Aurora Innovation announced it has reached a commercial agreement with Detmar Logistics to autonomously transport frac sand for a oil and gas producer, marking the first deployment of autonomous trucks hauling proppants on public roads in the Permian Basin.
The arrangement also establishes one of Aurora’s initial routes between customer sites – a milestone as the company expands its network beyond terminal-to-terminal operations next year, according to a news release.
“Launching autonomous highway operations for Detmar is a great example of how we’re delivering immediate customer value,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO at Aurora. “With the Aurora Driver, Detmar can achieve nearly 24/7 asset utilization and effectively double its capacity to move sand for a leading energy producer.”
Supervised autonomous operations between Detmar’s facility in Midland, Texas and Capital Sand’s mining site in Monahans will begin early next year. And Aurora expects to shift to fully driverless trips without anyone onboard once its second fleet is deployed in the second quarter of 2026.
The route combines interstate travel on I-20 with local and private roads, and Aurora says it will also autonomously navigate overhead filling silos at the mining site.
Under the initial contract, Detmar will use 30 Aurora-equipped trucks in 2026, operating more than 20 hours per day. Aurora says the deployment is intended to improve utilization and support continuous operations alongside Detmar’s human-operated fleet and independent contractors.
“As simul-fracs 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. “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.”
