Durable Orders Fall 1.7% in September

Durable goods orders fell 1.7% in September saw their biggest drop in seven months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The decline followed a revised 5.3% drop in August that was bigger than originally reported, Commerce said.

Excluding a 39% decline in defense equipment, bookings rose 0.7%.

The overall decline was in contrast to economists’ forecast of a 1.5% gain, Bloomberg reported.

Trucking is a major beneficiary of durable goods manufacturing, hauling both components and finished goods.