{"stable_id":"977fe9cae6f167e2","slug":"rio-tinto-autohaul","company":"Rio Tinto Iron Ore","workflow_name":"AutoHaul autonomous heavy-haul rail","function_code":"logistics","pattern_codes":["exception_based_operations","autonomous_with_backstop"],"changed_assumption":"Mainline driving can be automated while exceptions move to remote operations.","evidence_strength":"reported","publication_tier":"showcase","freshness":"current","reviewed_at":"2026-08-23","updated_at":"2026-08-22","source_quality_summary":"2 primary; publication outcomes are reported.","caveat_summary":"Avoided exposure, not injuries prevented.","freshness_caveat":null,"workflow_summary":{"before":[{"actor":"Train driver","action":"Drives the heavy-haul train between mine and port until the 12-hour shift limit.","actor_type":"control"},{"actor":"Relief crew and road vehicle","action":"Travels to the train for mid-journey driver changes, requiring about 1.5 million road km annually.","actor_type":"control"}],"hinge":"Mainline driving can be automated while exceptions move to remote operations.","after":[{"actor":"AutoHaul onboard control","action":"Controls speed, braking, and responses to restrictions and alarms across the private mainline.","actor_type":"system"},{"actor":"Remote rail operators","action":"Monitor missions and manage stops, alarms, and network exceptions.","actor_type":"system"}],"decision_mode":"shared","decision_marker":"AI handles the default; humans own exceptions"},"before":[{"order":1,"actor":"Train driver","action":"Drives the heavy-haul train between mine and port until the 12-hour shift limit.","handoff_to":"Relief-driver change point","control":"Rail rules and onboard safety systems."},{"order":2,"actor":"Relief crew and road vehicle","action":"Travels to the train for mid-journey driver changes, requiring about 1.5 million road km annually.","handoff_to":"Next train driver","control":"Published sources quantify road exposure but do not provide baseline injury count."}],"after":[{"order":1,"actor":"AutoHaul onboard control","action":"Controls speed, braking, and responses to restrictions and alarms across the private mainline.","handoff_to":"Perth Operations Centre","control":"Automatic train protection, onboard cameras, and upgraded crossings."},{"order":2,"actor":"Remote rail operators","action":"Monitor missions and manage stops, alarms, and network exceptions.","handoff_to":"Mine, port, or recovery queue","control":"Human network authority; exception latency and intervention thresholds are not published."}],"decision_rights":"Automation drives routine missions; remote control owns network decisions.","exception_path":"Stopped missions and alarms follow rail-safety control procedures.","removed_work":["Mid-journey driver changes","1.5 million km annual relief-driver road travel"],"outcomes":[{"metric":"Driver-transfer road exposure","baseline":"About 1.5 million km/year","result":"Road travel eliminated","period":"Operational disclosure","scale":"200 locomotives; 1,700+ km track","attribution_caveat":"Avoided exposure, not injuries prevented.","evidence_label":"reported"}],"executive_lesson":"Automation removed the shift-change handoff, not network control.","anti_pattern":"Do not infer injuries prevented.","questions_for_leaders":["Where is the operating threshold set and who can override it?","What measured result would trigger rollback or retraining?","Which residual decisions must remain human-owned?"],"collections":["embodied-work"],"bundle_version":"1.0.0","bundle_fingerprint":"sha256:c23c6cc2b88153d008ea8fda928f632ce0011fc2d4c5036672a16e5d895bab93","canonical_url":"https://brianletort.ai/transformations/rio-tinto-autohaul"}