100 Kodiak driverless trucks are headed for public roads

Atlas Energy Solutions is expanding its fleet of Kodiak-powered driverless trucks across Texas and New Mexico. The trucks already haul sand to oil and gas well sites without anyone inside the cab.

Now, Atlas and Kodiak plan to grow the fleet from 28 driverless trucks to 100 by mid-2027. They also expect the trucks to begin operating on public roads in early 2027. However, that timeline still depends on operational milestones.

The expansion gives us a clearer look at how driverless trucking could move from private industrial roads onto highways.

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Atlas previously operated its driverless trucks from one load-out location at a time. It now runs them simultaneously from two depots about 90 minutes apart. One site is in Texas while the other is in New Mexico. The wider footprint lets Atlas reach more well sites across the Permian Basin. It can also respond faster when customers need more sand delivered. The operation connects with Atlas' 42-mile Dune Express conveyor system. That system moves sand closer to the well sites before the trucks complete the final portion of the trip.

Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak, said the two companies have built the world's largest fleet of driverless big-rig trucks: "Together, Atlas and Kodiak have deployed the world's largest fleet of driverless big-rig trucks. We've demonstrated that autonomous trucking is delivering meaningful results today. Our expanding partnership, which now covers two unique locations, is creating a blueprint for how autonomy can transform logistics by improving efficiency, increasing productivity, and delivering lasting value for customers at commercial scale."

As of March 31, 2026, Atlas's driverless program operated 28 driverless trucks across 15 routes. Those trucks had carried about 7,000 loads and hauled more than 450,000 tons of sand. The fleet also logged more than 23,500 driverless operating hours during the first quarter of 2026. On July 20, Kodiak-powered trucks delivered 176 loads in one day. The companies called it a daily record for the 18-month deployment.

Earlier in 2026, Kodiak and Atlas also introduced a driverless truck that can pull three connected trailers. The combined loaded weight tops 135 tons. That kind of load would grab anyone's attention. It also raises an obvious question. What happens when these trucks leave private roads and begin driving beside the rest of us?

Kodiak plans to launch driverless highway operations by the end of 2026. Atlas expects its Kodiak-equipped fleet to follow onto public highways in 2027. The company is not alone in moving toward humanless highway freight. A separate autonomous truck recently completed a 230-mile commercial delivery in Texas with nobody in the cab.

Burnette told CyberGuy that other motorists should not expect unusual behavior from Kodiak-powered trucks: "Kodiak-powered trucks already operate autonomously on highways across the southern United States with a safety driver in the cab to oversee the system.The Kodiak Driver is engineered to be a safe and cautious driver and to follow normal driving etiquette, so other motorists should not notice anything unusual."

That may sound reassuring. Still, most drivers will want more than a smooth lane change before they feel comfortable beside a truck with no human behind the wheel. CyberGuy recently took a closer look at whether autonomous trucks can make highways safer, including Kodiak's arguments about fatigue, distracted driving and real-world testing.

The Permian Basin can be brutal on vehicles. Trucks can face triple-digit temperatures, dust storms, sudden flooding and high crosswinds. Dense morning fog can also make visibility difficult. Kodiak equips its trucks with a sensor suite built around cameras, with radar and lidar support. These systems give the truck a detailed view of the surrounding environment.

However, more sensors cannot make every condition safe. Burnette said the truck will stop instead of pushing through dangerous weather: "And if conditions aren't safe, the truck won't keep driving. It slows down and safely pulls over." Kodiak says its system responds to construction zones and emergency vehicles as part of normal driving. It also adjusts to changing road conditions. Severe fog or other hazardous weather can still stop an autonomous trip. According to Burnette, Kodiak-powered vehicles will remain parked when conditions become unsafe.

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A damaged component or communications failure can create a serious problem in any large truck. The stakes may feel even higher when nobody is sitting in the cab. Burnette said the Kodiak Driver checks both the truck and its autonomous system while it operates: "The Kodiak Driver continuously monitors the truck and its autonomous driving system. If it detects a critical problem, such as a mechanical, sensor or communications failure, it can execute a fallback maneuver that safely pulls the truck out of traffic and brings it to a stop in a safe location."

According to Burnette, "The health and safety of all trucks are overseen by Kodiak's command center, and a human can remotely provide assistance should a truck need additional help."

Kodiak also cites a safety evaluation from Nauto, an AI-powered fleet safety company. The Kodiak Driver earned a VERA safety score of 98 out of 100. That result tied for the highest score among more than 1,000 commercial fleets in Nauto's network. The other fleets used human drivers. The system earned a perfect score for inattentive driving and high-risk driving. It also earned 100 for traffic violations. Its aggressive driving score was 95. You can read CyberGuy's full breakdown of the Kodiak Driver's independent safety score. Burnette pointed to the evaluation in his response: "We are proud that an independent evaluation by Nauto, a leader in AI-powered fleet safety technology, gave Kodiak the highest score in a safety study, tying for first place and outperforming 1,000 human-driven fleets."

Driverless trucks create another concern that has nothing to do with rain or road debris. A connected vehicle can become a cybersecurity target. Kodiak does not publicly detail every safeguard. Publishing a complete security blueprint could help attackers. Burnette said Kodiak treats cybersecurity as part of its safety work: "Cybersecurity is something we take extremely seriously because safety starts long before a truck ever reaches the road."

He said Kodiak uses multiple security layers and continuously watches for suspicious activity. The company also tightly limits access to its systems. "We build multiple layers of security into our vehicles and systems to help protect against unauthorized access, and we continuously monitor for unusual activity. For security reasons, we don't discuss the specific safeguards we use or how they're implemented. But access to the systems is tightly controlled and if it detects something unusual, it will bring itself to a safe stop rather than continuing to operate." Kodiak's public technology materials say the company isolates safety-critical functions from external communication ports. It also says it protects vehicle infrastructure with end-to-end encryption.

You probably will not wake up tomorrow and find every delivery truck driving itself. Early public deployments will likely focus on routes where operators already understand the conditions. Still, the Atlas expansion shows that fully driverless trucking has entered commercial service. These trucks are already working without a person in the cab.

The next major step will bring them onto roads used by commuters and families. Other truck drivers will also begin sharing lanes with autonomous rigs. For you, the biggest issue is how the system responds when normal driving suddenly becomes abnormal. Dangerous weather can change a trip in seconds. So can equipment failures, cyberattacks or unpredictable motorists.

Kodiak says its system will reduce speed and move toward a safe stop when conditions become unsafe. Human teams will also monitor the fleet through a command center. The technology could eventually affect deliveries and transportation costs. It may also change trucking jobs, an issue CyberGuy explored in a closer look at whether autonomous trucks could replace drivers by 2027.

As these vehicles reach public highways, transparency will become even more important. Drivers deserve clear information about crash reporting and emergency response. They also need to understand the limits of remote assistance. Regulators will need to test company safety claims against real-world results. A strong safety score provides a starting point, but public trust will depend on consistent performance over time.

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Kodiak and Atlas are rapidly expanding a commercial driverless truck operation that already moves heavy loads without anyone in the cab. The plan to grow from 28 trucks to 100 by mid-2027 shows how quickly autonomous trucking can scale inside a demanding industrial environment. Public highway use will bring a new level of scrutiny. Drivers will want answers about severe weather, system failures, public-road emergencies and cybersecurity. Kodiak says its trucks can stop when something goes wrong. Human teams also remain available through a command center. However, the technology must prove that those protections work reliably as more trucks enter service. The expansion could reshape how companies transport essential materials. Yet public trust will depend on what happens when these trucks encounter the unpredictable moments every driver knows too well.

Would you feel comfortable driving beside a 135-ton truck with no one in the cab if the company said its AI could handle the unexpected? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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