Epiroc Automates Roy Hill Mine, Creating World’s Largest Driverless Fleet
Stockholm: Epiroc AB, a leading productivity and sustainability partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has successfully converted all 78 mining trucks at Hancock Iron Ore’s Roy Hill mine in the Pilbara region of Australia from manual to fully autonomous operation. These conversions, facilitated by Epiroc’s LinkOA system, represent a significant leap toward establishing the world’s largest mine with a completely autonomous vehicle fleet, regardless of manufacturer.
Epiroc and Hancock Iron Ore have collaborated closely to realize the vision of the world’s largest fully vendor-independent autonomous mine. To date, 78 mining trucks have been converted, with 60 already operating autonomously. The next phase involves commissioning the remaining trucks and finalizing the communication capabilities for support vehicles. Epiroc’s LinkOA system is OEM-agnostic, allowing for easy adaptation and expansion. Upon completion, the autonomous fleet will comprise 54 Caterpillar 793F trucks and 24 Hitachi EH5000 trucks.
“Hancock Iron Ore is at the absolute forefront of mining automation, and we are delighted to play a key role in their success,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO. “It is very exciting to see the great progress made in this groundbreaking project, which represents a major step forward for global autonomous mining.”
Hancock Iron Ore (HIO), formed this year through the merger of Hancock’s Atlas Iron and Roy Hill, is a leading global iron ore producer.
“HIO was inspired by the work carried out by our Chairman, Dr. Gina Rinehart AO, and Executive Director Tad Watroba, who initially chose Epiroc to lead the autonomous mining transport at Roy Hill,” says Gerhard Veldsman, CEO of Hancock Iron Ore. “The system’s compatibility with different manufacturers opens up increased productivity and safety for many more, which is an achievement we can all be proud to have contributed to.”
Hancock Iron Ore’s autonomous mining trucks utilize Epiroc’s LinkOA traffic management system and onboard automation systems to navigate using a virtual map of the Roy Hill mine. They communicate with support vehicles and the operations center, located approximately 1,100 km away in Perth. More than 250 million tons of material have been transported driverlessly using LinkOA, and the mining trucks have safely traveled approximately 6 million kilometers, equivalent to circling the Earth more than 150 times. The trucks are delivering reliable results, redefining the possibilities of surface mining.
With the majority of the 78 converted mining trucks already in autonomous operation, the project is nearing completion. The goal is to connect all mining trucks and support vehicles, which is expected to be completed in December 2025. At that point, the Roy Hill mine will become the world’s largest vendor-independent autonomous mine. Strong and reliable connectivity is crucial to the project’s success. The connectivity for autonomous operation was installed by Radlink, which Epiroc acquired earlier this year.
In August, Epiroc was awarded Hancock Iron Ore’s “2025 Innovation Award” for its crucial role in delivering the autonomous mining truck system. The justification cited the groundbreaking scalability, high safety standards, and technical excellence in mining automation.
During the third quarter of 2025, Epiroc reported revenues of approximately MSEK 300 from the project. Looking ahead, Epiroc anticipates annual and recurring revenues from the project. Furthermore, Epiroc has now opened the order book for more mining companies to order similar solutions and thus take part in the great benefits of a mixed fleet of self-driving mining trucks: higher productivity, efficiency and safety.
Key Takeaways:
- Epiroc has successfully converted 78 mining trucks to autonomous operation at Hancock Iron Ore’s Roy Hill mine.
- The project aims to create the world’s largest vendor-independent autonomous mine by December 2025.
- Epiroc’s LinkOA system enables OEM-agnostic autonomous operation, enhancing productivity and safety.
About Epiroc:
Epiroc is a global productivity partner for mining and infrastructure customers, accelerating the transformation towards a sustainable society. With groundbreaking technology, Epiroc develops and provides innovative and safe equipment such as drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment and tools for surface and underground applications. The company also offers world-class service and other aftermarket support as well as solutions for automation, digitization and electrification. Epiroc is based in Stockholm, had revenues of approximately SEK 64 billion in 2024, and has approximately 19,000 passionate employees supporting and collaborating with customers in approximately 150 countries.
Enjoyed this post by Thibault Helle? Subscribe for more insights and updates straight from the source.
