August Retail Sales Rise 0.3%

September 14, 2007 8:30 AM, EDT

Retail sales gained 0.3% in August, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The gain followed a revised 0.5% decrease in July that was larger than originally reported.

Economists had projected sales to rise 0.5%, Bloomberg reported.

Sales excluding automobiles fell 0.4%. Economists had expected a 0.2% gain, Bloomberg said.

Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.