Atlas Energy Solutions has announced an expansion of its autonomous trucking operations in the Permian Basin through its partnership with Kodiak AI. The company plans to increase its fleet to 100 driverless trucks by mid-2027.
The expanded programme includes the introduction of a second simultaneous load-out point along Atlas’s 42-mile Dune Express sand conveyor system, enabling autonomous trucks to collect and deliver proppant from two locations in Texas and New Mexico. The additional site will increase delivery capacity and improve responsiveness to customer demand across the oilfield region.
Atlas and Kodiak have also agreed a deployment schedule that will grow the autonomous fleet from 28 driverless trucks, operating as of 31 March 2026, to 100 vehicles by the middle of 2027.
Furthermore, the companies plan to begin operating the autonomous trucks on public roads by early 2027, subject to regulatory approval and operational milestones. This would extend the operational range of the fleet beyond its current private road network.
John Turner, President and CEO of Atlas Energy Solutions, said:This partnership with Kodiak is a critical part of the Atlas strategy to transform oilfield sand logistics through innovation. Our mission is to seek critical energy infrastructure with inefficiencies, then engineer solutions that improve efficiency, reduce risk and enhance our customers’ operational success.
Atlas supplies proppant, a material used in hydraulic fracturing, to oil and gas producers. The company said it is combining automated mining, autonomous transportation and digital logistics management to streamline deliveries while reducing operational complexity.
The autonomous fleet, equipped with Kodiak’s AI-powered Kodiak Driver system, now operates from load-out sites approximately 90 minutes apart, allowing deliveries to well sites across a wider area of the Permian Basin.
Atlas’ autonomous trucking programme has continued to expand since its first driverless deployments in 2024. As of 31 March 2026, the company operated 28 autonomous trucks across 15 routes, completing around 7,000 deliveries and transporting more than 450,000 tonnes of sand. During the first quarter of 2026, the fleet accumulated more than 23,500 hours of driverless operation.
On 20 July, the fleet completed 176 sand deliveries in a single day, representing its highest daily total since autonomous operations began in the Permian Basin 18 months earlier.
Earlier in 2026, Atlas and Kodiak also demonstrated autonomous triple-trailer operations, enabling a single self-driving truck to haul three connected trailers with a combined loaded weight exceeding 135 tonnes. The companies expect this capability to form part of future public-road operations as the autonomous fleet continues to expand.
