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August 16, 2006 9:00 AM, EDT

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.S. industrial production rose 0.4% in July, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.

The production increase at factories, mines and utilities followed a followed a 0.8% gain in June, the Fed said.

The gain was lower than economists’ forecasts of a 0.6% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Manufacturing, which accounts for about 90% of the index, rose 0.1% following an 0.8% gain in June. The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important cus-tomers.

The share of industrial capacity in use rose to 82.4%, the highest level since June 2000.