Bagdad Autonomous Haulage Fleet Conversion Fully Implemented

October 1, 2025 - Freeport’s Bagdad, Arizona, mine has fully implemented its fleet of autonomous haul trucks while meeting its commitment that no displaced drivers would lose their jobs with the company because of the conversion.

Bagdad will become the first major mine in the United States to go to fully autonomous haulage when its last staffed haul truck is parked at the end of the year.

The site’s full fleet of 33 autonomous vehicles has been running since August. In addition, seven staffed vehicles continue to operate in a separate part of the mine to maintain production during the transition. Those vehicles will continue operating with drivers through the end of the year. After that, all haulage will be done by self-driving trucks.

The announcement that Bagdad would convert to autonomous haulage was made in July 2023.

“Our team has done a phenomenal job,” said Jeff Monteith, General Manager-Bagdad. “This has been a very long two-and-a-half-year rollout with respect to autonomy. We are going to continue to work on it. We are going to continue to improve.”

Site-wide upgrades

Beyond retrofitting the haul trucks themselves with new technology, extensive site improvements were required to make the autonomous system function. A new command center was built to monitor and control the trucks, communications and data transmission networks were upgraded, roads were widened, and an isolated autonomous operating zone was created to minimize human interactions with the driverless vehicles.

October 1 is the official close-out date for the implementation phase of the project, said Mark Elliott, Project Manager of the Bagdad Autonomous Haulage System. Now, the focus is on continuous improvement to maximize and sustain operational efficiency and deliver on production goals.

“We knew up front there would be a steep learning curve,” Elliott said. “To effectively manage an autonomous fleet, we have to be almost perfect in every aspect to fully utilize its capability. So, we as a site have to elevate our skills and expertise to the degree that we didn’t quite understand with a staffed operation.”

Zero job loss

The zero job loss goal was communicated to drivers when the decision to convert to a driverless haulage fleet was announced. The company followed up with career fairs, one-on-one interviews and opportunities for job shadowing so displaced drivers could find out what other career opportunities matched their skills and interests. Extensive training was made available.

Ensuring none of the more than 200 haul truck drivers then working at Bagdad lost their jobs because of the conversion was a priority from the beginning, Monteith said. Kathleen Quirk, Freeport’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Josh Olmsted, President and Chief Operating Officer-Americas, repeatedly stressed the company was committed to protecting the workforce. Quirk is the one who coined the phrase “Zero Job Loss.”

“She was clear from the beginning that no one would lose their job, and those were our marching orders,” Monteith said. “The commitment to our employees is something that makes Freeport stand out. These are not people who can be cast aside. They're not just employees, they're family.”

As of mid-September, 217 haul truck drivers have found new roles with the company. About 80 drivers found new jobs in Bagdad mine operations running shovels and other equipment. Another 15 have been retrained for new careers in the autonomous system while the rest are scattered in other departments.

Some haul truck drivers have accepted new positions with the company but continue driving the seven staffed trucks.

Future of mining

Former driver Isaac Romero, MIS Technician, said the company did an effective job communicating the career opportunities and training that were available to drivers.

Romero spent time shadowing co-workers in different departments and researching other jobs at Bagdad. Eventually, he retrained as an MIS technician, working on the equipment needed to support driverless haul trucks.

“It’s the future of mining, here and at other mines around the world,” Romero said. “It’s really exciting to be a part of this. I look forward to the future to see where my career goes. There are a lot of different paths you can take with autonomous.”

Photos (top to bottom): Shovels that load the autonomous haul trucks at Bagdad are staffed by operators. Many former drivers have found new jobs operating the shovels at the site; All 33 of Bagdad’s autonomous haul trucks are in operation. In addition, seven staffed trucks will continue to operate through the end of the year; When the last seven staffed haul trucks are parked at the end of the year, Bagdad will become the first major mine in the United States to go to fully autonomous haulage.