Retail sales climbed 0.5% in January, the third increase in four months, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The increase followed a revised 0.1% drop in December that had originally been reported as 0.3%.
Economists had forecast January sales would rise 0.3%, Bloomberg reported.
Purchases excluding automobiles gained 0.6%, in contrast to the 0.5% increase that was forecast.
Auto sales were unchanged after a 0.1% gain in December.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
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