A Special Purpose Simulation Template for Modeling Tire Usage of Mining Truck Fleet

The logistics for the supply of tires for trucks utilized in mining operations are generally affected by their demand and supply on the market. In times of high demand and tire scarcity, operations of most companies with large truck fleets are affected due to inadequate analysis and tire usage planning. The lack of a proper tool for practitioners to use for this purpose has contributed to the problem. This study proposes a special purpose simulation template that can be used to solve the problem. The template was developed for analyzing a six tire truck because it is the most common truck type used in mining operations. It utilizes statistical distributions fitted to historic field data of tire usage, and outputs the most likely number of used, early failed and worn out tires for the analyzed period. A simulation based approach was adapted because of the dynamic and random nature of the tire usage problem which does not lend itself to analytical solutions.