[ddc333]

Hi Rick

We have around 70 trucks now increasing weekly at the moment all 830e's about 20 are the ac drive and yeah they are so much better to drive but far more temperamental and sensitive with the electric drive then the old dc trucks.

They have 5 shovels 2 4100, two a size smaller and one a size bigger. They have 2 drag-lines don't ask what size as I really don't see them. They also have 3 Hitachi 5500's excavators one currently under construction none older then 12 months plus more on the way. Also a Hitachi 3600 all these are for the overburden removal.

For coal there is 3 LeTourne 1850 loaders plus 1 1250 I think to help out and with the chitta

I think in excess of 20 dozers all D11 most R's and T's still a few N's left. They probably have 7 or so 475 Komatsu's left but no one likes them fairly rough to operate.
There is also 2 24 size graders ones a H the other an M I think. Also another 6 16h's. Water carts are all 777's 8 of them I think they have some 785's coming.

We also run 9 rotary drills a few more of them coming as well. That is what I currently operate nice and steady no angry shovel operators dropping loads from a great height.

I read the other day that they have just spent 105 million in the last year on new equipment well a bit longer as the diggers take 2 years to come off the production line.

They mine stretches about 29km from one side to the other ( apparently one of the biggest open cut operations in the southern hemisphere up the road a few km's is the biggest) and they basically run 3 satellite pits within the mine.
We have the one main washery and depending on your location easily an hour round trip when your on the coal. But some of the pits also have 30 to 45 minute round trips on the dirt so its much of a muchness I guess. My personal preference was the coal never as much pressure as some of the shovels.

We work a 4 panel roster all 12 hr shifts and it is basically 7 days out of every 14. Work : Monday, Tuesday day work off till the Friday night working Saturday and Sunday nights as well , then off till the Wednesday Thursday, day work off all weekend till Monday night work Tuesday night as well off then till the Friday day work, working the weekend off then till the Wednesday Thursday night Friday and the weekend off and then back to the beginning.

They also run an 8 and 9 hour crib relief to keep the trucks running for the full 12 hrs and those rosters are divorce rosters.

I hear what your saying about employment as Australia hasn't suffered like every where else in the world in terms of economic down turn but it was only as a result of our resources sector exporting every thing they can to China coal, Iron ore and so forth

By the way I also worked for a Rinker company which was bought by Cemex and then whoever bought them, in a quarry as well.

What a lot of rambling if you want to know anything else just ask I'll do my best to answer