The tariff-fueled surge of cargo into the busiest U.S. port complex is over. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in August handled 944,832 import containers, measured in 20-foot equivalent units. That is a big import volume in a normal year, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes, but it is down 6.6% from a record in July when the ports handled more than 1 million boxes. 

U.S. seaports have juggled wild swings in cargo volumes as on-again, off-again tariffs prompted importers to switch between rushing in merchandise and pausing orders. The Port of L.A. expects cargo volumes to fall further in September and October because retailers have brought in most of their year-end merchandise to get ahead of tariffs. The National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker forecasts that import volumes will fall by December to their lowest level in almost three years.

• Japan’s exports to the U.S. fell nearly 14% last month due to tariffs and lower demand for autos and chip-making machines. (WSJ)
• The Panama Canal Authority said tariff-linked frontloading this year and lower demand will keep daily transits of commercial vessels below the waterway’s capacity in 2026. (Journal of Commerce)
• Apple has talked with suppliers about possibly building a test production line for foldable iPhones in Taiwan, and mass producing them in India. (Nikkei Asia)

AI-driven route planning has helped some major U.S. freight companies cut fuel use in ground vehicles by 5% to 10% by cutting the miles trucks must travel. Recent studies show the whole ground-freight industry could cut its emissions by 10% to 15%, writes Amy Jaffe Myers, the director of the Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab at the NYU School of Professional Studies. 

AI can analyze traffic in real time, and is getting better at guiding vehicles away from fuel-wasting congestion, she writes in the WSJ Climate Technology Report. It can help predict which goods people will order, and where and when, allowing online retailers to stock distribution centers according to probable local demand, cutting delivery miles.

Airlines use AI to analyze wind conditions in real time to cut fuel use, minimize wind resistance, make the most of tailwinds and avoid turbulence. Airlines say these and other practices have cut emissions by 3% to 10% a year. At sea, AI intelligence can calculate the best times for ships to “slow steam”: A 10% drop in speed cuts fuel use by 20%. Improving traffic at ports can also cut down on wasted fuel.

• Alaska Airlines and American Airlines are set to be the cornerstone investors in a $150 million sustainable aviation-fuel fund to be managed by the Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures. (WSJ)

The Federal Reserve approved a quarter-point interest rate cut, reducing the benchmark rate to a range between 4% and 4.25%, the lowest level in almost three years. (WSJ)

The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.5%, trying to add juice to an economy squeezed by shifts in U.S. trade policy. (WSJ)

U.S. housing starts fell to 1.307 million in August from an upwardly revised 1.429 million the month before, amid high mortgage rates and uncertainty over building-materials prices. (WSJ)

Indonesia’s central bank surprised markets by continuing its rate-cutting cycle amid domestic political uncertainty. (WSJ)

The EU wants to suspend preferential tariffs on over a third of Israeli goods exported to the bloc amid the Gaza crisis. (WSJ)

China’s cybersecurity regulator urged tech firms to avoid one of Nvidia’s newest chips, escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. (WSJ)

Volkswagen made its "last, best" offer to UAW-represented hourly workers at its plant in Tennessee, leaving it to the union whether to put it to a vote. (WSJ)

China’s Chery Automobile plans to raise up to $1.2 billion through an IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange. (WSJ)

I Squared Capital agreed to acquire a majority stake in battery-part maker Entek Technology, valuing the company at over $1 billion. (WSJ)

Lyft and Alphabet’s Waymo are teaming up to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in Nashville, Tenn., starting next year. (WSJ)

New Fortress Energy reached a deal worth $4 billion to supply liquefied natural gas to Puerto Rico for seven years. (Bloomberg)

Turkish Cargo launched a two-tier aviation-logistics service to ship spare parts and more advanced engines and helicopter components. (Air Cargo News)

The Trump administration filed notice to seek comments for a review next year of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which took effect in 2020. (SupplyChainBrain)

Japan’s Nissen Kaiun took a stake of undisclosed size in Dutch wind-assisted propulsion company Econowind. (Seatrade Maritime News)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is restarting programs to study how splitting up required rest-break time affects truck drivers. (Transport Topics)

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.