As the currently economically viable resources continue to be exploited, the mining industry needs to plan for deeper orebodies and more-challenging mining environments. In the endeavour of the mining operators and equipment manufacturers to prepare for the future, mining technology embraces new advancements in robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart mining systems and other high-tech options. Delegating tasks from humans to autonomous vehicles offers a means to optimise two critical factors in every mine: safety and productivity. The relocation of the operators from the active face to a safer location, such as a control room, can effectively reduce accidents and exposure to unhealthy conditions. The shift to self-driving machines can, not only increase the health and safety of the workforce, but also optimise certain aspects of operations that machines can sometimes negotiate better than humans can, such as productivity, efficiency, and speed. This paper presents technical considerations for introducing an autonomous shuttle car in room and pillar underground coalmines with respect to a process workflow. A laboratory-scale shuttle car prototype that can navigate a scaled room and pillar section was built and deployed in a laboratory environment. Sensor selection, data management, as well as the developed navigation system are discussed in the framework of the developed workflow. The lab-scale shuttle car is currently being tested in a labscale mock mine. Although the laboratory simulations are based on a number of simplifying assumptions, they are sufficient for this pilot project. Systematic investigation is being conducted to determine possible inefficiencies and achieve sufficient navigation around the pillars. Additionally, plans to equip a full-size shuttle car with the proposed system and test it in a real environment have been laid out in collaboration with industrial partners.