During the required railroad stop, what does Indiana law require the driver to do before proceeding?
Correct answer: Listen through an open window or door; look both ways.
Listen through an open window or door, look in both directions and do not proceed until safe. The CDL manual and district procedure may specify additional steps, including quieting students and noisy equipment.
Source: Indiana DOE, Statutes for Preservice July 1, 2026, IC 9-21-12-5(c), physical PDF page 31. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
After the required railroad stop, how should you choose a gear for crossing the tracks?
Correct answer: Choose a gear that lets the bus clear without changing gears on the tracks.
Indiana prohibits shifting gears while crossing the track or tracks. Select a suitable gear before starting so the bus can clear safely without a gear change.
Source: Indiana DOE, Statutes for Preservice July 1, 2026, IC 9-21-12-5(c), physical PDF page 31. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Traffic beyond a crossing leaves too little space for your whole school bus to clear the tracks. What should you do?
Correct answer: Wait before the crossing until the entire bus can clear safely.
Check the space beyond the tracks before entering. The manual discusses bus length and extra clearance; never assume that space for the front of the bus is sufficient for the whole vehicle.
Source: Indiana Commercial Driver License Manual, Section 10.4.3, physical PDF page 133 (Section 10 version July 2017). Guidance compared with current Indiana school-bus rules September 14, 2026. ↗
Your bus is already on the tracks when the gate begins to lower across the exit. What does the manual direct you to do?
Correct answer: Keep moving off the tracks, through the gate if necessary.
Once already on the tracks, get the bus off them. This emergency instruction is not permission to enter a crossing when lights are flashing or gates are lowering or down.
Source: Indiana Commercial Driver License Manual, Section 10.4.3, physical PDF page 133 (Section 10 version July 2017). Guidance compared with current Indiana school-bus rules September 14, 2026. ↗
A police officer controlling an Indiana railroad crossing directs your school bus to proceed. What does the statute require?
Correct answer: Proceed in accordance with the officer's instructions.
The statute directs the driver to follow the controlling police officer or traffic control signal. This concerns an actual direction at that crossing, not a silent warning light or a general waiver of safe operation.
Source: Indiana DOE, Statutes for Preservice July 1, 2026, IC 9-21-12-5(d), physical PDF page 31. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A train clears one track, but the red lights continue flashing at a multi-track crossing. What should you do?
Correct answer: Remain stopped; another train may be approaching.
A second train can approach on another track. Wait for the gates to rise, flashing warnings to stop and a safe crossing opportunity after checking all tracks.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.2, physical PDF page 114. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Your school bus stalls on the tracks and cannot clear them promptly. What is the priority?
Correct answer: Evacuate everyone immediately away from the tracks.
A bus stalled or trapped on tracks requires immediate evacuation. Move far away at an angle away from the tracks and toward an approaching train's direction, avoiding the area where debris may be pushed.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.4, physical PDF page 115. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
The bus is stopped after an incident, with no immediate danger inside. How should evacuation be decided?
Correct answer: Compare the danger of staying aboard with the danger outside.
Evacuation can expose children to moving traffic and other hazards. Assess the emergency and evacuate when staying aboard is more dangerous; do not delay when an immediate threat requires exit.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.1, physical PDF page 112. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Smoke and fire threaten the bus's occupied passenger area. What should you do first?
Correct answer: Evacuate the students to a safe place.
Fire or a serious threat of fire requires evacuation. Protect passengers and obtain emergency help; a practice question is not training to fight a bus fire.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.1, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
The normal entrance is unsafe to use during an evacuation. What should guide your choice of another exit?
Correct answer: The hazard location and the safest usable exit.
Choose the front, rear, both, side, window or roof exits according to the emergency and their usability. Do not direct students through the hazard merely to use the usual entrance.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
If time and conditions permit, how should you secure the bus before directing an emergency evacuation?
Correct answer: Set the brake, select park or neutral, stop the engine and take the key.
The handbook's evacuation procedure secures the vehicle against movement and uses hazard lamps. Contact dispatch if time permits, but do not delay an urgent evacuation to complete a call.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Why teach emergency-exit procedures to all students, even when trained student helpers are assigned?
Correct answer: The assigned helpers may be absent when an emergency occurs.
Assigned helpers are useful, but every student needs basic evacuation knowledge. Planning must account for an emergency on a day when those helpers are not riding.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Once students have reached the evacuation meeting place, what must the driver establish?
Correct answer: That all students are accounted for and any injuries are identified.
Keep students together at the safe meeting location, account for everyone and check their condition. Communicate with dispatch and responders rather than allowing students to wander back.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A train is approaching a bus trapped on the rails. In which direction should evacuees move?
Correct answer: Away from the tracks, angled toward the approaching train.
Move well away from both the bus and the tracks. Angling toward the approaching train takes evacuees away from the direction debris may be carried after impact.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.4, physical PDF page 115. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Indiana requires rules directing a school-bus driver to conduct passenger evacuation drills at least how often?
Correct answer: One time each semester.
The statute specifies at least one passenger evacuation drill each semester. Follow the required drill procedure and any additional school requirements.
Source: Indiana DOE, Statutes for Preservice July 1, 2026, IC 20-27-3-6.5(2), physical PDF page 7. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
An Indiana school bus has safety belts meeting the cited statutory standard. What passenger instruction is required at least once each semester?
Correct answer: How to fasten the safety belt properly about the passenger's body.
The requirement addresses instruction in correct fastening when the bus has the specified safety belts. It accompanies, rather than replaces, the evacuation-drill requirement.
Source: Indiana DOE, Statutes for Preservice July 1, 2026, IC 20-27-3-6.5(1), physical PDF page 7. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
