In this case study, we will refer to the client as “Client A” to maintain confidentiality. Client A is a leading company in the surface mining industry. This case study details the results of VIA Mobile360 Safety Solution installed on a heavy-duty hauler.
At Client A’s mining site, one hauler struck a service vehicle while turning into a shared access lane, causing equipment damage and operational downtime. In another incident, a raised truck bed hit a light gantry, resulting in structural damage and hours-long delays. In another case, a hauler nearly rolled over after failing to detect a berm that had shifted into its path on uneven terrain.
These incidents occur due to the lack of any hazard detection or collision avoidance system to support operator visibility and decision-making. To protect its workforce and improve uptime, Client A adopted the VIA Mobile360 Safety Solution to address high-risk blind spots and improve situational awareness.
Challenges for Client A
Limited Visibility During Sharp/Hairpin Turns
Operators struggled to see around sharp or hairpin turns, especially in open areas with limited visual cues. This lack of visibility often led to delayed reaction times and misjudged maneuvers, causing collisions with other vehicles, obstacles, or even people around the corners.
Unmonitored Truck Bed Position
Raised beds were often left elevated during movement, going undetected until they made contact with overhead infrastructure or affected the vehicle stability on sloped terrain. Without a real-time indicator of truck bed position, these oversights resulted in avoidable damage, downtime, and operational inefficiencies.
Undetected Berms and Ground-Level Hazards
Operators struggled to see berms or other loose materials due to blind spots around the equipment. The absence of any detection technology meant these hazards often went unnoticed until the last moment, raising the risk of rollovers and near-miss incidents.
Implementation
In response to these operational safety challenges, Client A implemented the VIA Mobile360 Safety Solution.
Improved Sharp Turn Navigation and Situational Awareness
Provided dynamic hazard detection based on the hauler’s projected trajectory. This gave operators more confidence when navigating sharp turns in open areas, where visibility was previously limited, increasing confidence in tight maneuvers.
Truck Bed Indicator
Provided a real-time indicator to notify operators when the bed remained elevated during motion. This enabled timely correction of unsafe truck bed positions, reducing the risk of overhead collisions and supporting safer vehicle operation.
Berm Detection
Delivered up to 40 feet of detection coverage using both AI-powered cameras and radars to identify berm edges and other scattered debris in the vehicle’s path.
Observed Improvements
High operator acceptance rate due to minimized alert desensitization.
Operators report clearer hazard visibility in low-light and dusty conditions.
Faster identification and correction of raised truck beds during hauler movement.
Operators reported more consistent performance and reduced hesitation during shift operations, especially in high-traffic zones.
Why It Matters
In surface mining operations, the margin for error is slim. A missed hazard or an unchecked raised bed can lead to costly delays, damaged equipment, or worse, worker injuries. By integrating these advanced features, Client A now benefits from timely alerts tailored to vehicle movement, better situational visibility, and stronger operator awareness during high-risk maneuvers. Maintenance costs are better controlled, unplanned equipment downtime has been reduced, and the risk of reportable incidents has decreased.
A Commitment to Worker Safety in Surface Mining
Since implementing VIA Mobile360 Safety Solution, Client A has strengthened its site-wide safety protocol. Operators now receive intelligent, accurate, and real-time AI safety support tailored to their site’s operational needs. The result is a safer, more efficient operation where operator has better visibility and faster reaction time.
Learn how VIA Mobile360 can support your operations.