{"stable_id":"f56fc3324f45e38c","slug":"rio-tinto-autonomous-haulage","company":"Rio Tinto","workflow_name":"Autonomous Haulage System for iron-ore operations","function_code":"engineering","pattern_codes":["exception_based_operations","autonomous_with_backstop","coordination_compression"],"changed_assumption":"A central system can drive mine trucks on fixed routes while people supervise and manage exceptions remotely.","evidence_strength":"reported","publication_tier":"showcase","freshness":"watch","reviewed_at":"2026-08-23","updated_at":"2026-08-22","source_quality_summary":"1 primary; publication outcomes are reported.","caveat_summary":"Company estimate; mine mix and operating context affect transferability. Overall injury rates are not attributed solely to haulage automation.","freshness_caveat":"Watch status: verify the cited source and deployment condition before reusing this case.","workflow_summary":{"before":[{"actor":"Truck operator","action":"Drives heavy haul truck along mine roads and intersections.","actor_type":"human"},{"actor":"Dispatcher","action":"Coordinates vehicle assignments and traffic.","actor_type":"control"}],"hinge":"A central system can drive mine trucks on fixed routes while people supervise and manage exceptions remotely.","after":[{"actor":"Autonomous haulage system","action":"Navigates trucks on predefined GPS courses using fleet position, speed, and direction data.","actor_type":"ai"},{"actor":"Central controller","action":"Monitors fleet flow and intervenes for exceptions.","actor_type":"system"}],"decision_mode":"shared","decision_marker":"AI handles the default; humans own exceptions"},"before":[{"order":1,"actor":"Truck operator","action":"Drives heavy haul truck along mine roads and intersections.","handoff_to":"Dump or loading point","control":"Operator judgment and mine traffic rules."},{"order":2,"actor":"Dispatcher","action":"Coordinates vehicle assignments and traffic.","handoff_to":"Truck operator","control":"Site operations control."}],"after":[{"order":1,"actor":"Autonomous haulage system","action":"Navigates trucks on predefined GPS courses using fleet position, speed, and direction data.","handoff_to":"Loading or dump point","control":"Supervisory system and central controller."},{"order":2,"actor":"Central controller","action":"Monitors fleet flow and intervenes for exceptions.","handoff_to":"Field response","control":"Human operational authority and exclusion zones."}],"decision_rights":"The system controls routine driving; central controllers authorize operations, manage traffic, and stop or recover vehicles.","exception_path":"Faults, obstacles, or route anomalies stop the vehicle and escalate to central control and field teams.","removed_work":["Routine in-cab haul driving"],"outcomes":[{"metric":"Truck operating time and cost","baseline":"Conventional human-driven haul trucks.","result":"In 2018 each autonomous truck was estimated to operate 700 more hours on average with 15% lower costs.","period":"2018 operating estimate.","scale":"More than 130 autonomous trucks across Rio Tinto iron-ore operations at source observation.","attribution_caveat":"Company estimate; mine mix and operating context affect transferability.","evidence_label":"reported"},{"metric":"Driver road exposure removed by automation","baseline":"Drivers worked around heavy machinery for routine haulage.","result":"Routine truck operators were removed from the autonomous driving task.","period":"More than a decade of operation.","scale":"Pilbara iron-ore fleet.","attribution_caveat":"Overall injury rates are not attributed solely to haulage automation.","evidence_label":"reported"}],"executive_lesson":"The role redesign is fleet supervision and exception recovery, not simply replacing a driver with software.","anti_pattern":"Inferring whole-site safety improvement from removal of one exposure pathway.","questions_for_leaders":["What hazards move to controllers and maintainers?","What is the safe degraded mode?","Which productivity figures are independently audited?"],"collections":["human-still-decides","queue-eliminated","embodied-work"],"bundle_version":"1.0.0","bundle_fingerprint":"sha256:c23c6cc2b88153d008ea8fda928f632ce0011fc2d4c5036672a16e5d895bab93","canonical_url":"https://brianletort.ai/transformations/rio-tinto-autonomous-haulage"}