Driverless trucks move all iron ore at Rio Tinto's Pilbara mines, in world first - Polidicks

[quote]The first two mines in the world to start moving all of their iron ore using fully remote-controlled trucks have just gone online in Western Australia's Pilbara. Mining giant Rio Tinto is running pits at its Yandicoogina and Nammuldi mine sites, with workers controlling the driverless trucks largely from an operations centre in Perth, 1,200 kilometres away. (...) The company is now operating 69 driverless trucks across its mines at Yandicoogina, Nammuldi and Hope Downs 4. The trucks can run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without a driver who needs bathroom or lunch breaks, which has industry insiders estimating each truck can save around 500 work hours a year. Mr Bennett said the technology takes away dangerous jobs while also slashing operating costs. "We have taken away a very high risk role, where employees are exposed to fatigue," he said.[/quote] [url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-18/rio-tinto-opens-worlds-first-automated-mine/6863814[/url]

[quote]The trucks can run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without a driver who needs bathroom or lunch breaks[/quote] Something about that line really rubs me the wrong way...

[QUOTE=Robman8908;49981868]Something about that line really rubs me the wrong way...[/QUOTE] It sure as fuck isn't going to be good for those soon to be ex-drivers.

[QUOTE=Weirdness;49981875]It sure as fuck isn't going to be good for those soon to be ex-drivers.[/QUOTE] Transportation industries days are numbered like it or not. Driving trucks for a living is on the way out. Self driving cars are right around the corner.

unmanning on-site mining tech is awesome, it may put existing giant mining truck drivers into a pinch but it's opening tech jobs to operate and maintain the equipment in a different manor

More importantly, it's keeping people alive, considering how lethally dangerous mining is.

Even if theirs less drivers, theirs still the need for engineers/comp sci people to run them. Less jobs in one area can open up more jobs in another.

[QUOTE=The Duke;49981908]More importantly, it's keeping people alive, considering how lethally dangerous mining is.[/QUOTE] Mining is only associated with this change, Mining related deaths won't in anyway be reduced by this specific change.

[QUOTE=soulharvester;49981936]Mining is only associated with this change, Mining related deaths won't in anyway be reduced by this specific change.[/QUOTE] What? They're implementing something that will reduce the number of human beings in a specific industry. Of course this will reduce the number of deaths within said industry.

Perhaps the real dedicated ones will get the delicate and high priority (as well as better paying) jobs, there has to be a win for operators in this. It happened with the industrial revolution and we just don't see the whole picture of this contemporary parallel yet

Cool, maybe now since you're employing even less people the Australian government could maybe make you start paying your fair share of taxes and subsidising ALL OF YOUR FUCKING PETROL used on the mine?

[QUOTE=Maloof?;49981960]What? They're implementing something that will reduce the number of human beings in a specific industry. Of course this will reduce the number of deaths within said industry.[/QUOTE] If you define "industry" as encompassing transportation jobs that have nothing to do with the actually dangerous part specific to that "industry", then yes? But the danger of transportation work is completely seperate from that of the danger of mining work, this is nothing specific to the Lethality of mining as a profession, and does nothing to make mining less lethal in and of itself.

[QUOTE=The Aussie;49981994]Cool, maybe now since you're employing even less people the Australian government could maybe make you start paying your fair share of taxes and subsidising ALL OF YOUR FUCKING PETROL used on the mine?[/QUOTE] Companies pay less tax because that's how capitalism works. The primary way that Governments encourage companies to set up shop in their countries is by offering reduced tax rates. It's how the NZ government got big film companies (and local ones) to do their work here before the big 'New Zealand is beautiful' period started. It's how companies often choose which country to base their operations in. And when a company bases its operations in your country, you end up with more jobs, a higher GDP, a fatter economy and generally a more affluent and better educated population. If special tax rates suddenly go out the window, a company is just going to get up and move somewhere else. And unless these mining companies are digging uranium or diamonds or some other strictly geographically limited resource, there's very little stopping them from finding a country that will enable them to operate with more financial efficiency. [editline]22nd March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=soulharvester;49982012]If you define "industry" as encompassing transportation jobs that have nothing to do with the actually dangerous part specific to that "industry", then yes? But the danger of transportation work is completely seperate from that of the danger of mining work, this is nothing specific to the Lethality of mining as a profession, and does nothing to make mining less lethal in and of itself.[/QUOTE] We're long past the days where you would be a 'miner' and just rock up and start hitting shit with a pickaxe. A mine just functions as a collection of roles. Let our powers combine! Surveyor! Equipment Operator! Mining Engineer! Together we form Captain Mining Industry! Deaths in the mining profession will decrease

Sucks that drivers are going to face unemployment, but I kinda hope they'll find a more stimulating thing to do with their lives than sit at the wheel.

[QUOTE=Whomobile;49981932]Even if theirs less drivers, theirs still the need for engineers/comp sci people to run them. Less jobs in one area can open up more jobs in another.[/QUOTE] Wheras in reality, truck drivers don't suddenly have engineering and comp sci skills nor have the money to put themselves through uni to learn them. And that's not accounting for transition downtime. People who think jobs will migrate cleanly never seem to take into account the accelerating pace of technology, at some point we'll replace them faster than people can be retrained and new professions created.

[QUOTE=Maloof?;49982025]We're long past the days where you would be a 'miner' and just rock up and start hitting shit with a pickaxe. A mine just functions as a collection of roles. Let our powers combine! Surveyor! Equipment Operator! Mining Engineer! Together we form Captain Mining Industry! Deaths in the mining profession will decrease[/QUOTE] You're missing the point. Truckers enjoy some of the safer jobs in mining. Their trucks rarely have a reason to crash because the paths and trucks are meticulously maintained, and the truckers themselves are in a heavily sealed and filtered cockpit.

[QUOTE=soulharvester;49982012]If you define "industry" as encompassing transportation jobs that have nothing to do with the actually dangerous part specific to that "industry", then yes? But the danger of transportation work is completely seperate from that of the danger of mining work, this is nothing specific to the Lethality of mining as a profession, and does nothing to make mining less lethal in and of itself.[/QUOTE] Driving vehicles on a mine site is an incredibly dangerous job. Most mines here in Australia won't let anyone drive on site without a lot of extra training. Also, mining deaths and injuries include all deaths and injures on side, not just people killed doing stereotypical mining jobs. [editline]22nd March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Zephyrs;49982385]You're missing the point. Truckers enjoy some of the safer jobs in mining. Their trucks rarely have a reason to crash because the paths and trucks are meticulously maintained, and the truckers themselves are in a heavily sealed and filtered cockpit.[/QUOTE] Truckers kill loads of people on mining sites. Their vehicles weigh hundreds of tonnes and they're so high up they commonly don't see smaller vehicles. [editline]22nd March 2016[/editline] [url]http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/about/Publications/Documents/730/WorkRelatedTraumaticInjuryFatalities2010-11.pdf[/url] In 2010-2011, 27% of all workplace deaths in Australia happened because of trucks. Of those truck deaths, 1/3rd did not happen on public roads suggesting they either happened on farms or mine sites.

[QUOTE=download;49982413]Truckers[B] kill[/B] loads of people on mining sites. Their vehicles weigh hundreds of tonnes and they're so high up they commonly don't see smaller vehicles.[/QUOTE] Operative word being kill, not killed. Remote controls aren't going to magically change that aspect of it. The truckers themselves are generally quite safe. You need systems to see where you are going from multiple vantage points. You can do that with the driver in the truck or remotely. Either way you need the same bank of monitors and systems.

driver fatigue is a huge issue with regard to the trucks on site when it comes to safety. There are a few things driving this though, namely increased productivity of capital, increased safety, and long term cost reductions. The automated trucks' performance is predictable, and much more consistent than that of a human driver. That makes production scheduling easier, in addition to helping operate machinery at maximum efficiency to reduce wear on components. As far as the workers are concerned there isn't really all that much that can be done about it, most of these jobs are simply being eliminated, and the maintenance/shop side of things will be more or less unchanged. This is a long term trend in a number of industries that will have to be dealt with. Drivers are typically paid hourly, and depending on how much overtime you are pulling a lot of these guys have been known to take home 6 figures. This becomes a substantial cost savings over the life of the machine for what is a repetitive, menial line of work that humans just aren't going to be as good at as machines.

A few months ago I had a tour of their remote operations center. Very cool stuff.

[QUOTE=Whomobile;49981932]Even if theirs less drivers, theirs still the need for engineers/comp sci people to run them. Less jobs in one area can open up more jobs in another.[/QUOTE] The job creation and job loss isnt likely to be 1:1 though, and the people who lost that job dont immediately pick up the job created. This is a narrow way of thinking.

[QUOTE]an operations centre in Perth, 1,200 kilometres away.[/QUOTE] What about lag?

[QUOTE=cathal6606;49982847]What about lag?[/QUOTE] Doubt it's more than 50ms at most.

I know there are plenty of people who like driving trucks for a living but in most peoples perspective it's a shitty job. I respect the guys who do it, I don't think I could ever deal with driving a huge ass truck for hours and hours and hours back and forth every day.

[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;49982890]I know there are plenty of people who like driving trucks for a living but in most peoples perspective it's a shitty job. I respect the guys who do it, I don't think I could ever deal with driving a huge ass truck for hours and hours and hours back and forth every day.[/QUOTE] Beats sitting in a office all day

goddamnit at this rate im literally going to be one of those old people that really hates new technology and goes on long rants at strangers about how back in the good old days you had a fucking steering wheel in your vehicle and had to drive it yourself for hours every day to get to work and my grand children will think im a bitter old man and i wont be able to explain to them the joys of driving a car with an internal combustion engine and a gear box fucking technology, im going to be miserable and yell at clouds all day

im one of those truck drivers in a quarry and this worries me a little, but im lucky that this year i have decided to go to university (for mining related studies) especially when i hear about stuff like this. that being said its by far the best job i have ever had in my life with the most fun work-culture ive had to take part in. rip driving 200 ton truck

Driving them mining dump trucks pays really good money as well. It's like $25 Australlian dollaroos per hour.

I'm an engineer working for one of these companies implementing the autonomous haul trucks. The term "remote-controlled" is a bit misleading, as they're mostly autonomous (a central system issues directives, the truck figures out the rest). [QUOTE=soulharvester;49982012]If you define "industry" as encompassing transportation jobs that have nothing to do with the actually dangerous part specific to that "industry", then yes? But the danger of transportation work is completely seperate from that of the danger of mining work, this is nothing specific to the Lethality of mining as a profession, and does nothing to make mining less lethal in and of itself.[/QUOTE] Truck drivers can and do get injured, albeit usually not seriously or permanently. Removing people from this role removes that risk, which is a good thing. Even better is the reduced risk to those in the mine site operating nearby - it's near impossible for an autonomous truck to run someone or something over with the systems on board. (It won't stop people driving into the trucks though!) [QUOTE=Hillo;49982929]Beats sitting in a office all day[/QUOTE] I would disagree, driving in a circuit for 12 hours a day sounds mind-numbing.

[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;49982840]The job creation and job loss isnt likely to be 1:1 though, and the people who lost that job dont immediately pick up the job created. This is a narrow way of thinking.[/QUOTE] In the long run, job loss and job creation are 1:1. The main reason for that is because it's an economic equilibrium that is only distorted in the short term by things such as technology or policy changes such as increasing interest rates. What's important isn't protecting jobs that a machine can do, but making sure people have the skills to adapt and helping to both retrain them and give them a general set of skills and knowledge they can use. [QUOTE=Mattk50;49982159]Wheras in reality, truck drivers don't suddenly have engineering and comp sci skills nor have the money to put themselves through uni to learn them. And that's not accounting for transition downtime. People who think jobs will migrate cleanly never seem to take into account the accelerating pace of technology, at some point we'll replace them faster than people can be retrained and new professions created.[/QUOTE] Technology isn't accelerating. If anything, the rate of technological change seems to be slowing down now. People get worried about robots replacing workers, but considering that society is rapidly getting older I'm more concerned about whenever or not robots can replace workers /fast enough/