The Load Letter — May 6, 2026 | Freight Market Briefing

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 capacity, and a Columbus corridor investigation with 195 carriers, 275 crashes, and a billion-dollar fraud connection that should put your onboarding process on high alert. We also get into DOT Blitz Week as a dry van rate catalyst, flatbed tonnage hitting a milestone that signals the freight recession may finally be breaking, and what P&G's $150M in Iran war supply disruption costs means for your import-heavy shippers. The market is moving fast — here's what to watch.