The Load Letter — June 9, 2026

ISM Manufacturing PMI hit 54.0 in May — strongest reading since 2022 — and that's your green light for industrial dry van and flatbed lanes heading into the back half of the year. Today's briefing covers where to build carrier relationships right now before the volume shows up and you're scrambling, and the catch buried in the import data: the NRF is flagging a front-loaded container surge this month that's forecast to drop below last year's levels in the fall — borrowed demand you don't want to build your Q3 forecast around. We also get into California citrus and Florida reefer running hot with Dallas up 20% and the margin window closing fast, ArcBest dropping a 5.9% LTL general rate increase mid-quarter and why your fuel surcharge language needs a look this week before the cost floor rises under you, and Amazon leaning hard into fraud protection ahead of Prime Day as a signal that carrier vetting is becoming a competitive differentiator with shippers. Manufacturing is the signal. Ride the import wave, protect your margins, and don't let a strong June write a check your fall can't cash.