Kodiak advances driverless trucks for triple-trailer hauling

Kodiak has launched driverless technology for hauling triple trailers with Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin, where the trucks move frac sand from depots to well sites. The configuration stretches 50 meters from front bumper to rear trailer and can weigh 275,000 pounds when full.

The trucks are operating within Atlas’ fleet of 35 driverless trucks with no humans in the cab as of June 30, 2026. Kodiak says triple trailers let Atlas haul 50 percent more sand than double trailers, addressing a logistics challenge in a remote region where qualified drivers with the required licensing and ‘T’ endorsement are in short supply.

Developing the system required upgrades across perception, planning, controls, simulation, systems and offboard infrastructure. Kodiak trained its AI-powered driving system to track multiple trailer articulations, guide the vehicle through a six-meter gap, compensate for brake pressure that takes about one-and-a-half seconds to reach the rear, and account for loads that can fall to 75,000 pounds when empty.

Kodiak says its Probabilistic Risk Assessment is used to evaluate collision risk and edge cases as the system gathers data. Since launching triples in February, the Kodiak Driver has carried more than 1,400 loads in that configuration, while Atlas plans to expand its Kodiak-powered fleet to 100 trucks by the middle of next year.