EPISODE · Jun 2, 2026 · 7 MIN
The Load Letter — June 2, 2026
from The Load Letter · host Andrew
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 relationships through a rate increase. We also get into why flatbed is holding firm at $2.89 with copper and aluminum prices rising on Iran war demand — and why nickel-and-diming your best flatbed carriers right now is a decision you'll regret in July. Plus a June 8th tariff window on industrial and agricultural equipment that's about to trigger pull-forward freight on machinery and equipment lanes, the newly independent FedEx Freight having to prove itself to investors and what that means for marginal LTL lanes, and a new Target food DC in Colorado that's building consistent regional freight volume in the Mountain West before the RFP even hits. The market is firming underneath you. Stop pricing like it isn't.
What this episode covers
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 relationships through a rate increase. We also get into why flatbed is holding firm at $2.89 with copper and aluminum prices rising on Iran war demand — and why nickel-and-diming your best flatbed carriers right now is a decision you'll regret in July. Plus a June 8th tariff window on industrial and agricultural equipment that's about to trigger pull-forward freight on machinery and equipment lanes, the newly independent FedEx Freight having to prove itself to investors and what that means for marginal LTL lanes, and a new Target food DC in Colorado that's building consistent regional freight volume in the Mountain West before the RFP even hits. The market is firming underneath you. Stop pricing like it isn't.
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The Load Letter — June 2, 2026
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