The newly passed roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill makes significant changes to how Washington funds projects and provides new backing for highways, bridges and rail. The House passed what amounts to a generational investment in transportation by a narrow but bipartisan vote, the WSJ’s Andrew Duehren, Natalie Andrews and Lindsay Wise report, providing the first substantial new infrastructure spending plan in several years along with changes in programs across the transportation regulatory landscape. The core of the bill provides $550 billion in additional new spending on infrastructure. It also gives the federal government much more authority over how transportation money will be spent, the WSJ’s David Harrison writes, with about $120 billion of the new spending coming in the form of competitive transportation grants. Jim Tymon of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, says the funding and “new discretionary programs that are being created are unprecedented.”

The maritime sector is looking for ways to sail around potentially stricter oversight of shipping emissions. The International Maritime Organization is considering a new tax on shipping, the WSJ’s Costas Paris reports, to help fund a global network of alternative fuel stations for vessels and subsidize developing countries facing higher export costs. The proposal calls for charging vessel operators $100 for each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted per trip, which could raise around $1 trillion over the next three decades. The idea comes as governments, big cargo owners and others press ship operators to speed up efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The levy discussions come as the United Nations COP26 climate summit is underway in Glasgow. The WSJ's Matthew Dalton reports negotiators are under pressure there as they work with commitments that collectively fall short of what scientists think is needed to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

The crisis-driven actions companies undertook early in the pandemic are giving way to big questions over inventories. Companies are rethinking major pillars of their operations as they wrestle with new questions over how much stock to keep on hand, the WSJ’s Alistair MacDonald and Georgi Kantchev report, since the pandemic highlighted the dangers of having both too much and too little stored away. S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates that goods-focused companies on the S&P 500, held 15% more inventory in the second quarter over the same period in 2019. Many companies are loathe to stray far from longheld just-in-time manufacturing strategies. They point to the costs of inventories and say they expect to return to pre-pandemic levels once supply-chain bottlenecks dissipate and pandemic imperatives fade. Still, some like Swiss drug giant Novartis say they will refine inventory management, with more parts positioned in different locations to better manage risk.

The U.S. created 531,000 jobs in October while employers further boosted wages and the labor force expanded. (WSJ)

Warehousing and storage companies added 20,200 jobs on a seasonally-adjusted basis in October. (Dow Jones Newswires)

China’s exports jumped 27.1% from a year ago in October while imports rose 20.6%. (Dow Jones Newswires)

A court temporarily blocked new federal rules that require many employers to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for Covid-19. (WSJ)

Small importers are concerned about a complex new quota system that is part of the new U.S.-EU agreement to lift steel and aluminum tariffs. (WSJ)

The Justice Department is investigating electric parcel van maker Workhorse Group, which is already facing a securities probe and says it made misstatements to safety regulators. (WSJ)

Airbus aircraft deliveries dipped in October as hiccups in its supply chain disrupt efforts to accelerate production. (WSJ)

Rising food prices triggered by poor weather and supply-chain strains are causing increasing hardship across the developing world. (WSJ)

The U.S. and Emergent BioSolutions terminated a troubled pandemic-preparedness contract. (WSJ)

The Labor Department says truck drivers traveling alone in their cabs are exempt from the federal mandate for Covid-19 vaccines and tests. (Transport Topics)

FedEx CEO Fred Smith expects the carrier to deliver 100 million more packages this holiday season than it did in 2019. (CBS)

U.S. customs authorities are blocking imports of disposable gloves made by Malaysia's Smart Glove. (Nikkei Asia)

The U.K. has approached Qatar about the Gulf state propping up its natural gas supplies as a shortage in Europe raises fears of a winter fuel crisis. (Financial Times)

British port operator Peel Ports committed to net-zero emissions in operations by 2040. (Logistics Manager)

CSX and Norfolk Southern say the addition of Amtrak passenger trains along the Gulf Coast could “devastate” freight service in the region. (Trains)

U.S.-based dry-bulk ship operator Genco swung to a $57.1 million third-quarter profit in its strongest earnings since 2008. (Lloyd’s List)

Eagle Bulk swung to a $78.3 million third-quarter profit as revenues jumped about 170%. (ShippingWatch)

Third-quarter cargo revenue at British Airways parent IAG rose 34.4% to about $467 million. (Lloyd’s Loading List)

Freight technology provider Loadsmart acquired separate truck management and warehouse operations software companies. (Modern Materials Handling) 

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

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