The number of driverless trucks hauling frac sand in the Permian Basin is growing after Aurora announced Monday that Detmar Logistics will commit to using 30 Aurora Driver-powered autonomous trucks in 2026.
According to Aurora, this deployment marks the first time frac sand will be autonomously hauled on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin. It is another milestone for Aurora, which until now has focused on terminal-to-terminal operations.
Detmar Logistics is a major provider in the dry bulk and frac sand logistics sector. The Aurora-powered autonomous trucks will transport proppants around the clock for multinational oil and gas companies. The release notes that supervised autonomous operations with Detmar will begin early next year between the company’s facility in Midland, Texas, and Capital Sand’s mining site in Monahans.
The supervised autonomous operations will transition to fully driverless once Aurora deploys its second fleet of driverless trucks, expected in the second quarter of 2026. The routes will run along Interstate 20, combining local and private roads surrounding the Detmar facility and the mining site. In addition to driving, the Aurora trucks can autonomously navigate overhead filling silos, a key task for proppant loading. Proppant is a gritty material such as sand. An easy way to remember: All frac sand is proppant, but not all proppants are frac sand.
“As simulfracs demand higher sand volumes and operators move to 24/7 schedules, maintaining a safe, reliable flow of proppant is critical,” said Matt Detmar, CEO of Detmar Logistics, in the release. “Aurora’s autonomous technology is a game-changer for our industry. It will enable us to safely improve efficiency and support our customers’ continuous operations. We expect autonomous trucks to become a competitive advantage to strengthen and grow our business in the years to come.”
The Aurora-equipped autonomous trucks will be busy, with the release noting that under the initial contract, each unit will haul sand for more than 20 hours a day. A single human driver typically can drive only 11 hours in a 14-hour shift before requiring a 10-hour break. The automation is estimated to unlock greater savings because of the math.
For neo-trucking Luddites, humans are expected to remain part of the equation. The release notes that while Detmar plans to own and operate an expanded fleet of Aurora Driver-powered autonomous trucks, they will operate “alongside their human-operated fleet and network of valued independent contractors.”
The distinction — autonomously hauling on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin — is important. There are autonomous trucks hauling frac sand in the Permian and Delaware basins, but only on private roads as of early January.
