Business Inventories Grow in February

Business inventories rose 0.5% in February, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The increase was the largest jump since July 2008, Commerce said.

It followed a 0.2% increase in January and it was larger than economists' forecasts, Bloomberg reported. Sales rose 0.3%

Retailers’ inventories gained 0.3%, while factory stockpiles, which account for about 40% of the total, rose 0.5%. Auto dealers’ inventories rose 1.3%.

When sales are growing, it usually means trucking is seeing additional demand to deliver goods and restock shelves.