Retail sales rose 0.7% in March, the biggest jump in three months, the Commerce Department said Monday.
The increase followed a revised 0.5% gain in February that was higher than the 0.1% gain originally reported.
The March level topped economists’ forecasts of a 0.6% gain, Bloomberg reported.
Sales excluding motor vehicles, gasoline and building materials rose 0.4%, Commerce said.
Filling station sales rose 3.1% following a 1.5% increase in February.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
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