As America has an intense national debate about the cost of AI data centers and who stands to benefit
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Sprawling data centers don't sprout from fields, even if it seems that way.
Key facts
- And for a freight business that has been hurt by successive rounds of trade war tariffs and surging diesel fuel prices which hit an all-time high of $5.85 a gallon on Friday because of the Iran war
- A lot of it is rural," Griffith said, pointing to research that shows 67 percent of planned data center developments are in rural areas and 39 percent of planned facilities are located in counties
- He added that the short haul aspect of a lot of the data center components has especially helped the LTL segment, which has been soft for some time, most notably seen in the 2024 bankruptcy of Yellow
- Against that backdrop, AI and data center activity presents an opportunity for fleets," said Patrick Brennan, senior vice president of fleet management solutions provider Cox Fleet
Summary
As America has an intense national debate about the cost of AI data centers and who stands to benefit, one often overlooked industry that has seen a boost in business from AI is trucking. "Against that backdrop, AI and data center activity presents an opportunity for fleets," said Patrick Brennan, senior vice president of fleet management solutions provider Cox Fleet. Some niches within the trucking sector benefit more than others. "The effect shows up most in flatbed and heavy haul, where spot rates have hit multiyear highs this summer and capacity is tightest in construction-heavy markets," Brennan said.