Autonomous Solutions
For the past three years, Volvo Autonomous Solutions has provided autonomous haulage for Brønnøy Kalk in Norway. With a fleet of nine fully autonomous trucks, nearly two million tonnes of limestone have been picked up, transported, and dumped into a crusher without a human behind the steering wheel.
With consistent performance and the sheer number of materials moved, it’s clear that autonomous haulage has truly moved beyond the pilot stage. By combining autonomous trucks with on-site maintenance, fleet management and trained operators, Volvo has created a real operation that supports both safety and productivity by reducing interruptions and limiting people’s exposure to high-risk areas.
Mikael Nyth is Operations Manager at Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
A normal day of operation
The operation at Brønnøy Kalk consists of three key areas: parking space, loader, and crusher. The trucks move between the latter two for most of the day, but it all begins at the parking space.
Early in the morning, operators arrive on site and begin preparing for the shift ahead. The autonomous operators perform routine inspections of the trucks to ensure that they are ready to perform the days shift reliably and safely. Once the inspections are complete, the trucks are sent off towards the main quarry, i.e. the loading site.
At the loading point, the wheel loader is waiting. This is operated by a human, and from their cockpit they can call the trucks to a specific position, depending on where the rock pile is at that moment. Each trailer is then loaded with around 60 tonnes of limestone before continuing along the five-kilometer route to the crusher.
From there, the operation settles into a steady rhythm. Truck after truck moves limestone from quarry to crusher along a route that includes tunnels and steep inclines. It is a demanding environment, but the flow is structured, coordinated and repeatable.
What makes autonomy different
What stands out at Brønnøy Kalk is that autonomous haulage is not simply a matter of replacing a driver with software. The trucks are one part of a broader solution that also includes trained operators, site routines, maintenance, fueling, infrastructure and fleet management. That is what allows the operation to function as part of a live production environment rather than a stand-alone technology demonstration.
Consistency
One of the clearest benefits is consistency. While a conventional haulage setup can vary over the course of a shift, autonomous transport is designed to maintain a steady flow over time. The real value is not in one faster cycle, but in reliable performance across hours, shift and months of operation. That consistency becomes especially important in an industrial setting where stable output matters just as much as peak performance.
Continuity
Another key strength is continuity. Autonomous trucks do not need to stop for meals or rest, even though the people working alongside them do. And when an operator takes a break, the replacement operators can step in at the wheel loader, allowing the haulage flow to continue. The only time all the trucks stop at the same time is during the hand over between the day and night shift, and even then, they only remain stationary for roughly 30 minutes.
In practical terms, that means fewer interruptions and better use of the available production window. It is even possible to run the operation 24/7 and 365 days a year should the customer require it. This shows that the benefits of autonomy are not limited to the trucks themselves but extend to how the whole site is organized.
Safety
Safety is another important part of the story. By moving haulage into an autonomous operating zone, the number of people exposed to high-risk areas can be reduced. The system is also designed to pause in a controlled way when needed, whether for site access, technical intervention or other changes in operating conditions. That reflects an important shift in how transport risk can be managed in mining and quarrying environments.
Flexibility
The operation also demonstrates flexibility. Fueling, inspections and minor maintenance can be handled during the shift without taking the full fleet offline. If a truck needs attention, it can be removed and production can continue with minimal disruption. That makes the operation more resilient and better suited to the realities of day-to-day production, where uptime depends on how well planned and controlled the support processes are.
Designed for industrial operation
Perhaps most importantly, Brønnøy Kalk is a clear example of how autonomous haulage has moved beyond the pilot stage. Autona / earth is an integrated transport service supporting full production, across multiple shifts, in a demanding environment with tunnels, inclines and changing production needs. It shows that the value of autonomy lies not only in the technology itself, but in the ability to turn that technology into a repeatable, reliable and scalable part of industrial operations.
