MO CDL School Bus common mistakes
MO CDL School Bus · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
After unloading, the driver watches the student step off the bottom step, then immediately releases the parking brake and pulls away without tracking the student's feet in the mirrors until they are clear of the bus.
Candidates treat 'off the bus' as 'safe' and do not build a mirror scan into the departure routine; the student is still inside the 10-foot danger zone and may move toward the wheels.
What to do instead
Before moving, scan the left and right flat and convex mirrors, count the students, and keep watching until each one is at least 10 feet from the bus and moving away. If a student disappears from the mirror, stop and find them before moving.
Sets the mirrors once at the beginning of the day and never re-adjusts them after another driver has used the bus, so the convex mirrors point at the sky or at the side of the bus instead of the area beside the rear wheels.
The candidate assumes the previous setting fits them and does not use a reference point; mirror geometry changes with seat position and driver height.
What to do instead
Adjust mirrors from the normal seated driving position so a small part of the bus body is visible in each flat mirror and the convex mirrors show the rear tires and the danger zone alongside the bus. Reset them at the start of every shift and after any seat adjustment.
At a loading or unloading stop, leaves the transmission in drive or in gear and holds the bus with the foot brake while students are moving around the door.
The driver is rushed or believes the foot brake is enough; if the foot slips or the driver is distracted, the bus can creep while children are beside it.
What to do instead
Place the transmission in neutral or park, set the parking brake, and keep the foot brake applied until it is time to move. Do not release the brake until all students are seated or clear and the door is closed.
Waves students across the street as soon as the door opens, without waiting for them to walk to the front of the bus and make eye contact with the driver.
The candidate is trying to keep the route on schedule and assumes students will follow the expected path; a student who slips or turns back is then outside the driver's view.
What to do instead
Give the crossing signal only after the students are in front of the bus and looking at the driver. Hold the signal until they have crossed, keep watching them in the mirrors, and never signal a student to cross while traffic is moving.
When asked about evacuation, says students should collect their books and backpacks and file out the front door in an orderly line regardless of where the fire or hazard is located.
The candidate has memorized one routine instead of matching the exit to the hazard; evacuation questions are designed to test hazard-based decisions.
What to do instead
Choose the exit farthest from the hazard, tell students to leave belongings behind, and move them at least 100 feet from the bus, uphill and upwind if there is fire. Account for every student after evacuation.
Pulls up within a few feet of the nearest rail, or starts across the tracks when traffic ahead is backed up and the bus may have to stop on the crossing.
The driver misjudges stopping distance and clearance, and focuses on the gate or lights instead of whether there is room to completely clear the tracks on the far side.
What to do instead
Stop 15 to 50 feet before the nearest rail, silence the radio and heater fan, open the door or window, and look and listen. Do not start across unless there is room to clear the tracks completely, and do not shift gears while crossing.
Turns the head and shoulders to talk to a misbehaving student who is standing in the aisle while the bus is moving.
The instinct to correct behavior immediately overrides the driving task; the candidate does not have a plan for managing conduct without looking away from the road.
What to do instead
Use the PA system or wait for the next safe stop. Pull over, set the parking brake, and then address the student. Keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times, and monitor the aisle with the mirrors.
Pumps the brake pedal or releases pressure when the pedal pulses during a hard stop in an air-brake bus equipped with ABS.
The candidate is applying an old non-ABS habit and interprets the pulsation as a sign that the brakes are failing or that pumping will shorten the stop.
What to do instead
Apply firm, continuous pressure and hold it while the ABS pulses, and steer around the hazard. Do not pump the pedal or release pressure. Treat an ABS warning light as a reason to have the system checked, not as a reason to change braking technique.
Makes a right turn from the lane next to the curb without allowing for off-tracking, so the rear wheels ride over the curb or into the area where students are waiting.
The candidate steers the front of the bus around the corner and does not account for the rear wheels following a shorter path, or checks only the front of the bus during the turn.
What to do instead
Approach the turn wide, take it slowly, and keep the rear wheels outside the curb line. Watch the right convex mirror throughout the turn and stop if the rear wheels approach the curb or the loading area.
Completes the post-trip inspection with a quick look from the front doorway, checking seats from the aisle, without walking to the rear or opening and closing each emergency exit.
The candidate treats the post-trip as a paperwork step and does not expect to find a sleeping or hiding student; exits and under-seat areas go unchecked.
What to do instead
Walk the full aisle to the back of the bus, check every seat and the floor under the seats, and open and close each emergency exit to confirm it works. Verify the bus is empty before securing it and completing the post-trip report.