The Load Letter

A New World screwworm detection in Texas has the USDA racing to establish a quarantine zone, and if you cover Laredo, McAllen, or anything moving north out of South Texas, border friction is coming before the rate board tells you about it. Today's briefing covers why that quarantine ripples beyond livestock into reefer and dry van out of the Texas crossings, California citrus running hot with...

The freight recovery isn't a maybe anymore — manufacturing is leading the upcycle, the U.S. Bank index confirms flat volumes with surging costs, and the engine driving it is industrial production, not consumer restocking. Today's briefing covers why your book needs to shift toward manufacturers and building products before those lane patterns are locked in, Brent crude jumping to $97 on U....

Dry van at $2.32, flatbed at $2.89, and Q2 rate reports landing across the board this morning — all pointing the same direction. Today's briefing covers the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index number that should stop every broker cold: flat Q1 volumes with surging shipper costs, which is the signature of tightening capacity, not rising demand, and exactly how to use that data to protect shipper re...

The market is getting pulled in every direction at once to start the week — Brent crude jumped 5% on Iran tensions and fuel surcharges are coming before Friday, South Texas reefer is still whipsawing 40% in either direction week to week, and FedEx Freight just debuted as a fully independent company with something to prove. Today's briefing covers how to get ahead of the surcharge conversation...

South Texas reefer posted a 40% spike followed by a 40% collapse in back-to-back weeks — and the lesson isn't just about one produce corridor, it's about what spot rate commitments in volatile seasonal lanes actually cost you when the cargo side dries up as fast as it ignited. Today's briefing covers how to read that whipsaw before it catches you again, why soft Cass Freight volumes an...

South Texas reefer just went through a 40% spike followed immediately by a 40% collapse in two weeks — and if you have produce lanes in your book, understanding what drove that whipsaw matters before it happens again. Today's briefing covers why South Texas reefer should be treated as a day-trading market right now, not a contract lane, the Supreme Court broker liability ruling one week in and...

Dry van rates are climbing even as freight volumes stay soft — and when rates move ahead of volume, it means carriers have enough pricing power that they don't need demand to catch up first. Today's briefing covers what that means for your shipper conversations and your carrier relationships right now, why Permian Basin flatbed is waking up fast and which corridors are going to tighten bef...

Welcome back from the long weekend — U.S. strikes on Iran sent Brent crude up 4% overnight and diesel at $3.72 is already yesterday's number. Today's briefing covers why dry van rates are firming ahead of volume in a way that historically means carriers are getting selective before shippers are ready to admit the market shifted, why flatbed at $2.87 a mile may not be the ceiling if Permian...

One week after the Supreme Court's unanimous broker liability ruling, truckload spot rates are already hitting all-time highs — because compliant, qualified carriers just became the only carriers serious brokers will touch, and everyone is competing for the same shrinking pool. Today's briefing covers what the ruling looks like in practice one week in, why FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs p...

Heading into Memorial Day weekend with Brent crude at $103, truck insurance premiums outpacing inflation by five points, and tonnage at its highest level since late 2022 — the market looks stable on the surface and is tightening underneath it. Today's briefing covers why carriers running thin margins are about to get very selective about what freight they take and at what rate, the reefer seas...

Oil jumped to $108 overnight, the DOJ just indicted four major Chinese container manufacturers on global price-fixing charges, and the ocean-to-air freight story is flipping in ways that will hit your domestic book within 60–90 days. Today's briefing covers what air-to-ocean conversions mean for West Coast drayage and intermodal volume, why a muted ocean peak season actually creates domestic s...

Spot truckload hit $3.55 a mile yesterday and capacity hasn't come back in after Roadcheck — and with Memorial Day weekend approaching, some forecasters are floating $5 a mile if carrier nervousness from the SCOTUS ruling and holiday demand hit at the same time. Today's briefing covers why Thursday is your deadline to lock in capacity commitments before the holiday freight push, how the Su...

Capacity is getting squeezed from multiple directions at once — Roadcheck enforcement, Supreme Court ruling ripple effects on carrier insurance, and oil sitting at $111 a barrel are all hitting the same pressure point simultaneously. Today's briefing covers why flatbed is the mode under the most stress right now, with a Fontaine Fusion trailer recall pulling equipment out of service on top of...

The Montgomery v. Caribe ruling landed Friday and the industry is still processing it — the Supreme Court unanimously stripped federal preemption protection from freight brokers, and your carrier vetting process is now your legal defense in a courtroom. Today's briefing breaks down what that means for your book, your insurance costs, and how you qualify carriers going forward. We also get into...

The Supreme Court ruled nine to zero against freight brokers this morning, and every broker in the country woke up in a different legal reality. The Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II decision strips away the federal preemption shield brokers have relied on for years — state-level negligent hiring claims are now fair game, it's national, and it's immediate. Today's briefing breaks down...

South Texas reefer rates just jumped as much as 59% as Florida's spring season fades and West Coast produce opens simultaneously — reefer capacity is being pulled in multiple directions at once, and the window to move on it is right now. Today's briefing covers why this is the moment for produce brokers to get in front of their carriers and shippers before the opportunity closes, what the...

Every cost input in this market is moving the wrong direction at the same time — crude jumped to $107 on Iran war pessimism, diesel is creeping higher, inflation just wiped out three years of wage gains, and air cargo spot rates exploded 30% in April. Today's briefing breaks down what that cost stack means for your margin, why a 30% surge in air cargo rates is a business development signal for...

The Persian Gulf just crossed from background noise into a live freight market variable — oil is at $103, a U.S.-managed bulk carrier took hostile fire, and the IEA is warning that even if Hormuz reopens, the damage to global trade confidence may be permanent. Today's briefing covers what that means for diesel prices, fuel surcharges, and your industrial shipper conversations this week. We als...

Shipper spending jumped 12.9% in Q1 with volumes essentially flat — that's your market context for everything happening right now, and it's your ammunition in every rate conversation you're having today. This morning's briefing covers Miami reefer lanes hitting maximum capacity with Mother's Day flowers, watermelon season, and RoadCheck all colliding at once, why dry van broker...

Oil dropped nearly four percent on Iran ceasefire reports this morning — but one day's price move doesn't unwind months of elevated fuel costs, and shippers are already lining up for contract relief conversations. Today's briefing covers what the Hormuz pause actually means for your FSC math, why RoadCheck blitz week in a tightening dry van market is a rate catalyst you need to act on...

Fuel swung hard in both directions this week — gas up 31 cents in a single day, then Brent crude dropped twelve dollars after China pushed for a ceasefire — and that volatility is creating a lag problem in your FSC calculations right now. Today's briefing covers what that means for your rate conversations, why California carriers are at a breaking point and how you should be treating that capa...

The Strait of Hormuz isn't resolved, fuel costs are elevated, and the market is tightening faster than most brokers realize. Today's briefing covers what the latest Hormuz developments actually mean for your rates, a cargo theft scheme exploiting valid carrier authorities that should put your vetting process on notice, why DOT Blitz Week is a dry van rate catalyst you can use in shipper conversati...

Reefer demand is surging ahead of Mother's Day, Amazon just opened its full logistics network to every business in America, and intermodal weakness is creating openings for brokers. Today's briefing covers spot rates across all three equipment types, what the DAT reefer demand report means for your capacity planning this week, why Amazon Supply Chain Services going commercial is a busine...

Today's freight market briefing for brokers. In this episode: the stories moving the market today, what they mean for your brokerage, and the intel you need to make smarter moves. Spot rates, capacity shifts, regulatory updates, and industry news — all filtered through a freight broker lens so you get only what matters. The Load Letter is published daily for freight brokers who are too busy t...