Caterpillar 797F mining truck uses more fuel in one day than most cars do in a whole year

The Caterpillar 797F mining truck isn’t just big – it’s one of the thirstiest machines on Earth.

It weighs as much as a fully loaded passenger jet and hauls 400T payloads through brutal mining sites.

With 4,000 horsepower, it’s got more grunt than 40 sedans combined, and once it starts rolling, the fuel burn doesn’t stop.

This beast doesn’t sip diesel, it chugs it – the mining world’s very own ‘Hungry Caterpillar’.

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The numbers behind the Caterpillar 797F and its wild fuel consumption

At full tilt, the Caterpillar 797F guzzles between 58.2 and 77.6 gallons of diesel per hour.

With 16 to 18-hour shifts, one truck can consume as much as 1,397 gallons in a single day.

By comparison, the average American driver only uses 417 gallons of gas per year – the 797F burns three times that in just 24 hours.

At today’s rates, that’s around $250 per hour, or $4,000-$4,500 a day, just to keep the engine running.

Over a year, a single 797F racks up $1.46 million to $1.64 million in fuel costs.

Multiply that by a 20-truck fleet, and you’re looking at a $30 million fuel bill – no, that’s not a typo.

At full tilt, the 797F isn’t just working, it’s feasting. And unlike the kids’ book, this Caterpillar never stops eating.

So why is that considered normal?

Because each haul can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in raw materials.

This isn’t luxury performance – it’s industrial excess that pays off.

Why spending $1.6 million a year on fuel is worth it

For mining companies, keeping this Caterpillar well-fed is a business strategy, not a luxury.

The 797F doesn’t just do the job – it does the job of multiple trucks in one run.

With a 400T payload capacity and 4,000 horsepower under the hood, it cuts down on trips, staffing, and overall wear and tear.

Despite its size, it’s engineered for high-efficiency, high-output work, built from the ground up to minimize downtime and maximize performance.

It even uses modern emissions-reduction tech to squeeze more work from every gallon, meeting environmental standards while staying productive.

The fuel bill might seem wild, but in the mining world, it’s just the cost of getting the job done.

And Caterpillar designed the 797F to turn that cost into serious gains, one massive load at a time.

The Caterpillar 797F doesn’t just run like a beast, it eats like one, and in this industry, that’s exactly what makes this very hungry caterpillar worth every gallon.

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