The Load Letter

Andrew
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The love letter is a daily freight industry briefing built specifically for freight brokers. Every episode cuts through the noise and delivers only what matters: - spot rates - capacity shifts - shipper behavior - regulatory changes - market intel All framed around how it affects your freight or your brokerage. Hosted by a freight industry insider, built for freight brokers who are too busy to read everything but can afford to miss nothing.

  1. 22h ago

    July 14, 2026 | Oil spike, stockpiling surge, and the Gordie Howe Bridge opening

    Brent crude surged nearly 15% in two days and diesel is at $4.58 a gallon, and brokers need to check FSC table alignment on contract lanes before carriers come knocking. Manufacturing backlogs are at their highest since late 2022 as businesses stockpile ahead of a volatile second half, setting up a capacity tightening story for Q3. Also covered: the Gordie Howe Bridge opens July 27th and what it means for US-Canada Midwest lanes, DP World's Hormuz bypass port plans, a Project44 split targeting LSPs directly, the General Mills supply chain overhaul, and an Illinois class-action suit on contractor classification. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com.

  2. 1d ago

    July 13, 2026 | Hormuz Closure Hits Freight: Rates, Ports, and Carriers

    Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz and attacked a container ship in the Gulf, sending oil prices higher and putting immediate pressure on fuel surcharges, drayage lanes, and carrier relationships across every mode. Diesel is already at $4.58 a gallon with upward momentum, import volumes were running hot from tariff front-running before this shock hit, and brokers near major port markets need to move now. Also covered: Toyota's Tacoma production shift to San Antonio and what the Texas manufacturing buildout means for flatbed capacity, plus a note on the Transport Topics relaunch. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com.

  3. 4d ago

    July 10, 2026 | Spot Rates Beat Contract as Capacity Tightens

    Dry van spot rates have topped contract rates for the first time since 2022, and DAT says it's a capacity crunch, not a demand surge, which means brokers need to renegotiate their worst contract lanes now. The episode also covers a seven-month streak of Class 8 order growth, EPA's proposed NOx and 2027 emissions rollback, over $11 million in stolen truckloads recovered by Indiana State Police, a capacity flip on Mexico produce crossings through South Texas, and a new autonomous trucking route launching in Texas. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com.

  4. 5d ago

    July 9, 2026 | Rates Hit a Record, But It's a Supply Story

    Trucking capacity conditions just hit their strongest reading ever, but DAT's ton-mile data shows the rate surge is being driven by trucks leaving the market, not by stronger shipper demand, so brokers need to play carrier and shipper conversations differently this week. Also covered: a shaky Iran ceasefire pushing diesel and fuel surcharge risk higher, the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger talk that could reshape long-haul dry van lanes, a pre-tariff import surge set to flood ports and drayage capacity before the July 24th deadline, a capacity flip on South Texas reefer crossings, and a soft May tonnage reading on flatbed. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com

  5. 6d ago

    July 8, 2026 | Diesel Spikes as Crude Jumps 6% on Iran News

    Crude oil jumped six percent overnight after Trump said the Iran ceasefire is over, pushing diesel to $4.92 a gallon and forcing brokers into fuel surcharge conversations before their margins take the hit. This episode also covers a legal ruling widening broker liability around carrier vetting, an early and uneven ocean peak season driving up transpacific rates, DAT data showing today's rate spike is capacity-driven rather than demand-driven, the new Savannah port freight corridor opening July 16th, and a major drug seizure at the Hidalgo border crossing. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com

  6. Jul 7

    July 7, 2026 | $10M Cargo Theft Ring Exposes Carrier Vetting Gaps

    Eight defendants face charges in a $10 million cargo theft conspiracy built on carrier impersonation, and brokers who skip verification steps could be next in the crosshairs. This episode also covers new fraud-fighting tech from InMotion Global and SearchCarriers, softening ISM services data flagging risk in ag-adjacent lanes, Toyota's Tacoma production shift from Mexico to San Antonio, Lovesac and La-Z-Boy's moves on contract freight and distribution hubs, and what weak Greenbrier railcar earnings signal for truck-intermodal conversion. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter, theloadletter.com

  7. Jul 6

    July 6, 2026 | Montgomery Case Reopens, Broker Liability Back in Play

    The Montgomery case just got sent back to district court in Illinois, and it's set to keep broker liability exposure front and center for the rest of the year, so carrier vetting paperwork needs to be airtight. This episode also covers Mexico's incoming customs crackdown on cross-border freight, why top carriers are getting pickier about which brokers they'll run for, Descartes' acquisition of Drivin and rising integration expectations, and how Lovesac and La-Z-Boy are reshaping capacity buying and distribution networks amid elevated diesel prices. New briefing every morning from The Load Letter — theloadletter.com

  8. Jul 3

    The Load Letter — July 3, 2026

    Working a desk on the Friday before the Fourth? Good — because CargoNet is flagging elevated theft risk starting right now, and organized theft groups specifically target this weekend when staffing is thin, facilities are closed, and loaded trailers sit unattended. Today's briefing covers what to do before your freight moves tonight, Highway requiring ELD hookups for all carriers post-Montgomery and which carriers are about to become unbookable if you don't audit your active list now, and the Southeast reefer market reorganizing in real time — Florida gone, Georgia carrying the region almost alone, South Texas capacity patchier than it looks on the load board. We also get into port truckers still getting crushed at the major container ports and how to use that pricing window without burning the dray relationships you'll need when volumes snap, Idaho eliminating non-domiciled CDLs as another slow-moving friction point in driver supply, and McCormick taking a $28 million tariff refund and immediately allocating it to offset logistics costs — a tell on exactly how tight food and beverage shipper margins are right now. One call to your shipper this morning is worth more than a cargo claim conversation next week.

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About

The love letter is a daily freight industry briefing built specifically for freight brokers. Every episode cuts through the noise and delivers only what matters: - spot rates - capacity shifts - shipper behavior - regulatory changes - market intel All framed around how it affects your freight or your brokerage. Hosted by a freight industry insider, built for freight brokers who are too busy to read everything but can afford to miss nothing.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Andrew
  • Show Website
    The Load Letter