Steer announces autonomous haul truck deal for German quarrying group

Norway’s Steer has signed agreements with Hermann Wegener GmbH and Hülskens/Ebel for the deployment of Steer’s autonomous haul truck solution across multiple quarry sites in Germany.

Together, the two companies operate approximately 15 quarries – with more than half identified as prime candidates for autonomous operation. The first three sites are scheduled for rollout during 2026, followed by another tree larger and more complex sites in 2027.

“This marks a major step for Steer and for the European quarry industry,” said Njål Gjermundshaug, CEO of Steer. “These partnerships demonstrate that autonomy is no longer experimental – it’s a proven technology delivering safety, efficiency, and a clear economic advantage for those who adopt early.”

Since launching its first autonomous trucks in 2022, Steer’s solution has accumulated more than 40,000 operating hours across several active quarry sites in Norway. Just this week, another Steer-enabled quarry went live in Norway, operating Caterpillar 775G haul trucks expected to move over 3 Mt of material annually – a milestone that it says further demonstrates the scalability and reliability of Steer’s technology.

Steer’s autonomous system will be fitted to a combination of new and existing Caterpillar and Komatsu haul trucks in Germany – primarily Caterpillar 772G/775G and Komatsu 405-8/605-7/605-8 models. The loading operations will be handled by manned excavators such as the Volvo EC750, Cat 352, Cat 374F/NG, and Komatsu PC490, with operators both loading the trucks and monitoring their autonomous operations.

Hermann Wegener GmbH will be the first to implement Steer’s solution, beginning operations at a quarry near Göttingen in Q1 2026. “We are increasingly struggling to staff qualified drivers to maintain consistent production,” said Till Wegener, Managing Director of Hermann Wegener GmbH. “Steer’s solution gives us predictability, flexibility, and significantly lower cost per ton – it’s a no-brainer. Like Romarheim in Norway, we’ll redeploy our drivers to higher-value tasks while the haul trucks run autonomously.”

Steer highlights the close collaboration with Zeppelin (Caterpillar) and Schlüter (Komatsu), both of whom have contributed to the planning phase and will take part in the truck conversion process.
According to Gjermundshaug: “Their involvement ensures a faster and smoother rollout, combining Steer’s autonomy expertise with OEM-level service and reliability.”

Hülskens already holds a stake in Eikefet Quarry in Norway, where Steer’s autonomous haul trucks are already operating. “Our two main requirements are safety and economic justification,” says David Ebner of Hülskens. “After observing Eikefet’s autonomous fleet consistently deliver 900 tons per hour, month after month, we are confident this will work for us as well.”

Steer Autonomous is a Norwegian technology company specialising in autonomous systems for heavy industry. Its solution for driverless haul trucks it says is designed to enhance safety, reduce operational costs, and increase production predictability in the quarrying and mining sectors. As stated, Steer’s autonomous trucks have accumulated more than 40,000 operating hours since 2022 and continue to expand across Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.