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. ↗
