Business inventories rose 0.3% in March, the slowest pace in four months, the Commerce Department reported.
The gain followed a 0.6% increase in February. Sales rose 0.6%.
The increase was below economists’ projections of a 0.4%, Bloomberg reported.
Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, rose 0.3%, while wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, increased 0.3%.
When sales are growing, it usually means trucking is seeing additional demand to deliver goods and restock shelves.