A communication system in a mining environment customizes messages and responses to both conserve radio bandwidth and to accommodate different communication terminal types in use. Messages to a loader with a communication terminal having a four line display and four keys may be tailored to the capabilities of the terminal, while a similar message to a foreman terminal with a full keyboard or a tablet touch screen display may include both more detail and a richer set of responses. To save bandwidth, common messages and responses can be pre-loaded onto the communication terminals so that many messages and responses can be transmitted using only the message identifier.