Services — Haulage & Transportation

Haulage & Transportation

Underground load-haul-dump operations, truck haulage, conveyor systems, surface fleet management, and mine-to-port logistics — moving material safely, on time, and at the lowest cost per tonne.

Overview

Haulage is the circulatory system of every mining operation. The efficiency of material movement — from the face to the surface, from the ROM pad to the processing plant, from the product stockpile to the port — determines the economic viability of the entire operation. A mine can have the best geology in the world and still fail if its haulage systems are poorly designed, under-maintained, or operated by crews without the discipline to sustain consistent cycle times.

Jahkai's haulage and transportation division provides the full chain of material movement services for underground and surface mining operations. Our operators are trained on the latest fleet management and dispatch technologies, and our supervisory teams understand that haulage optimisation is a continuous discipline — not a one-time configuration exercise. We measure everything: cycle times, payload compliance, queue times, mechanical availability, and cost per tonne moved.

What We Deliver

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Underground LHD Operations
Load-haul-dump operations using rubber-tyred LHDs from 7-tonne to 21-tonne payload classes. We operate in stoping draw-down, development mucking, backfill placement, and ore-pass loading applications. Our operators are verified on Cat R-series and Sandvik LH-series platforms with demonstrated competency in remote bogging and tele-remote operation.
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Underground Truck Haulage
Underground haul truck operations for decline haulage from production levels to surface. We operate articulated dump trucks in the 30-tonne to 60-tonne class, managing the particular challenges of underground trucking: grade management, ventilation constraints, passing bays, and the thermal management issues that affect engine performance at depth.
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Conveyor Systems
Installation, commissioning, and operation of underground conveyor systems for continuous material transport. Belt conveyors, pipe conveyors, and overland conveyor systems for high-volume material movement. We provide operational crews for conveyor monitoring, splice repair, belt tracking, and routine maintenance programs that maintain system availability above 95%.
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Surface Haul Fleet
Surface haul truck operations for open-pit mining, ROM pad management, and waste dump operations. We operate rigid-body and articulated haul trucks from 40-tonne through to ultra-class machines. Our surface fleet programs include complete cycle management from excavator load-out through to dump and return, with real-time productivity tracking.
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Mine-to-Port Logistics
End-to-end materials logistics from mine gate to port or processing facility. Road train operations, rail loading, port stockpile management, and ship loading coordination. We manage the logistics chain as a single integrated system rather than a series of disconnected handoffs — because delays at any point in the chain cost the same as delays at the face.
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Paste Fill Transport
Cemented paste fill and hydraulic fill distribution systems for underground backfill operations. Reticulation design, pump station operation, pipeline management, and quality control monitoring. Paste fill is critical for ground stability in high-extraction mining methods, and reliable fill delivery directly determines stoping sequence availability.
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Fleet Management & Dispatch
Implementation and operation of fleet management systems including Caterpillar MineStar, Modular Mining DISPATCH, and Wenco systems. Real-time fleet tracking, automated truck assignment, payload monitoring, and productivity analytics. We provide dispatch operators, system administrators, and the analytical capability to translate fleet data into operational improvements.
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Battery-Electric Fleet Transition
Advisory and operational support for the transition from diesel to battery-electric underground fleets. Charging infrastructure planning, fleet sizing for BEV duty cycles, ventilation system redesign for reduced diesel particulate requirements, and operator training on electric platform characteristics. The future of underground haulage is electric — and we are preparing operations for that transition now.

Equipment & Technology

Our haulage teams operate across all major OEM platforms. Equipment selection is driven by the specific requirements of each operation — grade, heading dimensions, ventilation capacity, and production targets.

  • Caterpillar R-series LHDs (R1700, R2900) — The workhorse of Australian underground mining, with payload capacities from 15 to 21 tonnes and proven reliability in high-heat, high-dust environments
  • Sandvik LH-series LHDs (LH514, LH517, LH621) — High-capacity underground loaders with intelligent control systems, AutoMine compatibility, and class-leading operator ergonomics
  • Underground haul trucks (Cat AD45, AD60; Sandvik TH663) — Articulated underground trucks for decline haulage with advanced traction control and engine management for sustained grade hauling
  • Surface haul trucks (Cat 777, 785, 793; Komatsu 830E, 930E) — Rigid-body haul trucks from 100-tonne to ultra-class payload for surface mining operations
  • Caterpillar MineStar fleet management — Integrated fleet management platform providing real-time machine tracking, health monitoring, payload management, and automated truck dispatch
  • Modular Mining DISPATCH — Industry-standard open-pit fleet dispatch system with optimised truck assignment algorithms, shovel-truck matching, and pit-to-crusher route management
  • Tele-remote and autonomous operation systems — Remote LHD operation from surface control rooms, providing operator safety in high-risk draw-down and development bogging environments

Local employment and training

We employ people from the place the mine is, and we train them on the tools, in the mine, from offsider through operator to supervisor. We leave a trainer behind.

Training & Knowledge Transfer

Operating a 17-tonne LHD in an underground stope requires skill, spatial awareness, and discipline that can only be developed through structured training and supervised experience. Jahkai's haulage training programs build competent operators from the ground up.

  • LHD operation fundamentals — Machine familiarisation, pre-start inspection, tramming, bucket control, load-haul-dump cycle execution, and situational awareness in confined underground environments
  • Underground truck operation — Decline driving techniques, grade management, load securing, ventilation protocol compliance, and passing-bay etiquette in single-lane declines
  • Surface haul truck operation — Rigid-body and articulated truck operation, loading techniques, dump procedures, road maintenance awareness, and fatigue management
  • Fleet management systems — Dispatch system operation, shift handover procedures, data entry discipline, and understanding of how fleet data drives operational decisions
  • Tele-remote and autonomous systems — Remote LHD operation, system monitoring, intervention protocols, and the supervisory skills required to manage automated fleet operations
  • Payload management — Understanding payload targets, weigh-system calibration, overload prevention, and the relationship between consistent payloads and whole-of-mine productivity
  • Conveyor operation and maintenance — Belt monitoring, splice identification, emergency stop procedures, and routine maintenance tasks including idler replacement and belt tracking
  • Progressive competency pathway — Structured development from trainee operator through to leading hand and supervisor roles, with documented assessment at each stage aligned with nationally recognised competency frameworks

We pair people from the place the mine is with experienced operators, on the machine. Classroom theory does not make an operator. Competence is built at the controls, under supervision, with increasing autonomy as skills are demonstrated. We leave a trainer behind.

Ready to discuss your haulage requirements?

From underground LHD operations to surface fleet management, mine-to-port logistics to battery-electric transition planning — Jahkai moves material efficiently and safely.

Contact Us