Trucking fuel and data‑center costs noted
Coverage called out higher trucking fuel costs and Microsoft data‑center moves as near‑term inputs that are reshaping transportation and real‑estate sector cost lines. ( )
Higher diesel prices and Microsoft’s shifting data-center plans are moving costs in two corners of the economy at the same time: freight lanes and industrial real estate. (eia.gov) (finance.yahoo.com) U.S. on-highway diesel averaged $5.608 a gallon on April 13, up $2.029 from a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administration. California was at $7.559 a gallon, while the West Coast average was $6.822. (eia.gov) Reuters reported on April 14 that fleets were paying an average $5.52 a gallon after discounts and surcharges, topping the prior record of $5.50 set in June 2022. The report said diesel is the second-largest operating expense for truckers and cited more than 3 million U.S. truckers moving 11.3 billion tons of freight in 2024. (money.usnews.com) On the property side, a February 24, 2025 Reuters report said TD Cowen analysts told clients Microsoft had canceled leases covering “a couple of hundred megawatts” of U.S. data-center capacity. Microsoft said its plan to spend more than $80 billion on artificial-intelligence and cloud capacity that fiscal year remained on track. (finance.yahoo.com) Those two inputs hit different line items. Fuel raises the day-to-day cost of moving goods, while data-center leasing and power availability change what landlords, utilities and tenants can charge or commit to over several years. (money.usnews.com) (cbre.com) In data centers, the constraint in 2026 is often electricity before land. CBRE said power cost and delivery speed now outweigh connectivity in site selection, and large projects can face interconnection timelines of 24 to 48 months or more. (cbre.com) JLL said global data-center construction costs have been rising at a 7% compound annual rate and estimated nearly 100 gigawatts of new capacity will be added between 2026 and 2030. The firm said landlords still hold leverage with global occupancy at 97% and tenants facing significant rent growth through 2030. (jll.com) Microsoft’s moves matter because hyperscalers use both leasing and self-building to add capacity. JLL said that dual strategy will remain standard, while Microsoft said it may “strategically pace or adjust” infrastructure in some areas even as overall growth continues. (jll.com) (finance.yahoo.com) The common thread is that both sectors are being repriced by inputs outside their direct control. Truckers cannot avoid diesel, and data-center developers cannot open new campuses without enough power on the right timeline. (money.usnews.com) (cbre.com) What happens next is less about a single earnings report than whether fuel prices cool and whether utilities can deliver power faster. Until then, carriers, landlords and large tenants are all budgeting around costs that no longer look temporary. (eia.gov) (cbre.com)
