At the required rail stop, how should you prepare to look and listen?
Correct answer: Quiet the students and equipment, then open the door and driver window.
Use the agreed quiet signal and turn off noise-making equipment. With the bus stopped and quiet, open the service door and operator window and check both directions for trains or on-track equipment.
Source: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.3; physical PDF page 270 (printed 270); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 2026. ↗
After the required stop, your Maryland school vehicle can safely cross the railroad tracks. What does the statute require about manual gear changes?
Correct answer: Use a suitable gear that avoids manual shifting while crossing.
Choose the gear before crossing so manual shifting is unnecessary. Maryland expressly prohibits manually shifting gears while passing over a railroad track.
Source: Maryland Transportation §21-703(e)–(f); official General Assembly text checked September 15, 2026. ↗
Using the Maryland CDL handbook’s general storage-space guideline, what room should be available beyond a crossing before committing the bus?
Correct answer: Room beyond the tracks for the bus plus 15 feet.
The handbook’s general guideline adds 15 feet to the bus length. Check the usable space beyond all tracks; do not enter if queued traffic could leave part of the bus on the crossing.
Source: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.4; physical PDF page 271 (printed 271); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 2026. ↗
Using the handbook’s procedure at one multiple-track crossing, what should you do after stopping and verifying every track is clear?
Correct answer: Continue across all tracks until the bus is completely clear.
The handbook directs a stop before the first set and, once every track is clear, continuous travel until the bus clears all tracks. This is not the separate procedure for two crossings with a safe storage area between them.
Source: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.3; physical PDF page 270 (printed 270); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 2026. ↗
Under Maryland §21-703, what does an official exempt highway–rail grade crossing plaque change?
Correct answer: It removes the special stop requirement, not the need to cross safely.
The plaque removes this section’s special stopping requirement. It does not give priority over a train or permission to disregard gates, warnings or any other applicable rule.
Source: Maryland Transportation §21-703(g)(3); official General Assembly text checked September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.2; physical PDF page 269 (printed 269); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.4; physical PDF page 270 (printed 270); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.1; physical PDF page 264 (printed 264); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.1; physical PDF page 265 (printed 265); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.2; physical PDF page 266 (printed 266); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.2; physical PDF page 266 (printed 266); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 2026. ↗
Why should every student learn emergency-exit procedures, even when older student helpers are assigned?
Correct answer: All students need to know the exits and follow evacuation instructions.
The handbook says to explain emergency procedures and exit operation to all students. Trained helpers may assist others and lead them to safety, but they do not replace that instruction.
Source: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.2; physical PDF page 265 (printed 265); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.3.2; physical PDF page 266 (printed 266); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 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: Maryland Commercial Driver’s License Manual, DL-151 (02/26), February 2026; Section 10.4.4; physical PDF page 270 (printed 270); public mirror of the Maryland manual; reviewed September 15, 2026. ↗
How often does Maryland’s public-school transportation regulation require school-vehicle evacuation exercises?
Correct answer: Twice each school year.
COMAR requires school-vehicle evacuations twice each school year. Follow the school system’s drill procedures; a written practice quiz does not satisfy the exercise requirement.
Source: COMAR 13A.06.07.12L; official Library of Maryland Regulations text checked September 15, 2026; scope: local school systems covered by 13A.06.07.03. ↗
May a Maryland public-school vehicle with students aboard be routed across an uncontrolled high-speed railroad crossing?
Correct answer: No; that routing is prohibited.
COMAR prohibits that route with students aboard and requires reasonable efforts to avoid grade-level railroad crossings. A plan to stop does not remove the routing restriction.
Source: COMAR 13A.06.07.14F; official Library of Maryland Regulations text checked September 15, 2026; scope: local school systems covered by 13A.06.07.03. ↗
