Courier and messenger company payrolls rose by 7,600 jobs in July, the biggest monthly gain since March, according to preliminary figures from the Labor Department, extending an expansion in transport operations driven by e-commerce and the home delivery of online purchases. It is the 18th straight month of gains in a sector that includes parcel carriers.

Warehouse and storage firms, where hiring has also has expanded under growing digital commerce grows, added 3,600 jobs last month.

Trucking companies hired 4,400 workers in July, gains that come as some carriers report turning down freight because they don’t have enough drivers.

Truck operators have added more than 27,000 jobs over the past 12 months despite what company officials say are big challenges recruiting and keeping drivers in a tight labor market. Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., one of the largest U.S. truckers, boosted its head count by 16 percent in the second quarter from the same period in 2017, and expects shipping demand to grow in the fall.

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