Skills-Test Scoring at a Railroad Crossing
An examiner is administering the S-endorsement skills test in a 40-foot school bus. During the pre-trip inspection, the applicant points out the service door but does not check the emergency-exit buzzer or the fire-extinguisher gauge. On the basic-control course, the right rear tire touches the boundary line but does not cross it. On the road test, approaching a railroad crossing with flashing red lights and no gate, the applicant slows to 15 mph, looks both ways, and proceeds without stopping; no train is visible. At a student stop, he opens the service door without checking the left mirror. He has one failed skills-test attempt 10 days ago and a current CLP with P and S. The bus has full air brakes, and the applicant performs the air-brake check correctly.
1. Which acts are automatic failures and which are ordinary scored errors? Explain.
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The railroad-crossing act is an automatic failure. With flashing red lights, the applicant must stop. Proceeding at 15 mph is a traffic-law violation and a dangerous action, so the skills test ends there.
The missed pre-trip items are scored inspection errors unless the state treats a critical item as automatic. The fire-extinguisher gauge and emergency-exit buzzer are required checks, but missing them normally costs points rather than ending the test.
Touching the boundary line without crossing is a basic-control error, not automatically disqualifying. Opening the door without a left-mirror check at a student stop is a safety error; it may be scored and can become an automatic failure if it creates a hazard, but the railroad crossing already ends the test.
2. Should the examiner continue the test after the railroad-crossing violation?
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No. The examiner should stop scoring and terminate the test after the railroad-crossing violation. Continuing would not change the result and could put the applicant and the public at risk. The examiner should explain the automatic failure, document the specific act on the score sheet, and follow state procedures. The applicant should not be told he “almost passed” or that the good pre-trip and air-brake check offset the violation.
3. What are the retest implications, and what should the applicant do before retesting?
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He must retest; a failed skills test cannot be waived by good performance elsewhere. His CLP and P/S eligibility must remain valid. Retest scheduling and any minimum waiting period are state-specific-commonly a short wait-so he should confirm with the testing office rather than assume 10 days is enough.
Before retesting he should get remedial training on railroad crossings and on door/mirror procedures at student stops. The examiner should also verify that the applicant understands why the crossing was an automatic failure, not just that he lost points.