A child walks along the left side of a stopped school bus. Which hazard remains important even though the bus itself is not moving?
Correct answer: Traffic passing along that side of the bus.
The school-bus danger zone includes exposure to other vehicles. The manual specifically identifies passing traffic as a danger along the bus's left side.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.1 - Danger Zones; Figure 10.1; printed 10-1, physical 129; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
After taking over a school bus from a driver with a different seating position, you find that a mirror no longer gives its intended view. What should happen before operating the bus?
Correct answer: Correct the adjustment and verify the required views in all mirrors.
School-bus mirrors must be checked and, when necessary, adjusted before operation to provide the required views. Another driver's settings do not establish correct coverage for you.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.2 - Correct Mirror Adjustment; printed 10-1, physical 129; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Both outside flat mirrors show clear lanes beside a school bus. What can you conclude about the area immediately behind its rear bumper?
Correct answer: It may still be hidden in a blind area.
Clear side-lane views do not prove that the space directly behind the rear bumper is clear. The manual identifies a blind area behind the bus as well as areas hidden near the mirrors.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.3 - Outside Left and Right Side Flat Mirrors; Figure 10.2 on physical 130; printed 10-1, physical 129; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A person appears small and distant in a school bus's convex mirror. Why is that appearance not a reliable measure of the actual gap?
Correct answer: The mirror distorts apparent size and distance.
Convex mirrors provide a wide-angle view, but their images distort size and distance. A small-looking person may be nearer than the image suggests.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.4 - Outside Left and Right Side Convex Mirrors; Figure 10.3; printed 10-2, physical 130; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
During a school bus mirror check, a strip of ground ahead of the bumper is visible neither directly nor in the crossover mirrors. What does that reveal?
Correct answer: A coverage gap that needs correction before operation.
The crossover mirrors must show front ground that the driver cannot see directly, with mirror and direct views overlapping. A hidden strip between those views defeats that purpose.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.5 - Outside Left and Right Side Crossover Mirrors; Figure 10.4 on physical 131; printed 10-2, physical 130; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
The overhead interior mirror shows the students and a small view through the school bus's rear glass. Should that small view replace the outside mirrors for traffic approaching from behind?
Correct answer: No; the outside mirrors are needed to monitor that traffic.
The overhead mirror is primarily for observing student activity and has a limited rear view. The manual directs the driver to use exterior side mirrors for traffic approaching behind the bus.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.6 - Overhead Inside Rearview Mirror; printed 10-3, physical 131; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A school bus driver repeatedly checks the boarding-door mirror but skips the other mirrors because the door is the busiest area. What should replace that habit?
Correct answer: A logical scan using all of the bus's mirrors.
No single mirror covers all school-bus danger areas. The manual calls for using the mirrors together in a logical sequence so that the different fields of view are checked.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.1.5 - Outside Left and Right Side Crossover Mirrors (concluding paragraph); printed 10-2, physical 130; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A parent asks a school bus driver to move the regular pickup to a different driveway the next morning. What is the proper response?
Correct answer: Refer the request for official approval before changing the stop.
School-bus stops are officially designated; the driver must not change a stop without the appropriate written approval. NCDMV's current school-bus page also directs routing matters to the local school transportation provider.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2 - Loading and Unloading; 10.2.1 - Approaching the Stop; printed 10-3, physical 131; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. Current NCDMV School Bus Endorsements page, Routing & Complaints/Compliments regarding school bus driver, also reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
After loading, your count is one short of the students you saw waiting. No one can yet explain where that child went. What should you do?
Correct answer: Keep the bus secured and account for the missing child before moving.
The driver must account for students before moving. An unexplained missing child could be in a hidden area around the bus; a clear doorway or a slow departure is not proof of safety.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.2 - Loading Procedures; 10.2.3 - Unloading Procedures on the Route; printed 10-4, physical 132; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
At a dark school bus loading stop, the bus is safely secured for boarding and has an operable dome light. How should that light be used?
Correct answer: Turn it on while students are loading.
The school-bus loading guidance calls for the dome light to be on when loading in darkness. Exterior warning lights have a different function and do not replace illumination for boarding.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.2 - Loading Procedures; printed 10-4, physical 132; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A school bus driver notices that the bus has just passed a student's assigned unloading stop. What should the driver do?
Correct answer: Follow local missed-stop procedures without backing to the stop.
The school-bus section expressly says not to back up after missing an unloading stop and to follow local procedures. It does not authorize an improvised replacement stop or a student-directed reversing maneuver.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.3 - Unloading Procedures on the Route (note); printed 10-4, physical 132; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A student's notebook falls near the school bus while the student is getting off. What should the student have been taught to do?
Correct answer: Leave it, move to a safe place, and get the driver's attention.
A child who bends down or returns for an object can disappear from the driver's view. The manual directs students to leave the object, move out of danger and get the driver's attention rather than retrieve it on their own.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.5 - Special Dangers of Loading and Unloading; Dropped or Forgotten Objects; printed 10-5, physical 133; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A student steps onto the ground but a backpack strap is still near the school bus handrail and door. What must the driver verify before moving?
Correct answer: That the student and belongings are fully clear in a safe location.
Clothing, accessories or body parts can catch in a handrail or door. The driver must observe the entire exit and confirm the student's safe location before moving, not stop watching when the child's feet reach the ground.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.5 - Special Dangers of Loading and Unloading; Handrail Hang-ups; printed 10-5, physical 133; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
After a school activity trip, another student says everyone has left the bus. What still needs to happen before the driver treats the bus as empty?
Correct answer: A physical walk-through checking for any remaining or sleeping student.
The school-bus post-trip inspection includes walking through the bus and looking for sleeping students. A passenger's assurance, silence or a limited mirror view cannot replace that check.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.6 - Post-trip Inspection; printed 10-6, physical 134; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A driver has learned the approved on-road unloading routine but is assigned a school-campus unloading area for the first time. What should the driver establish?
Correct answer: The state and local procedures applicable to that school location.
The manual warns that unloading rules and procedures on school property can differ from those along the route. The driver must understand the requirements applicable to the actual location.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.2.4 - Unloading Procedures at School (opening paragraphs); printed 10-5, physical 133; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A school bus is secured away from traffic after a breakdown, with no immediate fire or collision threat. Severe conditions outside may endanger the students. What should guide the evacuation decision?
Correct answer: Compare the danger of remaining aboard with the danger outside.
Evacuation planning must consider both the hazard affecting the bus and the risks of exposing students outside, including traffic, severe weather and other dangerous conditions. Neither staying nor evacuating is an automatic answer to every breakdown.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.3.1 - Planning for Emergencies; printed 10-6, physical 134; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Two older students usually help with evacuation drills, but they sometimes miss the route. How should the driver's emergency preparation account for that?
Correct answer: Explain evacuation procedures to all students, not just the usual helpers.
The manual recommends trained student assistants when possible but warns that they may not be aboard in an emergency. All students need to understand evacuation procedures and the importance of following instructions.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.3.2 - Evacuation Procedures; Be Prepared and Plan Ahead; printed 10-6, physical 134; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
An emergency plan must allow for the school bus's usual front exit to be unusable. What principle should guide exit selection?
Correct answer: Use the bus's available emergency exits suited to the actual hazard.
The manual identifies different door, roof and window evacuation options and calls for selecting the best type for the circumstances. Actual equipment, trained procedures and the hazard determine the usable route; no one exit is always correct.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.3.2 - Evacuation Procedures; General Procedures; printed 10-7, physical 135; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
In a developing school bus emergency, a driver is deciding when to contact dispatch. Which principle matches the manual?
Correct answer: Contact dispatch when time permits, without delaying urgent protective action.
The manual qualifies pre-evacuation contact with dispatch by whether time permits. The driver must recognize the hazard and make a timely safety decision; communication must not become a reason to delay urgently needed evacuation.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.3.1 - Planning for Emergencies; 10.3.2 General Procedures on physical 135; printed 10-6, physical 134; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
The students have reached the designated safe place after a school bus evacuation. What responsibility continues for the driver?
Correct answer: Rejoin them, account for every student, and check their safety.
Getting students off the bus is not the end of the evacuation. The manual calls for joining the waiting students, accounting for all of them and checking their safety.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.3.2 - Evacuation Procedures; General Procedures (concluding steps); printed 10-7, physical 135; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
While students are unloading from a secured school bus, two seated students start a nonurgent argument. What should take priority at that moment?
Correct answer: Watching the unloading students until they are safely away from the bus.
Loading and unloading require attention to students outside the bus. The manual says to defer an on-bus behavior problem until unloading students are safely off and away; the prompt excludes an immediate emergency inside.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.5.1 - Don't Deal with On-bus Problems When Loading and Unloading; printed 10-9, physical 137; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
The bus is safely parked and secured, and the driver is addressing a student's misconduct under school procedures. Which approach is appropriate?
Correct answer: Speak courteously and firmly, explaining the expected behavior.
The manual calls for a courteous, firm and respectful manner, without displaying anger. Reminding the student of expected behavior supports control without escalating the exchange.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.5.2 - Handling Serious Problems; printed 10-9, physical 137; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A student's serious conduct makes it unsafe to continue the school bus trip. The bus has been stopped and secured in a safe location. What should the driver do next?
Correct answer: Request the appropriate assistance under state and local school procedures.
When behavior is too serious for safe driving, the manual directs the driver to seek appropriate assistance and follow state or local procedures. It does not authorize an improvised roadside discharge or driving while distracted by the student.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.5.2 - Handling Serious Problems (concluding paragraphs); printed 10-9, physical 137; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A school bus leaves a sheltered road and enters an exposed stretch during strong crosswinds. Which response is appropriate?
Correct answer: Anticipate gusts and reduce speed as conditions require.
A school bus's broad side can act like a sail, allowing gusts to push it sideways. The manual directs the driver to anticipate gusts and slow down, or stop in a safe place if necessary; dry pavement alone does not remove the wind hazard.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.7.2 - Driving in High Winds; printed 10-11, physical 139; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A school bus is about to turn beside a fixed object near its rear body. The front of the bus has room. What still requires attention?
Correct answer: The rear body's swing, checked in the mirrors before and during the turn.
Clearance for the front and tire path does not establish clearance for the bus's rear overhang. The school-bus section directs mirror checks before and during a turn to monitor tail swing; its amount depends on the bus and maneuver.
Source: North Carolina Commercial Driver License Manual, 2005 CDL Testing System; Section 10 - School Buses; 10.7.4 - Tail Swing; printed 10-11, physical 139; Version: July 2014. Current NCDMV-linked copy reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
