Mining and Trucking

This map shows the bases for the Royal Flying Doctors in Western Australia. Think of the area as all of the land west of Denver!

Caterpillar equipment is used a lot in the WA mining operations. This ore loader is being serviced in Kalgoorlie. Many, many businesses in the city are in support of the mining industry. There is also a School of Mines. Many people move in and out of the city for jobs; it is common for a miner to live in a mining camp next to the mine some distance away from the city.

Road trains are seen all over WA. The tractor part is called a prime mover. Seldom do I see only one trailer behind a prime mover. There are usually two, three or four trailers being pulled. These could be full of ore, fuel, cyanide (to help extract gold) or a multitude of other products.

These two picture show a "small" dump truck. I will show a large one in the next post. These are used in the Super Pit and in many other mining operations. Men and women both drive these.

There is a camera mounted on the top of this truck. When a driver drives at night, this camera will detect the eyes of animals near the road and alert the driver. Animals being struck by cars and trucks are a common occurrence.

There are strict rules for drivers. Each driver is given a breathalyzer test before driving. Random drug tests are done often. A driver is only allowed so many hours on the road. Monitors and cameras can detect when a driver is getting fatigued; a buzzer will sound to startle them.