Driving technique and vehicle handling with a bus (Kjøreteknikk)
Driving technique and vehicle handling with a bus (Kjøreteknikk)
This domain tests low-speed precision and high-speed stability in a long, heavy, high-centre-of-gravity vehicle.
Core technique
- Brake earlier and more gently than in a car. Air brakes have a short lag; use progressive pressure. At 80 km/h a laden bus needs well over 100 m on dry asphalt, and much more on wet or icy road.
- Keep smooth steering and throttle inputs. A high centre of gravity makes rapid lane changes and hard cornering a rollover risk.
- Understand tail swing: the rear overhang sweeps outward opposite the turn. On a tight right turn the rear can hit a curb, pole or pedestrian. Approach wide, check the right mirror, and do not turn until the rear clears.
- Off-tracking: the rear wheels cut inside the front wheels. In narrow streets and bus stops, allow for the swept path.
- Use the retarder on long downgrades and select a lower gear; avoid continuous service braking.
- Reversing: use a spotter, mirrors and, where fitted, a reversing camera; if uncertain, stop and look.
Worked example
You turn right into a narrow street. A pedestrian waits on the right-hand corner. If you swing wide left and turn early, the rear overhang sweeps over the corner. Correct sequence: slow before the turn, position just left of the lane centre, check the right mirror and blind spot, turn later, and watch the rear in the mirror. Stop if the tail swing will cross the curb.
Traps
Cutting the corner; forgetting the rear overhang; braking late on a wet downhill; using the retarder only after the brakes smell hot; and reversing without a spotter. In winter, reduce speed before the bend, not in it.