Luck Stone, Caterpillar venturing into the unknown (Part 1)

Caterpillar plans to implement its MineStar Command system for hauling on a fleet of 777G trucks that will be deployed at Luck Stone’s Bull Run Plant in Chantilly, Virginia. Photo: Luck Stone

Editor’s note: The following article is the first in a two-part series highlighting the autonomous hauling partnership between Luck Stone and Caterpillar. Read Part 2 of the series here.

Luck Stone is always innovating. Pushing limits. Willing to explore new methods and technology in its business.

Charlie Luck IV, president and CEO of Luck Stone, says his grandfather, Charles Luck Jr., operated this way after establishing the family company in 1923. That mindset flowed through Luck’s father, Charles Luck III, and it continues to permeate across the company that today is headquartered near Richmond, Virginia.

Luck’s grandfather ventured into the unknown when he concluded Luck Stone could crush rock with electric power rather than steam in the 1930s. Luck’s father was also adventurous, designing automated plants in the 1970s that could run without the presence of an operator.

Now, Luck Stone is once again venturing into new territory. Working with Caterpillar, Luck Stone plans to deploy autonomous haul trucks at its Bull Run Plant in Chantilly, Virginia.

Specifically, Luck Stone intends to outfit its fleet of 777G trucks with Cat MineStar Command for hauling. Project goals are to prove the viability of the technology in the 100-ton class – one whose trucks are sometimes utilized in large quarry environments – and develop a solution that can ultimately be commercialized for aggregate producers.

CES 2023 attendees had the opportunity to visit with Caterpillar representatives and see how autonomous hauling technology works. Photo: P&Q Staff

“We see an incredible opportunity,” says Luck, who joined Caterpillar at CES 2023 in Las Vegas last month to celebrate the project. “It’s highly aligned to our culture of learning, growth and innovation. That’s just how we think. It’s who we are and have been for generations.”

Luck and the company’s associates recognize that new opportunities often present new challenges. But this also isn’t the first time Luck Stone has ventured into the unknown.

“Here we are in [2023], and this is really in us,” Luck says. “This curiosity and innovation are in us. The industry may have one standard, but our family, our company and our associates want to do these kinds of projects that get people going: ‘You’re doing what? You’re going to put an autonomous truck in a quarry environment, with all the complexity that goes on with that?”

Luck, however, focuses on the opportunities the project brings for the development of the company’s people, growth and improvement.

“This has been in our blood and soul for three generations,” Luck says. “I think that’s why we should be doing this.”

The road ahead

From left: Craig Wiant, plant manager at Luck Stone’s Bull Run Plant, and Johnny Palmer, the operation’s assistant plant manager, are two of many Luck Stone employees who will be instrumental in the autonomous hauling project. Photo: Luck Stone

Luck Stone’s history with Caterpillar actually goes back generations, so this latest project is hardly the first in which the companies pushed limits.

“Ten years ago, we worked with Caterpillar on a remote-control loader,” says Luck, whose grandfather began buying Cat equipment in 1935. “So the ideas of technology, automation [and] progressive thinking are really in the blood of both organizations in a huge way.”

Denise Johnson, Caterpillar group president of Resource Industries, agrees that the deep history with Luck Stone was a foundation for this latest project.

“When you look at a company you want to collaborate with from a development perspective, it’s a company like Luck Stone,” Johnson says. “One that’s really innovative, very forward-thinking and igniting human potential. That’s a natural relationship.”

« Prev Page 1 2 Next Page »