Passenger Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection and Vehicle Safety
What this domain tests
The Passenger pre-trip is a scored walk-around plus in-cab inspection. Examiners look for a fixed sequence, correct pass/fail criteria, and knowledge of the daily vehicle inspection report that a passenger carrier must keep.
Sequence and criteria
- Walk clockwise from the driver's door so nothing is skipped: lights and reflectors, glass and mirrors, wipers, steer tires and steering linkage, engine compartment, exhaust, frame, fuel tank and straps, driveshaft, duals, rear wheels, mud flaps, battery box, emergency exits.
- Tires: 4/32 inch tread on front steer tires, 2/32 inch on all others; no cuts, bulges, or exposed cord; dual tires must not touch.
- Every emergency exit must open, close, and latch from inside and outside; the exit alarm sounds; exit markings are visible.
- Fire extinguisher charged, mounted, rated at least 5 B:C; first aid kit; spare fuses if the bus uses fuses instead of circuit breakers.
- In cab: steering free play, horn, gauges, defroster and heater, mirrors, standee line, seat belts, parking brake.
- Air brakes: drain tanks daily; governor cut-out near 120-125 psi; static leak no more than 3 psi per minute on a single vehicle; applied leak no more than 3 psi per minute; low-air warning by 60 psi; spring brakes set between 20 and 45 psi; compressor recovery from 85 to 100 psi within 45 seconds.
A passenger-carrying vehicle needs a written driver vehicle inspection report each day (49 CFR 396.11). The next driver reviews it and signs only after listed defects are repaired or certified as not affecting safety.
Worked example
A 40-foot transit bus holds 110 psi with the engine off and brakes released. After one minute the gauge reads 107 psi. That is a 3 psi loss, exactly at the single-vehicle limit, so it passes. The same bus losing 2 psi per minute with the brakes fully applied also passes. A tractor-trailer combination would be allowed up to 4 psi per minute.
Traps
Kicking a tire instead of using a gauge; checking exits only from the outside; assuming a signed report proves repairs; skipping the low-air warning test because the gauge works; failing to name the standee line and exit alarm.