resource Industries Group President Denise Johnson said, “Congratulations to the Caterpillar team and our customers on reaching this impressive milestone. Having 500 driverless trucks in operation across the globe is tangible evidence of our ability to innovate and a clear indication of Caterpillar’s commitment to the future of mining.”