What's it take to build the world's largest trucks in the world's driest desert? I traveled to South America to find out…
"BHP, Caterpillar, and Finning announce an agreement to replace the entire haul truck fleet at Escondida Mine in Chile."
I saw this headline last fall on LinkedIn.
Rather than think, "neat," and keep scrolling, my brain went, "I NEED to see this."
But How???
Great question!
I still struggle with gaining access to most American mining operations (I'll keep what I have to say about this to myself for now), so how did I expect to gain access to the largest Cat dealer in the world building the largest trucks in the world for the largest copper mine in the world on another continent?
Hilariously, all it took was an email.
The great folks I met with Finning Cat in Canada during my two previous oil sand excursions connected me with their South American counterparts.
And no, Finning isn't just on two continents—their territory spans three. They're a powerhouse.
On my first call with the Chilean team, I stressed my longing to see the shipping of the first 798s. They said it would be late June, so after a few more calls talking through the logistics, we booked the trip.
Aaron + The Cat 798 (An Actually Brief History)
For some reason, Caterpillar invited me to their 2018 mining-specific media event in Tucson, Arizona.
They didn't mention what it was about beforehand, but an invitation to Tinaja and free food? Say no more.
I arrived at the hotel and checked in—they handed me some materials to prepare for the days ahead.
WTF… Cat 798AC unveiling?? They're making a truck BIGGER than the infamous 797??
After a morning of learning about the truck in a classroom (admittedly not my favorite part), a bus drove us to bleachers looking out over Cat's demonstration area. Starting with their smaller trucks, they advanced up the line through the 789, 793, 794AC, 797, and finally, the 798AC. I'd dreamt of laying eyes on such a truck since childhood.
Since its launch in the late 90s, Cat's 797 led the charge in the newly-minted ultra-class category. With a monster payload of 360 tons, mines in Australia, Canada, and Chile adopted the larger trucks.
But in the 2000s, they weren't the only ones on the scene. Liebherr, Terex (Bucyrus), and Komatsu also built and sold versions of ultra-class trucks.
While Caterpillar put their eggs into the mechanical drive basket, Komatsu went all in on electric drive. They both have enormous diesel engines powering them, but with electric drive trucks, the system converts the energy to electricity, powering electric motors that drive the wheels.
In the following decade, Komatsu became a serious challenger to the Caterpillar king of the mining equipment castle. In 2016, they announced a brilliantly timed acquisition of Joy Global, giving them the famous P&H and LeTourneau brands.
Their electric drive 930 and 980 trucks also racked up high-profile wins, including supplying Suncor's Millenium Mine and Kennecott Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine with electric drive fleets.
Cat needed to respond. They dipped their toes into the electric drive ultra-class truck waters with the 795, which produced mixed results. Fortunately, with their purchase of Bucyrus in 2011, they inherited the Terex truck legacy. They didn't need to build a truck from scratch—they could instead dust off the plans for the MT6300AC.
Cat's engineering team modified the truck slightly, painted it yellow, and built several units for testing in Arizona, then later in Alberta, Wyoming, and South America.
They began taking orders after announcing their new electric drive lineup in 2018 with the 794AC, 796AC, and 798AC. The 798AC took a few years to get off (or should I say get on?) the ground, with a few units selling in Peru and Chile, but Finning's Escondida deal was validation that they'd made the right call.
La Negra
We left our hotel in Antofagasta on the coast of Chile and headed thirty minutes through the mountains into the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. Some parts haven't seen rain in 500 years.
The industrial "town" of La Negra came into view. It's less of a town and more of a forward-operating base for all companies supporting the enormous copper mines out east. No one lives there—it's purely a land littered with big mining machines under the knife.
Cat 798s start their lives at the manufacturing plant in Illinois. From there, semis haul each component to Houston, where crews load them onto giant ships. After a 45-day voyage through the Panama Canal, they land on the Chilean coast. With a final short journey up the hill to Finning Cat's La Negra facility, the trucks are ready for assembly.
The Escondida project is so enormous that Finning has dedicated 80 people working in shifts around the clock to meet the schedule. The trucks take about 35 days to build, and one must leave every Friday.
The build pad was spectacular. Crews maneuvered large cranes and forklifts more than they used hand tools. The first few trucks early in the process were resting on engineered blocks, where they had the power plant, drive train, and most systems fitted.
OH… I almost forgot. These aren't just an ol 798s. They're high-altitude trucks engineered to operate over 10,000 feet with more power and FOUR humongous turbochargers.
When it's time for tires, cranes lift one side of the truck at a time to swap the blocks for hydraulic jacks. A HUGE forklift with a manipulator fits each tire, allowing the machine to "stand" for the first time.
Finning welds the beds, built in Mexico, across the street. Every bed arrives in three pieces—the tray is two and the rock guard one. Over 300 hours of welding are needed on each before an overhead gantry crane lifts them onto the trucks.
A New 798C is Born
Our host, Paula, who leads the over 400-person operation, got a phone call. It was time. They were about to drive Truck 101 out of Finning's facility for the handoff to the heavy haul company.
With a few blasts of the horn, the truck rumbled to life a few hundred meters from us. I find the growl of large haul trucks even better than the sweet sound of a V8 Ferrari.
Finning technicians guided the driver slowly toward us using the same sticks ground crews use to guide wide-body aircraft. Before leaving the gates, the truck stopped and roared as it lifted its bed, like a bird stretching its wings before leaving the nest for the first time.
Everyone had phones out to film the truck as it rolled past. I could sense the emotion and relief. The second of 169 trucks out the gate… The journey had begun.
Once officially in the hands of the hauling company a few hundred meters from the gates of Finning, they went to work sliding the 12-axle trailer under the truck, centering the load, and chaining the truck down. Or, in this case, they chained the trailer to the truck.
The next day, the truck began its journey to the Escondida Mine via a private highway. It's a two-day journey, pulled by three trucks (two in the front and one pushing from behind).
SADLY… Because another truck was coming down from the mine, the crew postponed the trip until the afternoon. Not a big deal for them, but it was terrible news for us, as we had flights back to America. Tragic.
Fortunately, they're doing it another 167 times, so we'll catch it on our next trip!
Thanks for reading! Stay dirty!
Dirt Talk Podcast
This week’s Dirt Talk has got it all… From late night show hosts sharing their controversial views on COVID, to the absurdities of airport experiences, and even our wild fantasies of owning military planes. The conversation takes you from laughter, to deep insights, and later, through some wild turns. Get ready to laugh, ponder, and maybe even question your own sanity as we navigate through the quirks of modern life and indulge in some outlandish ideas. Join in on the fun as Eric Jumper and Aaron Witt invite you into their space and give some insight into their travels and experiences.
Vlog
Some good old fashioned footage of Hollow Civil opening a mine (Cut drainage channels, build pads, strip the topsoil). If you like scrapers and dozers putting in work, turn off your brain for 5 minutes and enjoy.
I’ll see you next week!
