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Manufacturing in the United States last month posted the strongest advance since January, helped by automobile production and a sign domestic demand is improving.

June marked the second time this year and only the fourth time in 19 months that demand for Class 8 trucks rose faster than the supply, ACT Research Co. reported, citing its most recent for-hire trucking index.

Factory production fell more than forecast in May, reflecting declining output of vehicles and business equipment that show U.S. manufacturing is still hobbled by weak global demand.

After overwhelming votes in favor by the Arkansas House and Senate, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill on May 23 that boosts state funding for roads and bridges by $50 million to qualify for $200 million in federal funds from the FAST Act.

WASHINGTON — Manufacturers of vehicle safety systems, including those for heavy-duty trucks, displayed their latest wares here for the benefit of federal policymakers and the national press.

U.S. manufacturing production rose in April for the first time in three months, indicating a respite for the industry after a one-year slump, a Federal Reserve report showed May 17.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Vertical integration among truck makers will extend into emissions- and fuel-saving technologies in the future and ultimately could limit the number of available innovations, industry executives said.

There is one positive aspect of U.S. manufacturing’s recent performance. While uninspiring, the rate of growth is broadening to include almost all types of producers.

Manufacturing expanded at a slower pace than forecast in April as factories continued to grapple with lax global demand and fallout from a weakened U.S. energy industry.

U.S. manufacturing output unexpectedly declined in March by the most since February 2015, indicating factories remain scarred by global challenges that are slow to dissipate.