When the actual payload capacity of a haulage fleet constrains a targeted increase in production, buying bigger trucks to haul more is sometimes not the only option.

In one example, a long-life copper mine in Central Asia found that changing to lightweight Hercules truck beds could achieve up to a 17% increase in payload and save money on CAPEX and operational costs.

The mine was finding that as open pit mines got deeper, haul cycles got longer, and material densities changed, the average payload was around 11% less than targeted.

They considered changing to a larger fleet. However, in addition to the CAPEX required, the bigger fleet was estimated to consume more fuel, need more people and maintenance, all adding to operational costs.

The challenge became how to safely increase truck haulage tonnes without increasing costs.

Many options were considered and actioned. They introduced sideboards on the truck bodies to increase payload, optimised loading strategies, implemented hot seat shift changes, and reprofiled roads to enable increased truck speed. 

Ultimately though, it all came back to volumetric capacity of the truck beds being the key constraint on payload.

The mine subsequently trialled Hercules truck beds to carry both ore and waste materials and were tested for wear, carry back and payload performance.

The trial found the difference in payload achieved with the lighter weight beds represented the potential for up to 600,000 tonnes of extra material per year per truck. While there was a small increase in fuel consumption, the increase in payload of up to 17% meant actual haul costs per tonne were reduced.

The mine has subsequently changed to customised Hercules truck beds that are designed for the site conditions and to reduce the risk of carry back associated with more clay-based materials.

Increasing payload productivity, decreasing costs and improving performance.  It is a value proposition for mines that we understand well.