In general, school buses manufactured after 1998 or 1999 must be equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). Many older buses are equipped with ABS as well.

While students are boarding a school bus, if the driver cannot account for a student outside, they should secure the bus, take the key with them, and check around and underneath the bus for the missing student.

Do not shift gears while crossing railroad tracks. Your vehicle could stall and get stuck in the crossing.

A driver uses a look when they open their door, leave their seated position, and walk to the back of the vehicle to check its position. During the straight line backing exercise, a driver may not exceed one look. During any other exercise, a driver may not exceed two looks.

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.

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.

You may be asked to complete a parallel parking maneuver into a parking space that is to the left of your vehicle. You should drive past the parking space before backing into it while bringing the rear of your vehicle as close to the rear of the space as possible. Your vehicle should be completely within the boundaries of the space.

When exiting 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 vehicle control skills test.

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

Properly adjusted crossover mirrors on a school bus should allow the driver to see the entire area in front of the bus, from the front bumper at ground level to a point where direct vision is possible. The mirrors should also display the right and left front tires touching the ground, as well as the area from the front of the bus to the service door.

When inspecting a tractor/trailer coupling, look into the fifth wheel gap and make sure the locking jaws are fully closed around the kingpin.

During the on-road driving test, the examiner will be score you on specific driving maneuvers as well as on your general driving behavior. You must drive in a safe and responsible manner; obey all traffic signs, signals, and laws; and not cause an accident or commit a moving violation.

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

Anti-lock brakes are meant to keep a vehicle's wheels from locking up during hard applications. If your vehicle's Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) malfunctions, its standard braking functions should still be in place. You should continue to drive and brake in a normal manner.

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

When approaching a bus stop, a school bus driver should count the number of students waiting and ensure that they all board the bus. The driver should check their mirrors for any students who may be running to the stop. Students should board slowly in a single-file line.

When preparing to evacuate a school bus, the driver must quickly determine which of the bus's exits is safest for passengers to use.

During the on-road driving test, do not stop, change gears, pass another vehicle, or change lanes while any part of your vehicle is in a railroad crossing.

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.

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.