30 Seconds of Reconciliation Info: The curse of truck factors.

This week’s 30 Seconds of Reconciliation Info is from Ian Glacken our Geology Director.

The curse of truck factors:  Truck factors are conversions applied to, usually, the volume but sometimes the tonnage, of trucks from underground mines or open pits going to either the ROM stockpiles, the mine stockpiles, or directly to the crusher.  The truck factor or factors (often there is one for each piece of equipment) are there to compensate for a range of unknowns; usually the variable degree of filling of the truck, but sometimes the variable bulk density of the ore, the varying quantities of contained water in the truck or the variable weathering of the mineralisation.  They are often calculated from an overall ‘known’ measurement of volume or tonnage, such as a weightometer measurement out of the plant primary crusher, divided by a number of trucks, but can be a composite measurement from a variety of known and unknown sources.  Truck factors can (and are often designed to) hide a multitude of sins and inaccuracies.  If you can possibly afford it, consider not using truck factors by getting a reasonably accurate weight of each truck through the use of (properly calibrated) load cells.  A good and more robust alternative is the use of a truck scanner for volumes – but then this still requires the application of a bulk density for tonnage measurements.

Ian Glacken – Director of Geology
BSc (Hons) (Geology), MSc(Mining Geology), DIC, MSc(Geostatistics), Grad Dip Computing, FAusIMM(CP), FAIG, MIMMM, CEng

Ian is a geologist with postgraduate qualifications in geostatistics, mining geology and computing who has more than 35 years’ worldwide experience in the mining industry.

Ian’s skills are in resource evaluation and due diligence reviews, public reporting, training and mentoring, quantitative risk assessment, strategic advice, geostatistics, reconciliation, project management, statutory and competent persons’ reporting and mining geology studies.

Ian has a strong mining production background and is a regular auditor for the world’s largest mining companies.

Ian is the presenter of our 1-day Reconciliation course. If you’d like to view the course content, please use this LINK.
Ian also offers half-day onsite audits of reconciliation processes for mining companies, followed by a 1-day reconciliation training course.
Please contact either Ian or Diana to discuss these in more detail.

Ian’s email: iglacken@snowdenoptiro.com

Diana’s email: diana.ross@snowdenoptiro.com

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