Aurora Innovation is taking its autonomous show on the road.
The self-driving freight tech company has inked an agreement with Detmar Logistics, a provider of dry bulk and frac sand logistics solutions, to autonomously transport proppants around the clock for one of the world’s largest multinational oil and gas companies. The deployment marks the first time frac sand will be hauled autonomously on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin.
Texas is a booming market for Aurora. In October, the company announced its expansion of commercial operations by launching a second “driverless” route from Fort Worth to El Paso. Additionally, the company said it surpassed 100,000 Aurora Driver tech-piloted miles on public roads and is planning to deploy “hundreds of driverless trucks” with the hardware and software in 2026.
Detmar will initially use 30 Aurora Driver-powered trucks, with each unit hauling sand more than 20 hours a day.
"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," said Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson.
Supervised autonomous operations between Detmar’s facility in Midland, Texas, and Capital Sand’s mining site in Monahans will begin early next year. Once Aurora deploys its second fleet of driverless trucks, expected in Q2 2026, trips for Detmar will transition to driverless operations without anyone on board. Alongside its human-operated fleet and network of independent contractors, Detmar also plans to own and operate an expanded fleet of Aurora Driver-powered trucks in the future as the technology is adopted and more broadly deployed.
“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.”
The route combines high-speed driving on Interstate 20 with local and private roads surrounding Detmar’s facility and the mining site. Notably, Aurora is delivering advanced capabilities at the mining site, including autonomously navigating overhead filling silos for proppant loading.
