Business Inventories Increase 0.3% in April

Business inventories increased in April as sales declined for a second month, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Inventories increased 0.3%, and May’s figure was revised to a 0.1% decline from an originally reported little change. Sales fell 0.1% in April after dropping 1.2% in May.

Economists’ median forecast was for a 0.3% increase in inventories, Bloomberg News reported.

Excluding automobile dealers, retailer inventories increased 0.4% in April.

When sales are growing, trucking usually faces additional demand to deliver goods and restock shelves.