Operate underground loading machine to load coal, ore, or rock into shuttle or mine car or onto conveyors. Loading equipment may include power shovels, hoisting engines equipped with cable-drawn scraper or scoop, or machines equipped with gathering arms and conveyor.
15 of 15 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Stop gathering arms when cars are full.
AI: Fully automatable - Stopping gathering arms when cars are full is a straightforward sensor‑and‑control safety function and can be fully automated and interlocked with high reliability by 2025.
Advance machines to gather material and convey it into cars.
AI: Fully automatable - Autonomous loaders and integrated control systems are already deployed in underground mines and can advance machines and convey material into cars without human intervention.
Start conveyor booms and gathering-arm motors, and operate winches to position cars under boom conveyors for loading.
AI: Fully automatable - Starting conveyors, operating gathering-arms and winches to position cars can be fully automated via programmable controls and remote/autonomous equipment management systems.
Signal workers to move loaded cars.
AI: Fully automatable - Signaling workers to move loaded cars can be replaced by automated dispatch and digital/wireless command systems that issue movement orders and confirmations.
Notify switching departments to deliver specific types of cars.
AI: Fully automatable - Notifying switching/rail departments is a communications/dispatch task that is readily automated through integrated logistics and scheduling systems.
Estimate and record amounts of material in bins.
AI: Fully automatable - Bin volumes and material amounts can be reliably estimated and logged using weight sensors, level sensors, LiDAR/vision and inventory-management software.
Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars.
AI: Partial - Remote‑controlled and robotic tooling can remove loose roof material in some mines, but the dexterity, perception, and safety variability underground mean full automation is not broadly achieved by 2025.
Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves.
AI: Partial - Cable management can be automated or aided by reels and robotic manipulators in limited contexts, but manual handling with safety gloves remains commonly required in varied underground conditions.
Drive machines into piles of material blasted from working faces.
AI: Partial - Autonomous loaders and LHDs can operate in some underground and open‑pit environments to work muck piles, but full, generalized autonomy across all sites is only partially realized by 2025.
Operate levers to move conveyor booms or shovels so that mine contents such as coal, rock, and ore can be placed into cars or onto conveyors.
AI: Partial - Conveyors and some shovel/boom operations are controllable automatically or by teleoperation, yet complete autonomous control of all such lever‑based tasks in diverse situations is only partially implemented.
Clean hoppers, and clean spillage from tracks, walks, driveways, and conveyor decking.
AI: Partial - Automated cleaning equipment can handle routine spillage in controlled areas, but the irregular, hazardous, and confined conditions in mines make full automation of all cleaning tasks partial as of 2025.
Oil, lubricate, and adjust conveyors, crushers, and other equipment, using hand tools and lubricating equipment.
AI: Partial - Automatic lubrication systems and condition‑based alerts reduce manual work, but hands‑on oiling, adjustments, and tool work on varied equipment still require human technicians in many cases.
Observe and record car numbers, carriers, customers, tonnages, and grades and conditions of material.
AI: Partial - AI can read car numbers, weights and log metadata automatically, but assessing material grades and nuanced condition often still requires sampling/lab analyses or human judgement.
Inspect boarding and locking of open-top box cars and wedging of side-drop and hopper cars to prevent loss of material in transit.
AI: Partial - Computer vision and sensors can detect many open or unsecured cars, but comprehensive physical inspection and securement in variable underground conditions remains only partially automated.
Replace hydraulic hoses, headlight bulbs, and gathering-arm teeth.
AI: Partial - Robotic maintenance is progressing, but replacing hydraulic hoses, fittings, and wear parts in complex and variable underground equipment remains a partially automated task in 2025.