After completing a trip, a school bus driver should do an inspection in which they check for sleeping students; belongings left on the bus; open windows or doors; any mechanical or operational issues with the bus; and damage or vandalism.

If you are asked to alley dock, you should first pull past the alley and stop your vehicle in a position that is parallel to the outer boundary. From there, you should back your vehicle entirely into the alley parking area. Your vehicle should be parked in a straight position within the boundaries of the parking space.

The overhead inside rearview mirror of a school bus should be mounted directly above the windshield on the driver’s side of the vehicle. It should be used to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.

At a stop, a school bus should be stopped with the front bumper at least 10 feet away from the students. This forces the students to walk toward the bus, allowing the driver to keep an eye on their movements.

On a school bus, the overhead inside rearview mirror is mounted directly above the windshield on the driver’s side of the bus. This mirror should be used to monitor students inside the bus.

Crossover mirrors are used to help a driver see the danger zone area directly in front of a school bus. The mirrors should also display the danger zone areas to the left and right sides of the bus, including the area from the front of the bus to the service door.

While students are boarding a school bus, the driver should supervise the loading while watching all mirrors for any students running to catch the bus.

The adjustment of mirrors should be checked prior to the start of any trip.

The process of loading or unloading students from a school bus requires a driver's full concentration. If there is a behavioral issue on the bus, wait until the exiting students are safely off the bus and out of the way before you address the problem on the bus.

It is possible for students to be injured, or even killed, as a result of their clothing, accessories, or bodies getting caught on a handrail or door while exiting a school bus. The driver should closely watch students as they exit to ensure that they have all unloaded the bus successfully and have reached a safe location.

When unloading students at a school, a bus driver must secure the bus by turning off the engine. If they must leave the driver's compartment, they should remove the key from the ignition. The driver must supervise the unloading process.

You will be asked to change lanes during the on-road driving test. When the examiner asks you to do this, you should make the necessary traffic checks and use the proper signals before changing lanes.

When stopping to load or unload students, a school bus should ideally be placed in park. If there is no park shift point, the bus should be placed in neutral and the parking brake should be set.

If students are evacuated due to a school bus being in the direct path of a sighted tornado, the driver should lead them to shelter in a nearby building. If no such shelter is available, the driver should escort them to a nearby ditch or culvert. They should avoid areas that may be subject to flash flooding and should be far enough away from the bus that it would not fall on them if it tipped over.

If a school bus is equipped with alternating flashing amber warning lights, they should be activated at least 200 feet (approximately 5 to 10 seconds) before a stop, unless state law requires otherwise.

School bus drivers may only pick up students at official stops designated by authorized school officials.

Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged and should only be done if there is no safe alternative. If you must drive in reverse, be sure to follow all proper safety protocol.

In general, school bus drivers should stop before any railroad crossings to check the tracks for approaching trains. Drivers should stop no closer than 15 feet and no farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail in order to have the best view of the tracks. They should look and listen for approaching trains before proceeding through the crossing.

As you exit your vehicle during the basic vehicle control skills test, you must face the vehicle and maintain three points of contact at all times. If your testing vehicle is a bus, you must maintain contact with the handrail. Exiting the vehicle incorrectly may result in automatic failure of the basic control skills test.

The overhead inside rearview mirror in a school bus is used to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.