Washington CDL DMV Endorsement Bus 1

When exiting your vehicle during the basic vehicle control skills test, you must face the vehicle and maintain three points of contact at all times. If your testing vehicle is a bus, you must maintain contact with the handrail. Exiting the vehicle incorrectly may result in automatic failure of the basic control skills test.

A school bus driver should always approach bus stops slowly and cautiously.

If a school bus becomes stalled or trapped on railroad tracks, the driver should immediately evacuate everyone from the bus. If the bus is struck by a train, to avoid any flying debris, the students should be led far away from the bus at an angle that is in the direction of any oncoming train.

If your on-road driving test route does not include a railroad crossing, you may be asked to explain and demonstrate the proper railroad crossing procedures to the examiner at a simulated location.

If a school bus is on fire, or if there is a threat of fire, it is mandatory for a bus driver to evacuate the students from the bus.

The function of an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is to prevent a vehicle's wheels from locking up when the driver brakes hard on a slippery surface.

After completing a trip, a school bus driver should do an inspection in which they check for sleeping students; belongings left on the bus; open windows or doors; any mechanical or operational issues with the bus; and damage or vandalism.

Properly adjusted crossover mirrors on a school bus should allow the driver to see the entire area in front of the bus, from the front bumper at ground level to a point where direct vision is possible. The mirrors should also display the right and left front tires touching the ground, as well as the area from the front of the bus to the service door.

When inspecting a tractor/trailer coupling, look into the fifth wheel gap and make sure the locking jaws are fully closed around the kingpin.

Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged and should only be done if there is no safe alternative. If you must drive in reverse, be sure to follow all proper safety protocol.

If students are evacuated due to a school bus being in the direct path of a sighted tornado, the driver should lead them to shelter in a nearby building. If no such shelter is available, the driver should escort them to a nearby ditch or culvert. They should avoid areas that may be subject to flash flooding and should be far enough away from the bus that it would not fall on them if it tipped over.

If equipped, a school bus's roof-mounted strobe light should be used when conditions create an environment of limited visibility.

The overhead inside rearview mirror in a school bus is used to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.

When checking your vehicle's pedals during a pre-trip inspection, you should ensure that there is nothing under or around the pedals that will obstruct their use. Make sure the pedals are in proper working condition and that the surfaces of the pedals are grooved, if applicable.

More students are killed each year during loading or unloading of school buses than while riding on school buses. Therefore, it is critical that school bus drivers follow appropriate safety procedures during loading and unloading.

You may be asked to complete a parallel parking maneuver into a parking space that is to the left of your vehicle. You should drive past the parking space before backing into it while bringing the rear of your vehicle as close to the rear of the space as possible. Your vehicle should be completely within the boundaries of the space.

A driver is allowed to exit their vehicle to check its position during any basic vehicle control skills test exercise. This action is called a "look." During the straight line backing exercise, a driver may not exceed one look. During any other exercise, a driver may not exceed two looks.

After students unload at school, a school bus driver should walk through the bus to check for sleeping students, hiding students, and items that students may have left behind. Students should exit the bus in an orderly fashion with the driver supervising.

Students should board a school bus slowly and in a single-file line. For safety, boarding students should use the handrail.

If a student tries to retrieve a dropped object, they may disappear from the driver's line of sight. This is potentially very dangerous. Rather than retrieve dropped items themselves, students should move to a point of safety outside of the bus's danger zones, get the driver's attention, and wait for the driver to retrieve what has been dropped.