Retail sales rose 1.3% in November, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The increase followed a revised 1.1% gain in October. Economists had forecast November sales would rise 0.6%, Bloomberg reported.
Purchases excluding automobiles rose 1.2%, the biggest gain since January, while sales at auto and parts stores jumped 1.6% after a 7.1% jump in October.
Economists had forecast sales excluding automobiles to rise 0.4%.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
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