Crushed rock and aggregate materials supplier Luck Stone is celebrating the milestone of 3.5 million tons of quarry production transported via autonomous CAT trucks at the miner’s Virginia operations.

The 18-month pilot with hauling equipment partner Caterpillar Inc. went live beginning November 2024 at Luck Stone’s Bull Run Quarry. The companies are satisfied with the pilot’s results enough to expand the autonomous technology to two more Virginia sites.

“By working together, we've gained insights that help us refine and scale autonomous hauling solutions that create measurable value for both operations and workforce development,” Denise Jordan, Caterpillar group president for Resource Industries, said in a statement. “This expansion demonstrates how strong customer collaborations are helping us accelerate innovation and bring proven solutions to more jobsites around the world.”

Luck Stone, working with Caterpillar and its local dealer Carter Machinery, will add two fleets of Cat 775 trucks to work at the Boscobel and Bealeton rock quarries. This project is the first for Caterpillar to deploy its autonomous haulage technology on the Cat 775.

Overall, Caterpillar has expanded its autonomous truck operations to haul more than 13 billion metric tons at various quarries and mines through the years. The self-driving haulage vehicles also have traveled more than 455 million kilometers with no reported injuries while operating, CAT reports.

"At Luck Stone, we've always believed innovation should ignite human potential," said Travis Chewning, Luck Stone vice president of engineering & operations support. “Autonomy is creating a safer workplace that improves consistency for our customers and gives our associates opportunities to develop new skills as our industry continues to evolve. Our collaboration with Caterpillar has helped us do exactly that, and we're excited to continue building on what we've learned at Bull Run."

Family-owned Luck Stone has produced crushed stone and other materials from its quarries for more than 100 years. The collaboration with Caterpillar achieved its first million tons moved by autonomous trucks within eight months of the pilot project’s start.

Luck Stone’s Bull Run Quarry in Loudoun and Fairfax counties mines a variety called traprock or diabase. It is located near the historic Bull Run Civil War-era battlefield.