Auto makers are accelerating efforts to rebuild depleted inventories. General Motors says it is boosting vehicle deliveries to dealerships by starting to release tens of thousands of trucks that had been parked awaiting parts. The WSJ’s Mike Colias writes the company is racing to restock record-low vehicle inventories at dealerships and tap into the surging demand for cars from U.S. shoppers. GM was able to pull some semiconductor deliveries forward into the second quarter to help lift production and ship vehicles that had been waylaid in parking lots near its U.S. factories. The company still expects the chip shortage to continue, but it’s optimistic it can make up ground in the second half of the year with strategies vehicle makers are using to maintain production lines and profits. At GM, that means prioritize production of large pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, its biggest money makers.

Yellow is facing more questions over the troubled trucker’s $700 million coronavirus-relief loan. A Democratic-led House oversight panel is investigating whether the aid that was shipped to the company was improperly issued and used. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Jennifer Smith writes the probe follows months of scrutiny by a separate bipartisan congressional panel into the loan to the less-than-truckload operator. The money accounted for almost all the federal aid during the pandemic to businesses deemed crucial to national security. For the company known until recently as YRC Worldwide, the backing was a lifeline, staving off a liquidity crisis and helping the carrier refresh its fleet with new trucks and trailers. Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Clyburn says that capital improvement raises questions because it may not be tied to coronavirus losses. Yellow is still lagging behind its LTL rivals and reported a $63.3 million loss in the first quarter.

Some metals miners are looking for new output in the dirt they left behind. Mining giants BHP Group and Freeport-McMoRan are among the latest investors in an obscure mining business that aims to extract copper out of mine waste. The WSJ’s Alistair MacDonald writes that Jetti Resources extracts copper out of mine waste, a potentially useful tactic as prices for the commodity rally and forecasts suggest demand will outstrip supply in the coming years. Jetti says its technology for digging out so-called lost copper could ease a looming shortage. That could have significant economic implications since copper is central to the construction and manufacturing sectors. Potential shortages of copper could be a problem for green technologies that use the metal. Total demand for copper is forecast to increase 40% by 2030 but no new copper mines have been approved.
 

New weekly jobless claims in the U.S. have dropped by 35% since late April. (WSJ)

A measure of U.S. service-sector activity reached its highest level in its 24-year history. (WSJ)

China’s yuan is at its highest point against the dollar since 2018 and approaching a record high. (WSJ)

President Biden is signaling he could accept a narrower infrastructure package that doesn’t include raising the corporate tax rate. (WSJ)

United Airlines says it will buy 15 supersonic passenger jets being developed by Boom Technology. (WSJ)

The FBI is investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over campaign fundraising when he was CEO of New Breed Logistics. (WSJ)

The Biden administration expanded the list of Chinese companies barred from American investment. (WSJ)

Production at JBS meat-processing plants in Australia is coming back online faster than expected. (WSJ)

The International Maritime Organization has worked with shipping companies to delay and water down climate regulations, even as emissions from commercial vessels rise. (New York Times)

Growth in U.S. logistics market activity slowed from a high level in May while warehousing capacity declined for a ninth straight month. (DC Velocity)

Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat Group is buying an Australian iron ore mine to secure a stable supply of raw materials. (Nikkei Asia)

Food supplier J.M. Smucker expects its inventories to remain lean over the next six months amid ongoing supply-chain challenges. (Dow Joneswires)

IHS Markit says the orderbook for new container ships is at a five-year high. (Journal of Commerce)

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is buying four more ultra-large container ships from Chinese shipyards. (The Loadstar)

Container ship charter rates are soaring to record highs, with one vessel going for more than $100,000 a day. (Lloyd’s List)

More shipping lines are dropping calls at China’s Yantian port amid worsening congestion. (Seatrade Maritime)

An accident involving an Orient Overseas Container Lines ship sent two large gantry cranes crashing at Taiwan’s Port of Kaohsiung. (Splash 247)

Almost 90% of distributors in a survey say e-commerce investment is a high priority this year, up from about 70% last year. (Industrial Distribution) 

Boston-based Realtime Robotics raised $31.4 million in backing for its technology managing movement of industrial robots. (VentureBeat)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @jensmithWSJ, @CostasParis. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.