Turmoil in supply chains is getting the attention of U.S. regulators. The Federal Trade Commission is seeking information from Amazon, Walmart and several other companies on how they have handled the snarls in distribution. The WSJ’s Paul Ziobro reports the queries are part of a study into whether the problems have led to anticompetitive behavior and higher prices, and the agency stresses the request isn’t part of any law-enforcement action. The interest from regulators comes as companies are showing a wide variety of responses to the bottlenecks, with some big retailers chartering ships to get goods delivered while smaller merchants struggle to keep shelves stocked. President Biden met yesterday with executives from several retailers and grocers as some reported progress in untangling the supply-chain mess.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said at Monday’s White House meeting that the flow of goods through ports and distribution networks is improving, and officials announced other steps aimed at speeding up the moviement of shipments. Those include the waiving of fees for night and weekend pickup of containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The White House says shipping line CMA CGM will provide new incentives for containers to be more quickly picked up and that regulators will extend the flexibility on the number of hours that truck drivers can drive through the end of February.

The scale of Amazon’s fulfillment network in the U.S. is growing at an astonishing rate. The e-commerce giant is close to doubling the size of its logistics operations over the past two years, the WSJ’s Sebastian Herrera reports, with the addition of more than 450 distribution centers and smaller facilities that effectively creates a new layer of fulfillment for rapid delivery of goods. Logistics consultant MWPVL International says the new sites include more than two dozen smaller outposts stocked mostly with bestselling items, allowing the company to prepare for supply disruptions while also expanding fast-shipping capabilities. The rapid expansion is extending Amazon’s efforts to handle more of its own packages, and flexes the company’s resources. While some companies have struggled with uncertainty during the pandemic, Amazon has used its financial strength to effectively carve out a unique network that controls both retail sales and parcel distribution.

The ghost-kitchen trend in food delivery may be in danger of flaming out. A series of startups have been drawing big funding as they try to carve out an e-commerce niche with food-preparation sites meant only for delivery. The WSJ’s Eliot Brown reports some have faced a slew of operational and regulatory setbacks, including fires at the trailers that fast-growing Reef Global has established around the U.S. to scale up its business. PitchBook says investors have poured more than $3.5 billion into ghost-kitchen startups in the past three years, and Softbank-backed Reef has gained $1.5 billion for its plans to put trailer-size kitchens in parking lots near residential areas. The problems suggest high hurdles for a business strategy that has gained attention during the pandemic as more consumers ordered meals from restaurants. Industry consultant Bob Goldin says ghost kitchens have promise but won’t necessarily deliver on high-growth, high-margin expectations.

A federal official tossed out results from an Amazon unionization vote for warehouse workers in Alabama and says the vote will have to be held again. (WSJ)

A measure of U.S. inflation rose in October at the fastest pace in 31 years. (MarketWatch)

Germany's annual inflation rate reached 6% in November. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Nissan plans to spend $17.6 billion over the next five years as it adds 20 battery-powered vehicles to its lineup. (WSJ)

Intel has been storing legacy technology for security research at a secret warehouse in Costa Rica. (WSJ)

Small U.S. manufacturers have been seeking suppliers closer to their factories to get around supply-chain logjams. (New York Times)

Automotive semiconductor inventories are increasing for the first time in nine months in a sign the chip shortage is easing. (Nikkei Asia)

California health care facilities are seeing shortages of critical medical supplies. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The U.K.’s Asda supermarket chain chartered a vessel to ensure it could get its Christmas goods in time for the holiday. (The Guardian)

Urban Outfitters is pulling forward orders and buying more raw fabrics to lock in prices and protect against backlogs. (Supply Chain Dive)

JLL estimates the U.S. may need another 1 billion square feet of warehouse capacity by 2025 to meet demand. (CNBC)

U.S. mayors are scrambling for meetings with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as billions of dollars in infrastructure funding become available. (McClatchy)

BP plans to establish hydrogen fuel production for the transport sector in northern England before 2025. (ShippingWatch)

Container shipping lines are warning that feeder operations in China’s Pearl River Delta will decline sharply because of Covid-19 restrictions. (The Loadstar) 

Car carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen named Torvald Klaveness CEO Lasse Kristoffersen as its chief executive. (Lloyd’s List)

Truckload carrier Werner Enterprises bought last-mile delivery specialist NEHDS Logistics for $64 million. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Trucker TFI International acquired Missouri-based refrigerated transport specialist D&D Sexton. (Today’s Trucking)

British trucker J&J Ashcroft entered the U.K. version of bankruptcy protection. (Motor Transport)

An Indian company is opening a restaurant on a Bangladeshi freighter that ran aground on India’s East Coast in 2020. (Maritime Executive)

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

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