Outside of transportation, February orders for primary metals fell 2.1 percent, while machinery orders were down 4.2 percent.
The 2.7 percent fall in orders outside of transportation reflected weakness in a number of categories.
Economists focused on the 1.3 percent gain outside of transportation, the biggest since March.
In the manufacturing report, durable-goods orders outside the transportation industry fell 0.6 percent after a revised 3 percent fall in January.
And even outside the transportation sector, which has been squeezed by high oil prices, orders dropped 3percentt.
The strength outside of transportation reflected big gains in demand for various types of heavy machinery, like oil field drilling equipment, turbines and power generators.
Other data on Thursday showed a decline in new orders for factory goods, although orders outside the transportation sector rose for a second consecutive month, which should calm fears of a rapid loss of momentum in factory activity.
Another House panel took up the issue that opponents of the Yucca site contend is the weak spot and the issue that most interests people outside Nevada: transportation risks.
Many of these networks already exist today, as well as in areas outside of transportation.
Outside of transportation, orders for machinery, primary metals, capital goods, computers and electronic products all rose.
