From Manual Counting to AI: How Smart Quarries are Cutting Revenue Leakage
Every quarry operator knows the feeling. A truck pulls up to the loader, receives its load, and drives off to the weighbridge. The loader operator radios through a count. The weighbridge records a weight. At the end of the day, the numbers should match. They rarely do.
Revenue leakage in quarry operations is a persistent, expensive problem. It is not usually fraud or theft. It is the accumulated effect of counting errors, lost dockets, timing discrepancies, and the inherent inaccuracy of manual processes in a dusty, noisy, fast-moving environment.
Where Revenue Leaks From
The most common sources of revenue leakage at quarries are surprisingly mundane. Loader operators lose count during busy periods, particularly when multiple trucks are queuing. Paper dockets blow away, get wet, or are filled in with illegible handwriting that creates disputes later. Radio communications get garbled or missed. And at the end of the day, reconciling loader counts against weighbridge records reveals discrepancies that nobody can explain.
For a mid-sized quarry dispatching 50-100 loads per day, even a 3-5% counting error represents significant revenue. At typical aggregate prices, that error can equate to tens of thousands of dollars per month in unreconciled material.
The Manual Counting Problem
Manual scoop counting relies on the loader operator keeping an accurate tally while simultaneously operating heavy machinery, managing truck positioning, and communicating with the weighbridge. It is a task that requires divided attention in a high-stakes environment, and it is unreasonable to expect perfect accuracy.
Some quarries employ a dedicated yard person to count loads, but this adds a permanent labour cost and still relies on human attention that degrades over a shift. Others trust the weighbridge as the single source of truth, but weighbridge data alone does not tell you how many scoops went into each truck or which loader loaded which vehicle.
How AI Load Verification Works
AI-powered load verification places cameras at the loading point with a clear view of the loader bucket and truck tray. Computer vision models, trained specifically for quarry operations, detect and count each bucket load as it is deposited into the truck.
Each scoop is captured with a timestamped image. When the truck departs the loading area, the system generates a digital load docket that records the total scoop count, the time of each scoop, and the associated images. This docket is stored digitally and can be cross-referenced against weighbridge records automatically.
Real-World Results: Quarry Vision
Our Quarry Vision system has been deployed and validated in real quarry operations, achieving 88.8% accuracy for automated scoop counting. This represents a significant improvement over manual counting accuracy, which industry studies suggest averages 70-80% in busy operational conditions.
More importantly, the system provides an independent, tamper-proof record of every load. Digital dockets cannot be lost, cannot be illegibly written, and cannot be disputed in the way that paper records and verbal reports can. When a discrepancy arises between the loader count and the weighbridge, timestamped images provide objective evidence to resolve it.
Beyond Counting: Operational Intelligence
The same camera infrastructure that counts loads also generates valuable operational data. Truck turnaround times can be measured automatically, identifying bottlenecks in the loading process. Loader utilisation can be tracked to optimise fleet efficiency. Queue lengths can be monitored to improve scheduling.
For quarry managers in Australia and New Zealand who have traditionally relied on experience and observation to optimise operations, this data provides a foundation for evidence-based decision-making that can significantly improve site productivity.
Safety Benefits
Camera-based monitoring also supports safety compliance. The same AI that counts loads can monitor exclusion zones, detect personnel without required PPE, and document safety events. For quarry operators managing complex safety obligations, this dual-purpose infrastructure maximises the return on the camera investment.
The Investment Case
For a quarry losing even $10,000-$20,000 per month to counting discrepancies, an AI load verification system typically pays for itself within the first year. Factor in the operational efficiency gains from better turnaround data and the safety compliance benefits, and the investment case becomes straightforward.
The quarry industry across Australia and New Zealand is increasingly recognising that manual counting and paper dockets are relics of a pre-digital era. AI-powered load verification is not a future technology. It is deployed, proven, and delivering measurable results today.
Stop the leakage
Get a free site assessment and see how AI load verification can work at your quarry. We will show you the real numbers and the proven technology behind Quarry Vision.