Komatsu announced it commissioned the 1,000th autonomous ultra-class haul truck equipped with the company’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System. The 930E-5AT joins the fleet at Barrick’s Nevada Gold Mines (NGM). The 930E ultra-class EDT is Komatsu’s most widely deployed autonomous model, with more than 500 units at operating mine sites today. Komatsu said customers using FrontRunner “have collectively moved over 11.5 billion metric tons (mt) of material, demonstrating the scale, reliability and productivity of autonomous haulage across some of the world’s most demanding mining environments.” The company also makes autonomous water trucks. Autonomous haul trucks equipped with FrontRunner have delivered safety and productivity benefits at NGM, Barrick said. “FrontRunner has elevated both the quality of work for our people and the way we meet production goals at our Nevada operations,” said CEO Mark Hill. “By transitioning operators away from haulage activities and enabling more predictable operations, autonomy supports safer, more skilled roles while helping us use energy more efficiently and reduce our environmental footprint.” The milestone furthers to the company’s tradition of setting precedents. Roughly a year ago, at Boliden’s Aitik mine in Gällivare, Sweden, Komatsu commissioned and began trialing an autonomous, power-agnostic, electric-drive haul truck that connects to a trolley line, an industry first. Komatsu said it was the first to market with a commercial autonomous truck in 2008. Now it is reportedly the first OEM to commission 1,000 autonomous ultra-class haul trucks worldwide, described by Komatsu leadership as a defining moment. “It reflects nearly two decades of innovation, collaboration with our customers and a relentless focus on creating real operational value,” said Peter Salditt, CEO, Komatsu Mining Corp. “We are incredibly proud of this milestone, and even more excited about what lies ahead as we continue to advance autonomous, electrified and software-defined solutions that help our customers operate more