December Retail Sales Rise 0.7%; Reach Record for 2005

ecember retail sales rose 0.7% and 2005 sales rose 7.3% to $4.19 trillion, the highest ever, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The December increase followed a revised 0.8% rise in November and was just below economists’ estimates of a 0.9% rise, Bloomberg reported.

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