Congress is on a fast track to head off a potential freight rail strike. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) says House lawmakers plan to vote on legislation today that would impose a tentative contract agreement that four rail unions have rejected, along with added benefits in ratified deals. The WSJ’s Katy Stech Ferek reports that sets up a likely vote well ahead of the Dec. 9 deadline, cutting off a showdown between the unions and major freight railroads that business groups say threatens the American economy. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) expects the legislation to pass, although some lawmakers have spoken out against a government intervention in the long-running contract talks. It would then go to the Senate. Rail shippers want quick action to prevent an interruption of services for carriers that handle big share of the country’s long-distance cargo and industrial feedstock for businesses from factories to farms.

• A potential rail strike looms. Here’s what to know. (WSJ)

The burgeoning supply-chain tech sector has a big new competitor. Amazon is joining the drive to bring more technology to the goods-management business with a new service through its Amazon Web Services operation. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes that the e-commerce behemoth is joining other big operators, including Microsoft, that are pushing into the effort to bring tighter control and efficiency to supply chains. They are joining established players like Blue Yonder, E2Open and Manhattan Associates, as well as growing operating services built into big platforms like those of SAP and Oracle. The technology-backed attempts to add efficiency and visibility to supply chains have accelerated during the pandemic, as disruptions highlighted gaps in the flows of everything from raw materials to finished consumer products. Amazon has a ready audience for its software with the thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses on its third-party marketplace.

• Amazon has started operating Rivian electric delivery vans in Seattle. (GeekWire)

U.S. efforts to build up the use of solar power are stuck at the docks. Several thousand shipping containers of solar panels have been detained by U.S. Customs near ports including Los Angeles, the WSJ’s Phred Dvorak reports, while even more are being held up in factories and ports from Vietnam to Malaysia or diverted to places such as Europe. The disruptions are the result of U.S. legislation aimed at cracking down on alleged labor abuses in China, which supplies the vast majority of panels in the U.S. Some big Chinese manufacturers have been avoiding Chinese silicon and using materials from American or German companies. But Customs officials are holding many panel shipments while they scrutinize documentation, and a trade group estimates that panels that could fill 4,000 shipping containers are likely stuck in warehouses at U.S. ports while the suppliers foot the bill for storage costs.

The an­nual rate of in­fla­tion in the eu­ro­zone fell in No­vember for the first time since mid-2021. (WSJ)

The number of U.S. shoppers choosing physical stores over the Thanksgiving weekend surged 17% from a year ago. (WSJ)

Florida developers are holding back projects because of skyrocketing insurance costs. (WSJ)

China’s auto manufacturing sector is being whipsawed by the country’s ongoing Covid lockdowns. (South China Morning Post)

Honda suspended operations at three automotive plants in Wuhan, China. (Nikkei Asia)

South Korea ordered about 2,500 striking truckers in the cement industry to return to work. (Reuters)

Germany struck a 15-year agreement with Qatar for liquefied natural gas supplies. (Splash 247)

Competition among truck freight brokers is increasingly focused on load-matching technology. (Bloomberg)

Missouri-based Orange EV is adding a manufacturing site in Kansas to expand its production of truck-terminal vehicles. (Transport Dive)

Locus Robotics raised $117 million in a Series F funding round that values the warehouse automation business at nearly $2 billion. (TechCrunch)

Values of older tankers have surged this year ahead of Europe’s embargo on Russian oil. (TradeWinds)

U.S. regulators approved a plan for East Coast seaports to operate a shared pool of truck chassis. (DC Velocity)

New ocean carriers Kalypso and Ellerman are launching trans-Atlantic container services. (Journal of Commerce)

A survey shows most U.S. consumers would abandon a retailer that delivers orders late or gets them wrong. (Supply Chain Quarterly)

Foot Locker opened a 465,000-square-foot distribution center in Reno, Nev., to speed deliveries to West Coast stores. (Supply Chain Dive)

The Tata Group will merge Air India with Singapore Airlines regional carrier Vistara. (Mint)

Cathay Pacific is in talks to add freighters to its fleet. (Air Cargo News)

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been living in central Tokyo for the last six months. (Financial Times)

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

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.