Atlas Energy Solutions to expand autonomous truck fleet to 100 by mid-2027

Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE: AESI) announced an expansion of its autonomous truck operations in the Permian Basin, adding a second simultaneous load-out point and agreeing to grow its driverless fleet from 28 to 100 vehicles by mid-2027 in partnership with Kodiak AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDK).

The company now operates driverless trucks at two locations in Texas and New Mexico, roughly 90 minutes apart, along its 42-mile Dune Express sand conveyor system. The expanded footprint allows Atlas to serve customers across a larger geographic area at the same time.

As of March 31, 2026, the fleet had operated across 15 distinct routes, completing approximately 7,000 loads and hauling more than 450,000 tons of sand. The fleet logged over 23,500 driverless hours in the first quarter of 2026. On July 20, Kodiak-powered trucks delivered 176 loads of sand in a single day, which the companies described as an all-time daily high across 18 months of driverless deployments.

Atlas and Kodiak also said they expect the fleet to operate on public roads by early 2027, subject to regulatory and operational milestones.

"This partnership with Kodiak is a critical part of the Atlas strategy to transform oilfield sand logistics through innovation," said John Turner, CEO and President of Atlas Energy Solutions.

Earlier in 2026, the two companies completed what they described as the first autonomous triple-trailer trucking operation, with a combined loaded weight of more than 135 tons.

"Together, Atlas and Kodiak have deployed the world's largest fleet of driverless big-rig trucks," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak.

Atlas uses the Kodiak Driver, an autonomous driving system developed by Kodiak AI, to haul proppant — sand used in oil and gas well completions — to well sites across the Permian Basin. The autonomous program began its initial driverless deployments in 2024.

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