The U.S. collected $30.1 billion in customs duties in August, a new monthly record, the Treasury Department said.

Gross customs duties collected since October, the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year, came to $171.9 billion—also a record, The Wall Street Journal’s Anthony DeBarros writes. That is nearly $96 billion greater than during the same period in the prior fiscal year, and reflects the Trump administration’s higher tariffs on imports.

Aiming to get ahead of additional tariffs, North American manufacturers stockpiled raw materials and components last month, pushing up a measure of supply-chain pressure to its highest level in two-and-a-half years.

The WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes that the surge in GEP’s North America stockpiling index to 0.26 was fueled by American companies pulling forward goods because of tariff-driven increases in purchasing costs. That contrasted with the rest of the world, where supply-chain pressures are eased as manufacturing activity softened in Asia and Europe, the GEP analysis says. 

• Canada will throw its weight behind five underway mining, energy and infrastructure projects as part of an economic revamp aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on a protectionist U.S. (WSJ)
• Kroger said it is trying to hold the line on passing price increases along to grocery shoppers, which has included shouldering tariff-related costs. (WSJ)
• RH trimmed its full-year outlook as the furniture retailer contends with higher tariff-related costs and uncertainty. (WSJ)

President Trump nominated a new board member to the railroad regulator weighing the proposed $71.5 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.  The move comes a month after the ouster of a Democratic board member and signals the deal is likely to be approved, the Journal’s Esther Fung writes.

Senior administration officials earlier this week met with Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena and expressed support for the tie-up, Vena told investors. Trump’s new pick to serve on the Surface Transportation Board is Richard Kloster, president of transportation consulting company Integrity Rail Partners. The Senate must confirm his nomination. 

Trump last month fired Robert Primus, a Democrat who was nominated to the board by Trump in 2020 and who later opposed the tie-up of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern.

American soybean growers have a big problem on their hands: The world’s biggest buyer doesn’t want any, with just weeks before the harvest of tens of millions of tons of the crop begins.

China has been one of the biggest buyers of American agricultural products, the Journal’s Jon Emont and Patrick Thomas write. Nearly a quarter of the more than 4 billion bushels of soybeans U.S. farmers grow each year are exported to China, which is by far the world’s biggest soy importer. It imported nearly $13 billion of soybeans from the U.S. last year

Now, soy has emerged as a potent weapon that Beijing is wielding in its trade fight with Washington. Chinese buyers haven’t booked any U.S. soybean purchases, turning instead to Brazilian suppliers. Chinese negotiators have suggested that the nation would buy more U.S. soybeans as part of talks aimed at ending the trade war.

The number of Americans who filed for initial unemployment benefits jumped to 263,000 last week, hitting the highest level since October 2021. (WSJ)

Mortgage rates fell this week to their lowest level in nearly a year on expectations that the Fed will cut rates next week, offering the housing market some relief. (WSJ)

The European Central Bank held its key deposit rate at 2%, awaiting clarity on the impact of Trump’s tariffs on growth and inflation. (WSJ)

U.K. house sales slowed in August, with the decline expected to continue in coming months. (WSJ)

Indonesia’s new finance minister plans to inject $12 billion into the economy to boost growth. (WSJ)

The immigration raid on Hyundai Motor’s Georgia battery plant is expected to set back construction by two or three months. (WSJ)

The International Energy Agency forecast a larger global oil surplus, revising estimates to 2.7 million barrels a day this year. (WSJ)

Barrick Mining is selling its Hemlo gold mine in Canada to investment firm Carcetti Capital for up to $1.09 billion. (WSJ)

The U.S. imposed sanctions on three dozen individuals, entities and vessels in its largest such action to date targeting Yemen’s Houthi militants. (Dow Jones Risk Journal)

Oil-field services companies are getting into the electricity business to help power the growth of AI data centers. (WSJ)

Oregon’s Port of Portland sealed a deal to save container service at its Terminal 6, with California’s Harbor Industrial agreeing to lease the facility. (The Oregonian)

Work began to reopen a shipping channel at California’s Port of Long Beach after about 75 containers fell off a berthed vessel there earlier this week. (Lloyd’s List)

United Parcel Service is offering peak shipping season discounts to small and midsize businesses in an agreement with American Express. (SupplyChainDive)

Boeing reached a tentative deal with striking union defense workers in St. Louis. The agreement is subject to a final vote on Friday. (Investor’s Business Daily)

The Wan Hai 503 containership found refuge in Dubai, more than three months after an explosion and fire off the coast of India that left four crew members missing or dead. (Seatrade Maritime News)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans a sweeping study of fatal heavy truck crashes to help develop strategies to improve highway safety. (Transport Topics)

Chantier Davie Canada is establishing a U.S. unit, Davie Defence, and will spend about $1 billion to overhaul a Texas shipyard to produce new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard. (Globe & Mail)

Michigan’s Roush Industries delivered its first autonomous truck outfitted with a Kodiak Robotics driverless system to Atlas Energy Solutions in Texas. (DBusiness)

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at mark.long@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long, Liz Young and Paul Berger.