Autonomous Haul Trucks in the Canadian Oil Sands

Join me and the vlog squad on an exploration of Suncor Mine's extension, located north of Fort McMurray. Here, we dove headfirst into the world of autonomous mining trucks, marveling at the advancements in mining technology up close and personal.

The autonomous trucks are fully run by computers and require no driver, a revolution that's been in motion since 2016.

In addition to the marvel of autonomy, we also visited the maintenance facilities where these mining giants are kept in optimal condition, discussing the specifics with the hardworking mechanics. We also get a sneak-peak into one of the autonomous Komatsu 980 trucks, learning about its unique specifications and how it operates.

Finally, we got to check out the views from the Wapisiw Lookout at the Suncor Base Mine and learn about the environmental restoration efforts in progress. It's a testament to the industry's commitment to leaving the environment as they found it or better. #mining #construction #heavyequipment

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Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
1:24 - Introduction to Autonomous Trucks at Suncor
2:40 - A Brief History of Autonomous Mining Trucks
4:02 - Introduction to Hall Roads and Shovel Operations
5:48 - Overview of Komatsu PC8000 and Truck Loading Operations
7:38 - Visit to a Dump Site and Explanation of Dumping Process
9:09 - Tour of Maintenance Facilities for Mining Trucks
9:58 - Close Up Look at Autonomous Komatsu 980
12:39 - In-Depth Discussion with Maintenance Personnel
14:07 - Tour of 400 Ton Truck and Related Machinery
15:20 - Visit to Site Carrying Petroleum Coke
16:20 - Conclusion of Visit
17:07 - Tour to Wapisiw Lookout and Discussion on Environmental Restoration

[BrianHurry]

You're one of the best presenters in your genre. You're like the Tom Scott of heavy machinery.

[Galloglas]

As someone who is an autonomous controller/builder in Western Australia you've covered this very well. Of course things are alot more complex than what it seems here, I could talk about this for hours. Great video.
For those worried about jobs, it takes quite a few people to run these robots, I myself was trained up from a truck driver back in the day. Awesome.

[mikefrom]

Great video, short and to the point. I work on this equipment and I now have something to show my kids that they can grasp what it’s like

[zekeabercrombie]

I drove Haul Pak, Cat, and Wabco trucks for years. Put kids through college. Sad to see the end of an era.

[paulus]

It must be really fascinating to be able to visit such a gigantic workshop with those dumpers being worked on.

[johnchapman]

This video gives me huge Avatar vibes - the zooms / long holding shots of the equipment, the quality of the lighting... just crazy

[AnoNymous-nmmm]

I’m guessing it’s just a camera drone, but it still feels super futuristic that you get interrupted by an electric flying machine while filming a semi autonomous mine in Canada

[jonash]

i'd like to see more footage of the workers talking about what they do and know. Its always great to get their perspective on things. Also more audio of the equipment instead of loud rock music.

[Alpha-Scythe]

It’s a good thing the trucking industry is going Autonomous.. it’s a smart move honestly.. you cut operational costs and save tons of money as a company. Plus you invest in advanced technology compared to a human being.

[Markmeblablabla]

This is the cannibalistic side of capitalism. Each truck used to employ at least 4 people (more likely 5 for coverage of holidays, time off, medical leave.) Those jobs are gone, those families have no income, thereby will not be able to support the community they live in and will be forced to leave. That money ceases to flow through local businesses and more empty store fronts. Crime rises and the community becomes less lively. I'm saying this as a heavy duty mechanic who doesn't want big companies selling off resources in an area and sending the money to head offices far away or to appease the investors who couldn't care less about the dying communities.

[That_LowriderSt_Guy]

You should see the reclamation at Syncrude. In 93 they put 30 bison out there, now there's 300

[nickskakun]

They run autonomous haul trucks at the elkview mine in sparwood bc, i guess they have been for roughly 3 years now. Besides the obvious struggle of operating in the rockies, i remember hearing the komatsu engineers explaining that another challenge theyve been fixing was the lidar collision detection system picking up spill rock etc. Compared to a mine in Aus where the dirt is red and easy to see more or less, its obviously quite the opposite in a coal mine where everything is black and muddy a good majority of the time. Komatsu has come a long ways in tweaking there Lidar in picking up objects in such conditions which is rather impressive to me

[ypaulbrown]

Aaron, you look so different with out your hardhat and for a great the reclaimed land part....cheers, Paul

[TsunauticusIV]

I’m torn on this topic. There are a lot of people that would LOVE to have a career running this haul trucks. I understand that it’s sometimes a boring job. It’s a dangerous job too. But if we remove the operator positions… which is where we are headed… then we will lose a LOT of jobs. 😞

[islandjason]

Cool, I work for a company that builds the exhaust, air and coolant pipes for these haul trucks, nice to see some of our parts in action.

[markdimitry]

Got to see autonomous trucks but the highlight of his day was a little lightsaber 😆 Very cool access from Suncor.

[mikeklein]

That was an amazing I open tour of the operation of that mine awesome film making and editing.

[codyprice]

That old trucker movie where the trucks come alive is getting closer and closer to reality

[TheDiablosixsix]

Putting the mechanics under pressure 😂

[ypaulbrown]

your channel is great....always great stuff....Paul in