Robotaxi Tech Is Now Headed for This Industry

• Truck maker Scania reveals partnership with Fortescue to develop SAE Level 4 tech for road trains used in the mining industry.

• Heavy-duty trucks, including semis, are now seeing a wave of automation efforts that would allow them to operate without a driver on road or off, permitting a number of business productivity gains.

• The mining industry is working to integrate more autonomous tech into its operations, hoping for substantial cost savings and more flexible operations.

By now residents of several big cities in the southwest and the west coast are used to the sight of taxis rolling around downtown without drivers behind the wheels.

But SAE Level 4 tech, which allows vehicles to operate in a geofenced area without a driver, is quickly finding yet another niche, and it's about as far from taxis as it gets.

VW Group's truck unit Scania (whose logo will be very familiar to owners of one former Swedish car brand) is teaming up with Australian mining company Fortescue to develop and validate an SAE Level 4 solution for road trains.

The goal is to integrate a self-driving truck system based on the Scania R770 prime mover platform into Fortescue's Fleet Management System (FMS), allowing semi trucks pulling three trailers with a payload of 240 tonnes to drive themselves in remote areas of Australia.

The trucks will be tested at Fortescue's mining site in Christmas Creek, Western Australia.

Off-road routes are surprisingly well suited to SAE Level 4 vehicles, as they feature little traffic aside from other vehicles in the fleet, so the autonomous software doesn't really have to worry about pedestrians, road signage or traffic lights as much. The trucks can also operate along set routes for longer periods in a 24-hour cycle.

"Autonomous mining vehicles follow planned routes, evade obstacles, and make quick decisions to increase efficiency and safety. These systems allow for remote equipment monitoring and control, reducing the need for humans in hazardous mining environments," Scania notes.

The integration of self-driving tech into the mining industry is expected to yield several important gains.

Autonomous tech will also help address the pricey and problematic issue of drivers in a remote and inhospitable environment driving the same route for months or years on end. Autonomous trucks will also be able to operate around the clock.

Another aspect of Level 4 tech that is expected to be easier to obtain with mining trucks are regulatory permits, as in some cases the trucks won't really be using what we picture as public roads with traffic.

This isn't the first time autonomous driving tech is being applied to the mining industry, as a number of other mining and trucking companies are also testing autonomous tech in the US.

"By utilizing Scania’s extensive knowledge in supplying trucks to the mining industry and our expertise in autonomous driving, the Road Train solution will reduce the overall mining footprint," said Manfred Streit, managing director at Scania Australia.

Scania has been testing autonomous trucks back in Sweden in on-road environments as well, between cargo hubs. So the mining industry isn't the only one that the truck maker is eyeing when it comes to its machines, and the advantages are similar, including easier around-the-clock usage.

As with on-road operations, a centralized control center would watch over a fleet of trucks, sorting out scheduling and coordinating fueling needs.

But as with robotaxi fleets, humans will still be needed to maintain the fleets and address technical needs, and much of this work would be done at fleet home bases.

Will most semi trucks eventually become autonomous in the 2030s in the US, or will human drivers still be needed in a significant portion of routes? Let us know what you think in the comments below.