CDL Practice Tests For School Bus

The The School Bus section is designated primarily as an information and study guide for all individuals who are interested in obtaining the federal School Bus endorsement (S) for their CDL to drive a yellow school bus nationwide.

This section covers:

• Danger Zones and Use of Mirrors
• Loading and Unloading
• Emergency Exit and Evacuation
• Railroad-highway Grade Crossings
• Student Management
• Antilock Braking Systems
• Special Safety Considerations

The danger zone is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of being hit, either by another vehicle or their own bus. The danger zones may extend as much as 30 feet from the front bumper with the first 10 feet being the most dangerous, 10 feet from the left and right sides of the bus and 10 feet behind the rear bumper of the school bus. In addition, the area to the left of the bus is always considered dangerous because of passing cars.

Ensure that the mirrors are properly adjusted so you can see:

• The entire area in front of the bus from the front bumper at ground level to a point where direct vision is possible. Direct vision and mirror view vision should overlap.
• The right and left front tires touching the ground.
• The area from the front of the bus to the service door.
• These mirrors, along with the convex and flat mirrors, should be viewed in a logical sequence to ensure that a child or object is not in any of the danger zones.

More students are killed while getting on or off a school bus each year than are killed as passengers inside of a school bus. As a result, knowing what to do before, during and after loading or unloading students is critical. This section will give you specific procedures to help you avoid unsafe conditions which could result in injuries and fatalities during and after loading and unloading students.

An emergency situation can happen to anyone, anytime or anywhere. It could be a crash, a stalled school bus on a railroad-highway crossing or in a high-speed intersection, an electrical fire in the engine compartment, a medical emergency to a student on the school bus, etc. Knowing what to do in an emergency - before, during and after an evacuation - can mean the difference between life and death.

Determine Need To Evacuate The Bus

The first and most important consideration is for you to recognize the hazard. If time permits, school bus drivers should contact their dispatcher to explain the situation before making a decision to evacuate the school bus.

As a general rule, student safety and control is best maintained by keeping students on the bus during an emergency and/or impending crisis situation, if so doing does not expose them to unnecessary risk or injury. Remember that the decision to evacuate the bus must be a timely one.

• Is there a fire or danger of fire?
• Is there a smell of raw or leaking fuel?
• Is there a chance the bus could be hit by other vehicles?
• Is the bus in the path of a sighted tornado or rising waters?
• Are there downed power lines?
• Would removing students expose them to speeding traffic, severe weather or a dangerous environment such as downed power lines?
• Would moving students complicate injuries such as neck and back injuries and fractures?
• Is there a hazardous spill involved? Sometimes, it may be safer to remain on the bus and not come in contact with the material.

The driver must evacuate the bus when:

• The bus is on fire or there is a threat of a fire.
• The bus is stalled on or adjacent to a railroad-highway crossing.
• The position of the bus may change and increase the danger.
• There is an imminent danger of collision.
• There is a need to quickly evacuate because of a hazardous materials spill.

Approaching the Crossing:

• Slow down, including shifting to a lower gear in a manual transmission bus, and test your brakes.
• Activate hazard lights approximately 200 feet before the crossing. Make sure your intentions are known.
• Scan your surroundings and check for traffic behind you.
• Stay to the right of the roadway if possible.
• Choose an escape route in the event of a brake failure or problems behind you.

At the Crossing:

• Stop no closer than 15 feet and no farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail, where you have the best view of the tracks.
• Place the transmission in Park or if there is no Park shift point, place in Neutral and press down on the service brake or set the parking brakes.
• Turn off all radios and noisy equipment and silence the passengers.
• Open the service door and driver’s window. Look and listen for an approaching train.

Crossing the Track:

• Check the crossing signals again before proceeding.
• At a multiple-track crossing, stop only before the first set of tracks. When you are sure no train is approaching on any track, proceed across all of the tracks until you have completely cleared them.
• Cross the tracks in a low gear. Do not change gears while crossing.
• If the gate comes down after you have started across, drive through it even if it means you will break the gate

Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged. You should back your bus only when you have no other safe way to move the vehicle. You should never back a school bus when students are outside of the bus. Backing is dangerous and increases your risk of a collision. If you have no choice and you must back your bus, follow these procedures:

• Post a lookout. The purpose of the lookout is to warn you about obstacles, approaching persons and other vehicles. The lookout should not give directions on how to back the bus.
• Signal for quiet on the bus.
• Constantly check all mirrors and rear windows.
• Back slowly and smoothly.
• If no lookout is available:
  • Set the parking brake.
  • Turn off the motor and take the keys with you.
  • Walk to the rear of the bus to determine whether the way is clear.
• If you must back up at a student pickup point, be sure to pick up students before backing and watch for late comers at all times.
• Be sure that all students are in the bus before backing.
• If you must back up at a student drop-off point, be sure to unload students after backing.

Pre-trip inspection:

Each day that a school bus is operated the driver must conduct a pre-trip inspection of the mechanical and safety equipment on the bus. A person other than the driver may perform the pre-trip inspection as prescribed by administrative rule. The driver is required to complete a School Bus Driver’s Pre-Trip Inspection form each time an inspection is performed. Any defects found on the bus must be recorded on the form.

Speed limits:

The legal speed limit for a school bus is the same as that for an automobile. However, because of the size and weight of a school bus, it requires a greater stopping distance than a regular passenger vehicle. Adjust your speed for the time of day, weather and road conditions.

Entering or exiting an expressway:

When entering or exiting an expressway, do so as quickly and as safely as possible. Unless absolutely necessary, never bring your vehicle to a complete stop immediately before entering any high-speed expressway. Enter and merge as safely as possible with the flow of traffic.

• The amber lights of the eight-lamp flashing signal system must be activated when approaching a stop at least 100 feet within an urban area or 200 feet outside an urban area.
• When loading or unloading passengers, come to a complete stop, put the transmission in the “neutral park” position and set the parking brake.
• No child may cross any highway with four or more lanes of traffic where at least one or more lanes travel in the opposite direction. The school bus stop must be situated so that the student’s residence and/or school (attendance center) is on the right side of the highway.
• The driver must let students off the school bus only at their assigned stops. While this practice is designed to provide the highest level of protection for you and your passengers, restricting additional stops also will save fuel.
• Do not change routes or pickups without authorization from the proper school official.
• The service door must be closed at all times when the bus is in motion.
• The emergency door must be unlocked (if lock-equipped) but securely latched when the school bus is in operation.
• The manufacturer’s capacity for a bus must not be exceeded.
• Students may not be asked to leave the bus along the route for breach of discipline nor may they be asked to sit anywhere other than a seat for breach of discipline.
• The driver may not back a bus at the school while students are in the vicinity unless a responsible person is present to guide the bus driver.
• When unloading at school, the bus may be driven onto the school grounds to discharge pupils, or they should be discharged so they will not have to cross a street. At all discharge points where it is necessary for pupils to cross a roadway, the driver must direct students to walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus on the shoulder of the highway and to remain there until a signal is given by the bus driver for the student to cross.
• The driver must not allow a student to get off the bus at any place other than the student’s designated discharge point unless written permission is granted by the proper school official.
• The driver must stop between 15 and 50 feet of the first rail of a railroad crossing. While stopped put the trans - mission in the “neutral park” position and set the parking brake. The driver must open the service door and driver’s window, listen and look in both directions for any approaching train. When the driver determines that no train is approaching, he/she must close the door and proceed completely across the grade crossing in low gear.
• The driver’s safety belt must always be properly fastened before putting the bus in motion.
• After parking the bus for the day, the driver and/or monitor must walk through the bus to ensure that no child is left behind.