Industrial production rose a modest 0.1% in October, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday.
The upturn in production at factories, mines and utilities followed a revised gain of 0.6% in September that was smaller than the 0.7% originally reported.
Economists had forecast a 0.4% increase for October, Bloomberg reported.
Manufacturing output fell for the first time in four months, while utility output jumped 1.6%.
The amount of industrial capacity in use rose to 70.7%, from 70.5% in September.
The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.