HARTFORD, Conn. A Connecticut motorcoach operator has been singled out for its outstanding maintenance practices by the states largest newspaper.

In an article on a sharp decline in truck inspections in Connecticut, the Hartford Courant noted that the maintenance record of Constitution Coach in Bolton, Conn., were a sharp contrast to a group of trucking companies whose big rigs were being ordered off the road 85 percent of the time when stopped by state inspectors.

"At the other extreme," said the Courant, Constitution Coach, with its fleet of 12 buses, has had 72 inspections in the past 30 months, only one of which resulted in a vehicle being pulled out of service.

"Our philosophy in this business is that maintenance is No. 1," company

President Paul Snelgrove told the newspaper last month. "In this business you really can't mess around because we're carrying 55 lives at a time."

Snelgrove also told the Courant he knows there are trucking companies that don't share his philosophy. And with haulers squeezed by rising fuel prices, he said he was concerned that poorly maintained trucks on Connecticut roads will only get worse as companies try to save money.

"You can't cut your drivers pay; they'll leave. You can't cut your insurance; its fixed. You cant cut your fuel costs," Snelgrove said. "So, where do you cut that doesnt show up right away? Maintenance."

On-highway truck safety has been a high-profile issue in Connecticut for the past three years. Thats because in July 2005, a runaway dump truck plowed into a line of cars at the base of Avon Mountain. The truck driver and three others were killed.

Following the tragedy, Gov. M. Jodi Rell - stung by reports that truck inspections had declined sharply in the state - quickly ordered more examiners onto Connecticut highways. The following year, roadside truck inspections increased 30 percent.

But it didn't last.

Figures show that about 18,600 trucks were inspected on Connecticut roads last year, a 20 percent drop from the previous year and not far above levels before the crash in Avon.

The drop in inspections is being blamed on less federal and state money being available to pay for inspectors. The situation is expected to improve this year, however, with money being restored.