Freeport-McMoRan’s Bagdad, Arizona, mining operation has reached a historic milestone by completing the transition to a fully autonomous haulage fleet. With 33 driverless trucks active since August, Bagdad is positioned as the first large-scale mine in the United States to fully adopt this technology.
The transition to a mine with autonomous transport
The autonomization process began two and a half years ago and included the implementation of advanced communication systems, track expansion and the construction of a dedicated command center to monitor the automated fleet.
Although seven trucks still operated by humans remain in operation in a separate area of the mine, they are expected to cease operations before the end of the year.
Zero layoffs! A commitment fulfilled
Since the announcement of autonomization in 2023, Freeport has made it clear that no driver would lose his or her job. To fulfill this commitment, the company promoted internal job fairs, training and reassignments within the same operation. As of September, 217 drivers had been relocated to new roles, including technical, logistical, and support tasks for the autonomous system.
The mine Bagdad mine mine not only stands out for being the first to operate with fully automated haulage, but also for maintaining its workforce during the process. This duality between technology and human commitment could set a precedent in mining on the continent.
The future of mining is already underway
Workers who used to operate heavy machinery have migrated to roles such as information systems support or monitoring of intelligent technologies. This retraining not only improves internal competencies, but also anticipates a new era of safe, efficient and connected operation in the extractive industry.
With the implementation phase completed on October 1, the focus is now on optimizing system performance. For mine managers, the challenge now is to perfect every aspect of the operation so that autonomy achieves its full potential.
Bagdad’s experience will serve as a reference for other mining operations in the Americas and the world that seek to integrate technologies without compromising human capital.
Source and photo: Freeport-McMoRan
