Volvo FH Autonomous Truck Fleet Now Hauling All Production for Brønnøy Kalk

Why It Matters

The rollout proves autonomous haulage can scale to full‑plant operations, boosting safety and productivity while lowering labor and capital barriers for miners.

Key Takeaways

• Nine Volvo FH trucks now run three shifts continuously
• Autonomous haulage reached 1 M tonnes, targeting 2 M soon
• TaaS model lets mine avoid technology integration costs
• Hot‑seat loader and pit‑stop refuel cut idle time
• System stops for obstacles, waits for clearance

Pulse Analysis

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has taken its Autona/earth platform from pilot to full‑scale operation at the Brønnøy Kalk limestone mine in Norway. By adding a second and third shift, the nine‑truck Volvo FH fleet now handles the entire five‑kilometre haul route around the clock, a milestone that follows the earlier achievement of one million tonnes moved autonomously. The trucks, equipped with LiDAR, radar and high‑resolution cameras, operate without a safety driver, demonstrating that the technology can sustain continuous production under steep grades and tunnel conditions.

The expansion is underpinned by Volvo’s Transport‑as‑a‑Service model, which bundles trucks, infrastructure, training and fleet management into a single contract. This approach frees Brønnøy Kalk from the capital outlay and technical expertise normally required to deploy autonomous systems. Operational tweaks such as a ‘hot‑seat’ wheel‑loader arrangement and a Formula‑1‑style refuelling lane have trimmed idle time dramatically, while the absence of driver breaks eliminates the typical downtime that plagues conventional haulage. Together, these efficiencies translate into higher overall shift productivity despite slightly slower individual cycle times.

Volvo’s full‑shift deployment signals that autonomous haulage is moving beyond isolated pilots toward mainstream mining logistics. The nine‑truck fleet, produced at Volvo’s Säffle plant and earlier at Gothenburg, is already operating in Sweden and Norway, suggesting a template that can be replicated across other mineral sites. While the FH remains the flagship model, Volvo’s roadmap hints at future extensions to additional truck families, widening the addressable market. As safety records improve and productivity gains become quantifiable, more operators are likely to adopt TaaS‑based autonomous solutions, accelerating the industry’s digital transformation.