When stopping to pick up students, a school bus should be put in park. If the transmission does not have a park shift point, the vehicle should instead be placed in neutral.

During a vehicle inspection test, you must ensure that all lug nuts are present, free of cracks and distortions, and showing no signs of looseness, such as rust trails or shiny threads. Verify that all bolt holes are free of cracks and distortions.

The top portion of the overhead inside rearview mirror should be positioned to display the top of the bus's rear window. This mirror positioning should allow the driver to see all of the students on the bus, including the heads of the students sitting immediately behind the driver.

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.

An encroachment during the basic vehicle control skills test is when an exercise boundary line is touched or crossed by any portion of the applicant's vehicle. Every encroachment will be counted as an error.

Railroad crossings that do not have any kind of traffic control device are known as passive crossings. The decision to proceed across tracks at a passive crossing is entirely up to the driver.

If you are asked to complete an offset back/left parking maneuver, you should first pull straight forward, then back up to the left. Your vehicle must be parked completely within the boundaries of the parking space.

Maneuvers that may be included in the basic vehicle control skills test include straight line backing, offset back/right parking, offset back/left parking, driver side parallel parking, conventional parallel parking, and alley docking.

The driver of a school bus should observe students as they enter or exit the bus to ensure that they are not caught in the door or handrails. It is also important to make sure the students have moved a safe distance away from the unloading area after they have exited the bus.

You should always check the adjustment of all your mirrors before operating a school bus.

Before crossing railroad tracks, you should ensure that no trains are approaching from any direction. Never shift gears while crossing railroad tracks.

During the basic vehicle control skills test, a pull-up will be scored any time an applicant stops and pulls forward to gain a better position. Stopping without changing direction will not. An excessive number of pull-ups will count as errors.

If equipped, a school bus's roof-mounted strobe light should be used when conditions create an environment of limited visibility.

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

It is essential that school bus drivers check all of the bus's mirrors before operating the vehicle. You should always have a maximum viewing area that is consistent with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. If necessary, have the positioning of the mirrors adjusted.

More students are killed each year during loading or unloading of school buses than while riding on school buses. Therefore, it is critical that school bus drivers follow appropriate safety procedures during loading and unloading. This process should never take place without being properly supervised.

When checking a cargo lift as part of your vehicle inspection test, you should check for leaking, damaged, or missing parts. The lift must be fully retracted and latched securely.

When checking a header board during the vehicle inspection test, you should ensure that it is secure, free of damage, and strong enough to contain cargo.

A school bus driver should load and unload students only at designated stops that have been approved by appropriate school district officials.

Official school bus routes and stops are established by the local school district. Drivers should never change a stop location without the written approval of an appropriate district official.