Weighing of dump trucks as a tool to improve the operating efficiency of loading and hauling equipment

Heavy-duty mining dump trucks are currently used at most solid mineral deposits as the key means to ensure the required rock material flow. One of the main tasks arising in their operation is to track and control the transported rock mass, not only by its weight, but also by its distribution over the dump truck box. Neglecting these aspects as well as not assessing them accurately enough, leads to a number of adverse consequences, both in meeting the targets of the various services and in reducing the reliability of the main load bearing elements of the dump trucks. This study describes the experience of applying dedicated scales, which were used to weigh mining dump trucks for two weeks at one of the open pit iron ore mining companies. In addition, based on the information obtained, recommendations for practical application of such scales were developed to improve the operating efficiency of this type of machines.