CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2023	Mar. 31, 2022
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 691,142	$ 74,537
Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	619,352	60,990
Depreciation and amortization attributable to costs of revenues	4,337	1,027
Gross profit	67,453	12,520
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	41,942	12,149
Depreciation and amortization attributable to operating expenses	1,016	409
Total operating expenses	42,958	12,558
Income (loss) from operations	24,495	(38)
Other income (expense):
Other income	1,653	472
Loss on change in value of derivative warrant liability	(9,185)	(3,579)
Interest expense	(12,477)	(4,221)
Total other expense	(20,009)	(7,328)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax	4,486	(7,366)
Income tax benefit (expense)	(1,013)	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations	3,473	(7,366)
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax (see note 23)	50,340	6,557
Net income (loss)	53,813	(809)
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest from continuing operations	(50)	(68)
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest from discontinued operations	0	3,807
Net income (loss) attributable to Vertex Energy, Inc.	53,863	(4,548)
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interest to redemption value from continued operations	0	(421)
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders from continuing operations	3,523	(7,719)
Net income attributable to common shareholders from discontinued operations, net of tax	50,340	2,750
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders, basic	53,863	(4,969)
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders diluted	$ 53,863	$ (4,969)
Basic income (loss) per common share
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.05	$ (0.12)
Discontinued operations, net of tax (in dollars per share)	0.66	0.04
Basic income (loss) per common share (in dollars per share)	0.71	(0.08)
Diluted income (loss) per common share
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	0.04	(0.12)
Discontinued operations, net of tax (in dollars per share)	0.64	0.04
Diluted income (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.68	$ (0.08)
Shares used in computing earnings per share
Basic (in shares)	75,689	63,372
Diluted (in shares)	78,996	63,372