Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Saia, Inc.:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements (Nos. 333-155805, 333-104929, 333-104694, 333-100649 and 333-188169) on Form S-8 of Saia, Inc. of our reports dated February 28, 2014 with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Saia, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2013, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, which reports appear in the December 31, 2013 annual report on
Form 10-K of Saia, Inc.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Atlanta, Georgia

February 28, 2014