Haul roads remain a major cause of lost productivity in open‑pit mining, with many operations still relying on reactive maintenance triggered only after spills or tyre failures.
A new strategic alliance between Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group and Australian mining technology firm Decoda aims to change this with the launch of KalPRO HaulSight, an autonomous haul road hazard detection system that integrates directly into a site’s maintenance workflow.
Designed to keep fleets at target speeds and prevent tyre damage, KalPRO HaulSight provides real-time, actionable insights so road crews can fix issues before they escalate.
Proactive Protection Against Tyre Damage
While Kal Tire’s TireSight platform has set a benchmark for autonomous tyre inspections, HaulSight focuses on preventing the conditions that cause tyre and truck damage. By identifying hazards such as spillage, rocks, poor road degradation and developing soft spots, the system helps mines address problems before they affect tyre life or vehicle health.
“The objective is to stop the damage before the truck hits the hazard,” says Christian Erdelyi, Technology Services Director at Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “By identifying issues as they develop, we give sites the ability to maintain their roads proactively, extend tyre life, and protect the truck’s frame and suspension.”
On‑Board Intelligence and Real‑Time Hazard Detection
HaulSight uses Decoda’s LiDAR and camera sensors mounted to haul trucks, with all processing performed on an onboard edge computer. This allows the system to flag critical events in real time, including:
- Spillage and Rock Hazards: Reducing tyre cuts and impact damage
- Road Undulations: Highlighting surface defects linked to high G‑force events
- Speed‑Loss Zones: Highlighting parts of the circuit where trucks lose momentum and burn more fuel.
Through integration with Kal Tire’s TOMS (Tire & Operations Management System), these detections are automatically converted into priority-based, geo‑tagged work orders. Maintenance teams receive precise location data to deploy graders, water trucks, or other equipment exactly where it is needed.
Visibility That Drives Better Fleet Performance
For Decoda, the value of HaulSight is measured in circuit efficiency. The system provides full visibility across the haul route, giving operations teams the information needed to keep trucks moving at consistent, engineered speeds.
“When you have a 400‑tonne truck, any unplanned braking or re‑acceleration is a waste of energy and time,” says George Spink, Executive General Manager at Decoda. “HaulSight gives site teams the visibility to keep the circuit clean, meaning faster cycle times and better fleet utilisation from day one.”
HaulSight also captures long-term performance data, helping mine leadership justify road upgrades with quantifiable links between road quality, tyre life and fuel consumption.
Engineered for Mining Environments
Reliability is essential in mining, and HaulSight has undergone 18 months of testing at Canadian mine sites. The system has demonstrated consistent accuracy in sub-zero temperatures, heavy dust and other challenging conditions.
As mines increasingly adopt autonomous and electric haulage, real-time sensing becomes even more critical. Without a driver to detect changing conditions, autonomous trucks rely entirely on the quality of the digital inputs they receive. HaulSight delivers that feedback loop, helping protect equipment and maintain circuit consistency.
The Bottom Line
The partnership between Kal Tire and Decoda connects tyre management, road maintenance and production in a unified, real-time system. By automating haul road hazard detection, KalPRO HaulSight helps mines lower their cost-per-tonne, extend tyre life and achieve more consistent production outcomes.
