Part of that future is housed in a trailer down twisting dirt roads, far from the main facility, where autonomous technology — operating tractors by remote control — is being refined, and beginning to gain traction among customers.

Caterpillar, which began experimenting with autonomous construction equipment nearly a decade ago, is one of several major companies developing it, along with Doosan in South Korea and Volvo Autonomous Solutions, which unveiled its new Swedish testing site in November. The potentially transformative technology is still in the early stages of commercialization.

At the Peoria Proving Ground’s autonomous test site, a row of remote operating stations line a picture window overlooking a barren field, where a lone Cat D7 bulldozer sits waiting to receive internet instructions over an array of Wi-Fi access points.

The operating stations resemble an arcade game, featuring a chair with joysticks at either arm, a shifter, foot brakes and multiple video screens with a Cat’s-eye view of the field. The tractor can plow a preprogrammed course, be operated manually or both. When the tractor flashes a blue light and honks in response, a quick shift into drive, and it’s off.

Fixing on a screen, it’s easy to forget that the joysticks are piloting a 66,000-pound bulldozer digging up dirt and spinning on a dime in the field beyond. The technology can be used to operate tractors 1,500 feet or 1,500 miles or farther from the operating stations — anywhere an internet signal can be received.

“We’ve operated machines in Malaga (Spain) from here before,” said Tim Pennington, a test operator.

The remote stations solve a number of problems, including navigating dangerous terrain without putting the operator at physical risk. In addition, they can compensate for a dearth of qualified operators, allowing one person to control multiple machines at a work site, Pennington said.

The technology has even helped lure some retired bulldozer operators back into the saddle, Pennington said.

“The average dozer operator lasts until their mid-40s, and then their back is shot,” Pennington said. “With this, they’ve come out of retirement.”

While a Caterpillar spokesperson didn’t disclose sales figures, Pennington said “quite a few” larger customers have adopted the remote control technology, despite the challenge of getting Wi-Fi signals into some places, such as underground mines.

The technology hit a dead spot in the testing field during a recent trial run, where after minutes of being stuck, a separate handheld radio signal reached and moved the tractor just before Pennington was set to trudge across the muddy field to retrieve it by hand.

Once back in range of the Wi-Fi signal, the blue light began flashing and the tractor nimbly responded to joystick commands.

While the autonomous tractor continues to be perfected at the Peoria Proving Ground, its technology is perhaps a fitting metaphor for the company itself. For 12,000 employees and the Peoria region, the heart of Caterpillar’s manufacturing operation remains in central Illinois, but the corporate levers are now being pulled 800 miles away in Texas.

Menke, a 34-year Caterpillar veteran who has spent the last 13½ years at the Peoria Proving Ground, believes the value of the remote testing site is no secret.

“Solving problems,” Menke said. “That’s what we do.”

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