Aurora Innovation will roll out 30 autonomous trucks with Detmar Logistics in 2026 to haul frac sand on public roads in the Permian Basin, marking the first time proppants will be transported autonomously on highways in the region, reports New York's FreightWaves.

Detmar Logistics, a leading provider in the dry bulk and frac sand sector, will begin supervised autonomous operations early next year between its Midland, Texas facility and Capital Sand's mining site in Monahans. Full driverless operations are expected by the second quarter of 2026.

The Aurora-powered trucks will run along Interstate 20 and surrounding roads, operating around the clock for oil and gas companies. The vehicles can also autonomously navigate overhead filling silos, a key task in proppant loading.

Detmar CEO Matt Detmar said Aurora's technology will improve efficiency and support continuous operations as simulfracs drive higher sand demand. He called autonomous trucks a competitive advantage for the company.

Each truck is expected to haul sand more than 20 hours a day, compared with the 11-hour driving limit for human operators. The automation is projected to deliver significant cost savings.

Detmar plans to expand its fleet of Aurora Driver-powered trucks while continuing to operate human-driven vehicles and work with independent contractors. The distinction of hauling frac sand autonomously on public roads sets the deployment apart from existing private-road operations in the Permian and Delaware basins.