Retail Sales Improve in August

Retail sales rose in August for the second consecutive month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The 0.4% increase followed a revised 0.3% gain in July that was smaller than originally reported.

Economists had forecast a 0.3% gain in August, Bloomberg reported. Excluding automobiles, sales rose 0.6%.

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