Kodiak delivers RoboTrucks to Atlas, which completes 100 driverless loads of proppant

WORLD OIL STAFF  

In January, Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading autonomous truck developer, and Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (“Atlas”) announced that Atlas had completed the delivery of 100 loads of proppant with its two RoboTrucks. These are semi-trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’s self-driving system. This milestone marks the first time, ever, that a customer has taken ownership of a RoboTruck and launched driverless, commercial semi-trucking operations.   

From test case to regular operations. The initial driverless operations, which were first announced in July 2024, involved Kodiak delivering Atlas’s frac sand along a 21-mi, off-road route in West Texas’s Permian basin with Kodiak-owned driverless trucks, Fig. 1. With Kodiak providing the self-driving technology for these initial Atlas-owned RoboTrucks, Atlas is now able to complete its own driverless deliveries across the 75,000-mi² Permian basin in West Texas and eastern New Mexico. This sets Kodiak apart as the first company in the autonomous trucking industry to launch commercial, driverless trucking operations.  

Fig. 1. Kodiak-owned trucks conducted initial driverless operations—first announced in July 2024—and delivered Atlas’s frac sand along a 21-mi, off-road route in West Texas’s Permian basin.

“This is an incredible moment, for us and for the autonomous trucking industry, as we have officially delivered a commercial RoboTruck to a customer and launched commercial operations,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. “The commercialization of autonomous trucks has been a goal for the industry for many years, and it has now come to fruition. Kodiak is the first company to make autonomous trucking a real business, and this is a major step towards profitability for our company.”  

Increased deployments planned. Atlas intends to scale its RoboTruck deployment considerably over the course of 2025, with multiple deployments expected throughout the year, Fig. 2. Given the scale and scope of operations in the Permian basin, Kodiak announced that it has established an office in Odessa, Texas, to support Atlas’s operations. The 18,000-ft² facility houses a team of 12 Kodiak employees, and the workforce is projected to grow to approximately 20 people by the end of first-quarter 2025.  

Fig. 2. Atlas plans to ramp up its RoboTruck deployment during the remainder of 2025, with multiple deployments expected throughout the year.

“Incorporating these driverless RoboTrucks into our operations is a significant advancement in the automation of our business, enhancing our ability to maintain a fundamentally safe and reliable service at the best price for our customers,” said Atlas CEO John Turner. “Becoming the first company to operate our own autonomous semi-trucks and reaching 100 successful autonomous proppant deliveries demonstrates our unique commitment to driving innovation and automation across the Permian basin’s rugged terrain, dust and heat.”  

Technology and safety. Prior to launching driverless operations with Atlas, Kodiak successfully completed its safety case—which is a comprehensive evaluation that demonstrates the safety and readiness of its self-driving system—within Atlas’s operating domain. The delivery of the world’s first customer-owned driverless RoboTrucks for industrial operations happened during December 2024, and driverless service with these trucks commenced on Dec. 18, 2024. This is the first stage in Kodiak’s commercialization roadmap. As a next step, Kodiak will extend its safety case to highways for its long-haul customers.  

The Kodiak Driver-equipped RoboTrucks (Fig. 3) feature Kodiak’s sixth-generation platform, which includes all the redundant components required for operations without a safety driver. This includes Kodiak’s proprietary SensorPods™, which are pre-calibrated modular units that house all the sensors needed for autonomous driving, enabling fast and easy repairs.  

Fig. 3. The RoboTrucks feature Kodiak’s sixth-generation platform, which includes all the redundant components needed to operate without a safety driver. This includes the firm’s proprietary SensorPods™, which are pre-calibrated modular units that house all the sensors needed for autonomous driving.

About Kodiak Robotics, Inc. Founded in 2018, Kodiak Robotics, Inc., has become a world leader in autonomous ground transportation, committed to a safer and more efficient future. The company is developing an industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack, purpose-built for driverless trucking applications. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South using its autonomous technology. In May 2024, Kodiak became the first autonomous trucking company to complete a fully driverless delivery in the Permian basin. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.  

About Atlas Energy Solutions. As a leading proppant producer and proppant logistics provider, Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. primarily serves the Permian basin of West Texas and New Mexico. The company operates 14 proppant production facilities across the Permian, with a combined annual production capacity of 29 million tons, including both large-scale in-basin facilities and smaller distributed mining units. Atlas manages a portfolio of leading-edge logistical assets, including its 42-mi Dune Express conveyor system. In addition to its conveyor infrastructure, the company manages a fleet of 120 trucks that can deliver expanded payloads, due to its custom-manufactured trailers and patented drop-depot process.  

Atlas is a low-cost producer of various high-quality, locally sourced proppants used during the well completion process. The firm offers both dry and damp sand and carries various mesh sizes including 100 mesh and 40/70 mesh.