Retail Sales Rise 0.2% in August

.S. retail sales jumped 0.2% in August, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

ales excluding automobiles rose 0.2%, Commerce said.

August’s uptick follows a 1.4% increase in July that was the largest in six months, Bloomberg reported.

Sales at filling stations decreased 1% in August, the biggest drop since February.

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

Retail sales account for almost half of all consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the economy.