Vehicle Inspection and Safety
Vehicle Inspection and Safety
Illinois tests the bus-specific pre-trip, en-route, and after-trip inspection: what you check, in what order, and what makes a bus unsafe to load. The focus is the passenger compartment and emergency equipment, not just the tractor-trailer basics.
Core inspection points
- Inspect before loading passengers. Check tires, wheels, rims, lights, reflectors, brakes, steering, mirrors, wipers, horn, and fluid leaks.
- In the passenger area, verify seats are secure, aisles and stairwells are clear, handrails are tight, windows operate, and the standee line is visible.
- Test every emergency exit: service door, emergency door, side windows, and roof hatches. They must open from inside and outside as designed, and the warning buzzer or alarm must work.
- Confirm the fire extinguisher is charged and mounted, the first aid kit is complete, and emergency reflectors or fuses are present.
- Check baggage is secured and cannot block an aisle or exit.
- After the trip, inspect again and report defects.
Worked example
A driver finds a passenger cooler in the aisle beside an emergency exit. The exit opens and the bus starts, so the driver moves. That is wrong: a blocked exit makes the bus unserviceable for passengers. The driver must have the item stowed or removed before moving, and document the condition if it cannot be corrected.
Traps
- Checking only the exterior and skipping exit operation.
- Assuming an alarm works because the exit latches.
- Missing a missing first aid item or expired extinguisher.
- Treating the after-trip inspection as optional.