Retail sales fell 0.1% in February the Commerce Department said Thursday.
The increase followed a 1.8% increase in January that was twice the gain that was originally reported.
The February downturn was less than the 0.5% decline predicted by economists, Bloomberg reported.
Sales at auto parts stores and dealerships fell 4.3%, the most since October.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
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