Trucks transport construction materials at the new QTS Eagle Mountain Data Center under construction on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 in Eagle Mountain, Utah, USA. QTS Realty Trust Inc. is a carrier-neutral, multi-tenant data center owner, developer, and operator.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
While there is a heated national debate in the United States about the cost of AI data centers and who will benefit from them, one industry that is often overlooked as one where AI has boosted business is trucking.
Despite appearances, sprawling data centers haven’t just sprouted from fields. All the components that enter a data center, from HVAC systems to plumbing, wiring, and semiconductors, arrive primarily by truck (or train, then truck). And AI is offering some respite for a transportation business hurt by a spate of trade war tariffs and soaring diesel fuel prices, which hit an all-time high of $5.85 a gallon on Friday due to the Iran war.
“With this backdrop, AI and data center activity presents an opportunity for fleets,” said Patrick Brennan, senior vice president at Cox Fleet, a fleet management solutions provider. While overall freight demand remains uneven, AI is providing some needed stability, he said. Equipment-driven growth, whether it’s data centers or defense and semiconductor projects, is inherently freight-generating, he said.
Some niches in the trucking industry benefit more than others. The most well-documented impact is an increase in the transportation of materials in conjunction with data centers, which is reflected in production indices and individual carrier earnings commentary. Truckload rates are skyrocketing as the capacity squeeze extends to this part of the market.
“This impact will be most pronounced in flatbed and heavy freight, where spot rates reached multi-year highs this summer and construction-heavy markets are seeing the tightest capacity.” “Flatbeds and heavy vessels have completely fallen off since last year, and that’s where the demand from builders is most concentrated,” he added.
Because decisions about where to build these projects are often determined by factors such as power and land costs, the advent of AI will also reshape trucking lanes, moving much of that cargo to markets that are not traditional freight hubs. “This not only adds volume, but also changes the shape of the root,” Brennan says.
The increase in large-scale construction projects is creating additional demand for skilled transportation and vehicle personnel, as well as drivers.
“These projects require the movement of heavy equipment, generators, transformers, cooling systems, construction materials and support infrastructure, increasing demand for CDL drivers, diesel technicians, vehicle maintenance specialists and logistics personnel,” Brennan said.
All of this is creating competition for already shrinking talent, resulting in longer specialist hiring schedules, increased recruitment activity, increased demand for maintenance capabilities as fleets fly more frequently and equipment is added to support project-related cargo. And of course, the more miles you drive, the more maintenance you need to do.
Small trucking companies get a boost, but funding is tight
Jennifer Lockett, manager of freight factoring at transportation finance company Altline, says big trucking companies aren’t the only ones experiencing an AI boom. Small and medium-sized businesses in this sector are also exploring new business, but not without growing pains.
“Data center construction is creating new jobs for carriers, especially moving the huge transformers and generators, as well as the tons of concrete and other construction materials needed to power these facilities,” Lockett said.
The size and specialized nature of these loads can also create opportunities for airlines to take on new customers and routes. And for smaller airlines, these projects mean more reliable cargo transportation and opportunities to expand into new lanes. “However, additional trucks, drivers and equipment may also be needed to handle the increased volume, which can strain cash flow, especially if carriers take on large customers or incur upfront costs for fuel, labor and maintenance before receiving paychecks,” Lockett said.
Telecommunications carriers will need more working capital to manage their growth and additional costs. “Still, the bigger story is how much new freight activity these projects can create for the trucking business,” Lockett said.
Construction of a $16 billion data center developed by Associated Digital for Oracle and Open AI in Saline, Michigan.
Jim West | Universal Images Group | Getty Images
New trucking businesses related to data centers are spilling over into the entire freight ecosystem. Increased construction in a region can increase demand for fuel, construction materials, new drivers, and increase trucking activity throughout the surrounding region.
Janelle Griffith, global logistics practice leader at global risk management firm Marsh, said Georgia and Texas are currently experiencing a surge in trucking traffic and routes.
“A lot of it is in rural areas,” Griffith said, pointing to research showing that 67 percent of planned data center developments are in rural areas and 39 percent of planned facilities are located in counties where no facilities currently exist.
Comparison of current freight demand and post-construction reduction rate
Griffiths said the impact goes beyond the proliferation of flatbed leases, and that data centers themselves are just one component of a larger AI trucking renaissance that is impacting far-flung areas of the economy. “If you think about the supply chain, the data center is the center of the supply chain, not the end. It creates a ripple effect,” Griffiths said, adding that the impact also ripples through to truck drivers, storage facilities and warehouses. “Every step of the data center itself creates opportunities,” Griffiths added.
Even when equipment and components can be brought in by rail, they typically must be transported by truck from the rail terminal to the job site. “A lot of the stuff that goes into building a data center is moved by rail, and trucks get it from the destination to the building, but the demand hasn’t decreased, it’s just shortened the distance,” said Kyle Roberts, vice chairman of industrial, logistics and capital markets at commercial real estate advisory firm Newmark Mountain West. He added that the short-haul aspect of many data center components is particularly helping the LTL segment. The LTL segment has been in decline for some time, most notably with the Yellow Truck bankruptcy in 2024.
But industry experts are also wary of a potential overreaction to the AI trucking boom. Even if it’s a new business, many AI data center-related businesses have an expiration date, so communities should be wary of rushing to rebuild their entire infrastructure to accommodate freight transportation.
Roberts said once a data center is built, there will be a “tremendous drop” in truck traffic to it. Once built, data centers require only a fraction of truck traffic compared to a typical 200,000 square foot warehouse or distribution center with 80 dock doors and two turns per day.
“Unlike large retail stores or other warehouses that support the distribution of physical goods, data centers require relatively little logistics support after construction,” said Kaire Lahtinen, associate professor of finance at Wake Forest University. He said communities experiencing a trucking boom should be careful about how much infrastructure they build and whether the demand will continue after the construction phase ends.
For now, the AI ecosystem is so active that truckers can simply move on to the next job.
“There’s a large ecosystem out there, and all of those components have demand for trucking,” Roberts said. “This is a very positive impact,” Roberts said.
