These trucks operate on a five-kilometer route between the mine and the crushing plant, which includes steep inclines and tunnels. Photo: Volvo

To date, Brønnøy Kalk's autonomous transport solution has traveled more than 220,000 kilometers in Velfjord, Norway—equivalent to more than five times the circumference of the Earth—and transported one million tonnes of limestone, equivalent to approximately 273 Eiffel Towers.

"This milestone highlights how our autonomous technology is already delivering significant results for our customers, such as Brønnøy Kalk, and turning what was once a vision of the future into a reality," says Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S).

"The decision to introduce autonomy was driven by the need to improve efficiency, safety, and productivity," adds Raymond Langfjord, CEO of Brønnøy Kalk.

Operating Under Challenging Conditions

Brønnøy Kalk's autonomous transport solution consists of seven Volvo FH trucks equipped with V.A.S.'s proprietary virtual driver technology. These trucks operate on a five-kilometer route between the mine and the crushing plant, which includes steep inclines and tunnels.

In 2023, V.A.S. removed the safety driver from Brønnøy Kalk. The wheel loader operator controls operations via a touchscreen and coordinates the loading and transport of the trucks.

According to Volvo, these innovative solutions are revolutionizing the mining and quarrying industry by improving safety by removing personnel from hazardous environments and increasing productivity through continuous 24/7 operation.

"In addition to these clear benefits, our solutions offer significant efficiency gains in mining operations thanks to flexible fleet management, which allows customers to optimize the number of trucks in use according to demand. In addition, the advanced data collected by the sensors provides new opportunities for understanding and continuously improving operations," says Mikael Nyth, Chief Operating Officer at V.A.S.