Retail Sales Rise 1.1% in September

Retail sales climbed 1.1% in September, the largest gain since February, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The increase followed a revised 0.3% gain in August that was originally reported as unchanged.

The September gain topped economists' forecasts of a 0.7% rise, Bloomberg reported.

Automobile sales rose 3.6%, the biggest gain since March 2010. Ten of 13 major retail categories showed increases, Commerce said.

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