Safe and defensive driving of buses and large commercial vehicles
Space is the only real brake you have
A loaded bus weighs many times a car and needs far more distance to stop, so defensive driving in Class 2 is mostly about buying time and space. Aim for a following distance of at least four seconds in good conditions, and double it or more in rain, snow, or darkness. Look 12 to 15 seconds ahead, scan intersections early, and cover the brake when a hazard is developing. Use mirrors constantly - a bus has large blind spots directly in front, along both sides, and behind - and complete mirror and shoulder checks before every lane change.
Understand the physics. Weight transfers forward when you brake and outward in a turn, so enter curves slowly and accelerate gently through them. Watch for off-tracking: the rear wheels cut inside the front wheels, so swing wide on right turns and watch the tail on left turns. Brake smoothly and progressively, and use engine retarders on long downgrades instead of riding the brakes, which overheats drums and causes fade. At railway crossings, stop as required, open a door or window to look and listen, and proceed only when certain.
Traps: questions that ask for following distance in metres, the obsolete one-car-length-per-10-km/h rule, and right turns where the rear wheels track over the curb. Also watch for hydroplaning, which begins at highway speeds on wet pavement.
Rule of thumb
Four seconds behind, twelve seconds ahead, and an escape route on both sides.