The Load Letter — May 29, 2026

What this episode covers

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 and rising dry van rates is a signal that the floor is in and the "market is soft, I have leverage" argument is running out of runway, and Permian Basin flatbed picking back up with energy-adjacent corridors absorbing capacity fast. We also get into carriers quietly raising driver pay across the board and what that means for your carrier base over the next 90 days, Brent crude pulling back to $92 on ceasefire signals with 80 tankers still stuck in Hormuz, and a $10 billion USPS last-mile contract from DHL that's reshaping parcel economics in real time. Heading into the weekend, watch the dry van disconnect — it resolves one way or another, and the direction tells you everything about the back half of the year.

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