School Bus Vehicle Inspection and Equipment
What this domain covers
This domain tests whether you can verify that a Maryland school bus is safe and legally equipped before carrying students. The exam expects a systematic pre-trip inspection, not a quick walk-around: engine compartment, exterior lights, tires and wheels, brakes, steering, suspension, emergency equipment, and school-bus-specific devices. You must know what makes a bus out of service and how to document a defect.
Core inspection rules
- Complete a pre-trip inspection before every trip and report defects in writing; a bus with a safety defect stays out of service until repaired.
- Check the stop arm and alternately flashing red lights for proper operation, along with the crossing gate if equipped.
- Verify emergency exits - front door, rear door, side windows, roof hatches - open, close, latch, and alarm as designed.
- Confirm the fire extinguisher is charged and mounted, the first aid kit and body-fluid cleanup kit are stocked, and warning triangles are present.
- Test service brake, parking brake, and emergency brake; check air pressure buildup and leakage on air-brake buses.
- Inspect tires for tread depth, cuts, bulges, and proper inflation; check wheel nuts and lug nuts for looseness or rust streaks.
Worked example
You finish the walk-around and find the left rear turn signal does not flash. Because turn signals are required equipment, you cannot certify the bus. You record the defect, notify the dispatcher or mechanic, and do not load students until the circuit or bulb is repaired and the light is retested.
Traps that cost marks
Relying on the annual inspection instead of your daily pre-trip; checking only the left-side lights; forgetting to test the stop arm with the red lights; and signing a report without noting a defect because “the shop will catch it.” Maryland expects the driver to find and report problems before the bus moves.