--- title: "Self-Driving Trucks Will Transport Limestone in a Norwegian Mine" description: "## Rock Carriers" date: "2018-11-26" modified: "2018-11-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/six-self-driving-trucks-transport-limestone-norwegian-mine" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "autonomous" - "the digest" - "volvo" --- # Self-Driving Trucks Will Transport Limestone in a Norwegian Mine ![]() *\Image: Volvo\* ## Rock Carriers An often-overlooked use for autonomous driving technology is in industrial applications, where raw materials have to be shipped from point A to point B. In what automaker Volvo [calls its]() "first commercial autonomous solution transporting limestone from an open pit mine to a nearby port," six existing autonomous trucks will be upgraded with sophisticated tech, allowing them to [deliver raw limestone]() to a crusher three miles away without any human interaction. https://youtu.be/m4wLPfOz-c4 ## Enemy Mine If anything does go wrong, it will be [up to Volvo fix it]() — in fact, Volvo claims full responsibility of the transportation of goods. Otherwise it won't get paid. One big advantage: higher efficiency, as the self-driving trucks can operate during the day and night. ## Truck Drivers That also means fewer truck drivers on the payroll. We have yet to find out the effects of that shift on the economy. But it's a trend that's here to say — more and more driverless commercial trucks are planning to hit the road in the very near future, developed by autonomous driving juggernauts like [Waymo](). Volvo's mine trucks bring us yet another step closer to a future where pretty much any vehicle — self-driving taxis, and industrial trucks alike — can take care of driving without the intervention of humans. READ MORE: [Volvo's self-driving trucks will haul limestone from a mine]() \[Engadget\] More on autonomous trucks: [Uber’s Autonomous Trucks Still Need a Human Touch]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()