North Carolina School Bus CDL Practice Test

When the crossover (cross view) mirrors on a school bus are adjusted correctly, what should they let you see?

• The top of the rear window
• Both rear tires where they meet the ground
• Both front tires where they meet the ground
• At least one traffic lane beside the bus

Correct answer: Both front tires where they meet the ground

The ground just in front of the bus and beside the front wheels is hidden from the driver's seat. A child could stand there, and you would not see them directly. Crossover mirrors cover this hidden zone. When they are set right, you can see both front tires on the ground. You can also see the ground from the front bumper out to where your own eyes take over, and the area back to the service door. The rear tires are checked with the side flat and convex mirrors, not the crossover mirrors.

The blind spot behind a school bus depends on the bus's length and width. What is the farthest it can reach?

• 10 feet
• 75 feet
• 250 feet
• 400 feet

Correct answer: 400 feet

The bus body blocks the driver's view of a long strip of road behind it. A car, a child or an object in that strip may not show in any mirror. On most buses, this blind spot runs about 50 to 150 feet back. A longer or wider bus makes it bigger, up to 400 feet. Use the outside side mirrors to watch traffic that moves into this area. A distance such as 75 feet is inside the usual range, but it is not the farthest the blind spot can reach.

How should a school bus driver check the flat, convex, and crossover mirrors?

• Only once, before the first run of the day
• Only on the door side, where students get on
• In a logical order that covers every danger zone
• Only while the bus is backing up or turning

Correct answer: In a logical order that covers every danger zone

Each mirror shows only one part of the area around the bus. A child can stand in a danger zone on any side, and one mirror alone can miss that child. Look at the flat, convex, and crossover mirrors in the same planned order every time, so you skip no zone. The crossover mirrors show the area right in front of the bumper, which you cannot see from your seat. Checking only the door side fails, because passing cars make the left side of the bus dangerous too.

You are nearing a school bus stop. What should you do about 100 to 300 feet before you pull over?

• Turn on the alternating red lights.
• Set the parking brake.
• Turn on the left turn signal.
• Turn on the right turn signal.

Correct answer: Turn on the right turn signal.

Other drivers need a warning before a school bus slows down and moves to the side of the road. A signal to the right tells them you are about to pull over. Turn it on roughly 100 to 300 feet, or about 3 to 5 seconds, before you pull over. Keep checking your mirrors as you move as far right as you can. The left signal is the tempting choice, but it comes later. You use it when you are ready to leave the stop and rejoin traffic.

While students are getting on or off the bus, how often should you check your mirrors?

• Continuously, through the whole stop
• Once, before you open the door
• Only if a student seems missing
• Only when cars are passing the bus

Correct answer: Continuously, through the whole stop

Each year, more students die boarding or leaving a school bus than riding in it. A child can drop something, step into a blind spot, or run back toward the bus at any moment. Your mirrors show students, traffic, and objects in the danger zones. So keep watching all of them for the whole stop, not at one step only. Check them once more before you pull away. One look before you open the door is not enough. It cannot show what happens after students start to move.

While unloading at a route stop, you cannot find one of the students who just got off. What should you do?

• Pull ahead slowly so the mirrors show the area behind the bus.
• Continue the route and report the missing student to dispatch.
• Secure the bus, remove the key, and search around and under it.
• Back up slowly so you can see the area in front of the bus.

Correct answer: Secure the bus, remove the key, and search around and under it.

A student you cannot see may be standing close to the bus or may even be under it. If the bus moves, it could hit that child. So the bus must stay still until you find the student. Set the parking brake, turn off the engine, and take the key with you. Then walk all the way around the bus and look underneath it. Pull away only after every student is counted. Pulling ahead for a better mirror view is wrong, because the bus moves before you know where the child is.

What should students be taught to do if they drop something near the school bus?

• Grab it quickly before the bus starts to move.
• Stand next to the bus until the driver pulls away, then get it.
• Return to get it once the door has closed.
• Leave it there, get clear of the danger zones, and signal the driver.

Correct answer: Leave it there, get clear of the danger zones, and signal the driver.

A child who bends down or turns back near the bus can disappear from the driver's view. This can happen at the most dangerous moment of a stop. So students learn to leave a dropped item where it is. They move away from the bus, out of the danger zones. Then they get the driver's attention, and the driver helps them get it back. Grabbing the item quickly is still wrong. The child stays close to the bus, where the driver may not see them.

Which of these describes a passive railroad crossing?

• It has no crossbuck sign and no pavement markings.
• It has no lights, bells, or gates to control traffic.
• It has flashing red lights but no gates.
• It lets school buses cross without stopping.

Correct answer: It has no lights, bells, or gates to control traffic.

A passive crossing gives you no signal when a train is near. Nothing at the crossing controls traffic: no flashing lights, no bells, and no gates. You still get help to spot it. Look for the round yellow sign ahead of the tracks, the X and RR painted on the road, and the crossbuck. Because no device warns you, the choice to cross is yours alone. Stop the bus, look and listen, and cross only when the tracks are clear. Flashing red lights make a crossing active, even with no gates.

Which description fits an active railroad crossing?

• It has only a crossbuck sign and pavement markings.
• It has only a round yellow warning sign ahead of the tracks.
• It has a train passing through it at that moment.
• It has flashing red lights or gates to control traffic.

Correct answer: It has flashing red lights or gates to control traffic.

An active crossing has equipment that warns you when a train is coming. This equipment sits at the crossing and controls traffic. It is flashing red lights, with or without bells, and sometimes gates too. When the lights flash, stop and stay stopped until they go off and the gates rise. A crossing with only a crossbuck, a yellow sign, and road markings is passive, not active. Even at an active crossing, look and listen for trains yourself before you cross.

If a railroad crossing has no stop line, how far from the nearest rail must you stop?

• 5 to 10 feet
• 15 to 50 feet
• 60 to 90 feet
• 100 to 200 feet

Correct answer: 15 to 50 feet

The bus must stop where you can see far down the tracks, yet stay a safe distance from the rail. When no white stop line is painted, bring the bus to a stop 15 to 50 feet back from the closest rail. This range gives you the best view of the tracks. Once stopped, open the door and the driver's window. Then look and listen for a train. You turn on the hazard lights about 200 feet before the crossing, but you do not stop that far back.

Which statement about evacuating a school bus is correct?

• If time allows, leave the key in the ignition for rescue crews.
• If time allows, tell dispatch your location, the conditions, and the help you need.
• If time allows, switch off the hazard lights to save the battery.
• If time allows, keep the engine running so the radio stays on.

Correct answer: If time allows, tell dispatch your location, the conditions, and the help you need.

Help comes faster when the people sending it know where you are, what is happening, and what kind of help to bring. So, if there is time, give dispatch those three facts during an evacuation. Secure the bus first. Put it in Park, or in Neutral if it has no Park. Set the parking brakes, shut off the engine, take out the key, and turn on the hazard lights. Keeping the engine running for the radio is wrong. A secured bus always has its engine off. If the radio still works, hang its microphone out the window so you can use it later.

You have chosen the best type of evacuation. What should you do next?

• Call the dispatch office to report the evacuation.
• Send two older students to get help.
• Secure the bus so it cannot move.
• Walk through the bus to look for students.

Correct answer: Secure the bus so it cannot move.

Students cannot get off safely if the bus might roll or the engine is still running. So once you pick the exits to use, make the bus safe before anyone leaves. Put the transmission in Park, or in Neutral if there is no Park. Set the parking brakes. Turn off the engine and take out the key. Turn on the hazard-warning lights. Only then, if time allows, call dispatch with the location and the help you need. Calling dispatch comes after the bus is secure, not before.

Which of these situations require you to evacuate all students from a school bus?

• The bus is burning or could catch fire.
• The bus could move or shift in a way that makes things more dangerous.
• Neither of the above.
• Both of the above.

Correct answer: Both of the above.

As a rule, students are safest when they stay seated on the bus during an emergency. Some dangers are too great for that, and then the driver must get everyone off. One case is a fire, or a real chance of fire. A fire can spread fast and trap students inside. Another case is when the bus might roll, slide or tip, and that movement would raise the danger. Both situations call for a full evacuation, so picking just one leaves out a required case. Keeping students on board applies only when staying does not put them at risk.

Where are you allowed to make a student who behaves badly leave the school bus?

• At any stop along the bus route
• Only at school or at the student's assigned bus stop
• At any safe place on the side of the road
• Only at a police station or a fire station

Correct answer: Only at school or at the student's assigned bus stop

A child put off the bus at an unplanned spot may be alone, far from home, and in danger. For this reason, you may make a student leave the bus for bad behavior only at the school or at the student's own bus stop. If the behavior is too serious for you to drive safely, park in a safe place off the road. Then call a school official or the police to come to the bus. A roadside spot that looks safe is still not allowed, because the child would be left there alone.

A student's behavior is so serious that you cannot drive the bus safely. Who should you call to come and remove the student?

• An older student on the bus
• A school administrator or the police
• Another school bus driver
• A crossing guard near the stop

Correct answer: A school administrator or the police

A serious behavior problem takes your attention off the road. That puts every rider in danger. If you feel you cannot drive safely, stop in a safe place away from traffic and secure the bus. Then call the police or a school administrator to take the student off the bus. Use your school's own steps for asking for help. Do not leave the student by the road; a student may get off only at school or at their own stop. The rule names these two, not another bus driver or an older student.

A student is causing a serious behavior problem on your bus. Which of these follows the correct procedure?

• Drop the student off only at school or at their own stop.
• Make the student get out at a safe corner nearby.
• Have the student move to a seat at the back of the bus.
• Deal with the problem while other students are getting off.

Correct answer: Drop the student off only at school or at their own stop.

The school and the family expect a student to leave the bus at only two places. Anywhere else, the student could end up alone with no adult watching. So you let a student off only at school or at the student's own assigned stop. Follow your school's discipline rules. If the problem is too serious to keep driving safely, park in a safe spot off the road. Then call a school official or the police to come and take the student. A nearby corner may look safe, but it is not an approved stop.

When you do a post-trip inspection, you should look for each of these EXCEPT:

• Students asleep in their seats
• Mud or footprints on the floor
• Items students left behind
• Signs of damage or vandalism

Correct answer: Mud or footprints on the floor

After the last stop, a child may still be asleep on board, or a student may have forgotten a bag or coat. That is why the post-trip check matters. Walk through the bus and then around it. Look for sleeping students, things left on the seats, windows or doors left open, damage or vandalism, and mechanical problems with the mirrors, warning lights and stop arm. Tell your supervisor about any problem right away. Mud or footprints on the floor are not on this list. Damage and vandalism are on it, so check for them every time.

During the vehicle inspection test, which part must you check to make sure it is free of damage, works smoothly, and closes securely from the inside?

• The stop arm
• The seat frames
• The emergency exits
• The mirror brackets

Correct answer: The emergency exits

In a crash or other emergency, students may need to leave the bus through an emergency exit. That exit must open and shut the right way. On the inspection test, show that at least one emergency exit has no damage, works smoothly, and shuts tightly from the inside. Check that the release handle works from both inside and outside. Check that the exit warning devices work, and explain how the other exits open. The stop arm is checked too, but for secure mounting and full extension, not for closing from the inside.

What should you do if strong winds hit while you are driving a school bus?

• Speed up so you spend less time in the wind.
• Drive beside a large truck to block the wind.
• Grip the wheel firmly and watch for sudden gusts.
• Turn on the strobe lights and keep your speed.

Correct answer: Grip the wheel firmly and watch for sudden gusts.

A school bus has tall, flat sides. Wind pushes on them the way it fills a sail. A strong gust can shove the bus sideways, out of its lane or off the road. Very strong wind can even tip it over. Hold the wheel firmly with both hands, and expect gusts before they hit. Slow down to reduce the push. If the wind is too strong, pull off the road, wait, and call your dispatcher. Do not drive beside a truck for shelter. Wind makes it hard to hold your lane, so keep clear of other vehicles.

In a turn, the tail of a school bus can swing out by up to:

• 3 feet
• 6 feet
• 8 feet
• 12 feet

Correct answer: 3 feet

As a school bus turns, its rear end can swing out to the side. This tail swing can reach 3 feet. A person or object near the back corner of the bus could be in its path. Check your mirrors before a turn and keep checking them during the turn. Take extra care when you pull away after students get on or off. Larger numbers such as 6 or 8 feet overstate it. The swing is short, so drivers may forget it, but it can still strike someone.