ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

September 20, 2005 8:40 AM, EDT

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

.S. housing starts fell 1.3% in August, but the annual rate was still on pace to pass last year’s total, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Starts fell to a 2.009 million unit annual rate, which compared with a revised 2.035 million in July, Commerce said.

Building permits, an indicator of future production, rose to a 2.124 million annual rate, from 2.171 in July.

Increased construction can mean more business for flatbed trucking companies that haul building materials. Also, in the case of home construction, dry van freight can see an increase in demand for the delivery of household appliances and furniture.

Starts fell 5.2% in the Midwest, rose 4.1% in the Northeast, fell 6.6% in the South and rose 13% in the West, Commerce said.