Factory orders rose 1.8% in December, the Commerce Department reported Monday.
The upturn followed a revised 0.3% increase in November that was originally reported as unchanged.
The December gain was lower than economists’ forecast of a 2.3% rise, Bloomberg News reported.
Capital goods orders excluding aircraft and military orders, a measure of future business investment, fell 0.3% following a 3.3% rise in November.
The trucking industry relies on factory orders and shipments for much of its business.