Retail sales were unchanged in August, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
That unchanged level followed a revised 0.3% gain in July that was smaller than the 0.5% increase originally reported.
Economists had forecast a 0.2% rise, Bloomberg reported.
Automobile sales slid 0.3% following a 0.2% increase. Eight of 13 major retail categories showed increases, Commerce said.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.