Pre-trip Vehicle Inspection and Passenger-Carrying Equipment
What this domain tests
The Michigan CDL passenger endorsement pre-trip domain checks whether you can verify the bus is mechanically sound and that passenger-carrying equipment is present and working before any passenger boards. A missed safety item is a defect you could carry onto the road.
Core inspection items
- Exterior: lights, reflectors, tires and tread, wheels and lug nuts, brake and air lines, suspension, exhaust, body damage, and leaks.
- Interior: seats and seat backs secure; aisles clear; handrails and stanchions tight; windows and roof hatches operate; emergency exits open and alarm or buzzer works; mirrors adjusted; horn works.
- Passenger equipment: charged fire extinguisher, first aid kit, body-fluid cleanup kit, warning triangles, and a working wheelchair lift with interlock.
- Brake checks: air pressure build-up and loss, parking brake hold, service brake response; check steering play and steering wheel free play.
Worked example
A driver raises the wheelchair lift, but the bus can still be shifted into gear. The correct call is to place the bus out of service until the lift interlock is repaired. The interlock is not a convenience feature; it prevents the bus from moving with a passenger on the lift, so a functional test is required, not just a visual check.
Traps that cost marks
Inspecting only the outside, assuming an exit works because it looks fine, forgetting to test the lift interlock, and skipping the fire extinguisher gauge. Say what you are checking and why.