Payload Improvements

The suboptimal payload capacity of trucks and loaders may limit the transport of a mine’s desired amounts of material – ultimately resulting in increased downtime, inflated operational costs, and reduced mine productivity.

While accurate measurement of payload weight is the key to monitoring and improving load and haul efficiency, factors such as dust, moisture, or variations in truck load distribution, must first be addressed. The proficiency of operators in handling load and haul equipment, variations in the ore body’s geology, density and weight, all impact payload management, and once optimized can result in significant savings for a mine.

It is critical to ensure existing investments in equipment and systems have been optimized before considering the additional expenditure or adopting new technologies. Balancing these investments with expected returns and project timelines can also be a challenging hurdle to cross for mining companies.

Key Client Challenges:

1. How can we increase the payload capacity of our trucks and loaders without compromising safety and equipment integrity?
2. How can we accurately measure and monitor payload weights to ensure consistent improvement?
3. What technologies and data analytics solutions are available to identify improvement opportunities to enhance payload management efficiency in the load and haul process?
4. What are the best practices for operator training and skill development to improve payload performance?
5. How can we balance payload improvements with safety, environmental, and regulatory considerations?
6. Are there any specific haul road design and maintenance practices that can optimize payload efficiency?

The proficiency of operators in handling load and haul equipment can significantly impact payload performance. Insufficient operator training or skill gaps may result in improper loading, inefficient hauling practices, and suboptimal payload utilization.

Meanwhile, with the vast amounts of data being collected by mining companies, the challenge today lies in effectively integrating and analyzing this data to identify opportunities for payload improvement and implementing targeted strategies.

Our Unison Mining experts can work with your team to identify ways to increase payload capacity for a more productive mine. By implementing the systems, technologies, processes and performance metrics needed to understand current load and haul performance, mines can operate at maximum efficiency while never compromising on safety.