CDL School Bus Endorsement — All Questions

At a railroad crossing, a school bus must:

• a.Stop only when carrying students
• b.Stop, whether or not it is carrying passengers, unless the crossing is exempt✓
• c.Slow down but may roll through if no train is visible
• d.Never stop, to avoid stalling on the tracks

School buses are required to stop at railroad crossings whether or not students are aboard, except at crossings marked exempt or where a police officer or signal directs otherwise. The driver stops, looks, and listens before proceeding. This rule exists because of the catastrophic consequences of a train collision.

The school bus should stop before a railroad crossing:

• a.Right on the first rail
• b.Within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail✓
• c.At least 100 feet past the tracks
• d.Only at the crossing gate itself

The bus must stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail, where the driver has the best view down the tracks. Stopping too close or on the tracks is dangerous, and stopping too far reduces visibility. From this position the driver looks and listens in both directions.

Before crossing the tracks, the driver should:

• a.Keep the bus in a high gear
• b.Turn up the radio to stay alert
• c.Signal students to stand up
• d.Open the door and window, look and listen in both directions✓

The driver opens the service door and driver's window, then looks and listens carefully in both directions for an approaching train. Reducing interior noise helps the driver hear a train horn. Only when certain no train is coming should the driver proceed.

You should never shift gears while:

• a.Approaching the stop line
• b.The bus is empty
• c.The bus is crossing the railroad tracks✓
• d.Turning on the warning lights

Never change gears while crossing the tracks, because if the bus stalls or hesitates mid-crossing it could be struck by a train. Select a gear before the crossing that will pull you completely across without shifting. Cross steadily and do not stop on the tracks.

You should only start across the tracks if you are sure you can:

• a.Shift into a lower gear on the rails
• b.Beat an approaching train
• c.Completely clear the tracks without stopping✓
• d.Stop halfway if a car cuts in

Never start across until you are certain you can get completely across without stopping. If traffic ahead might force you to stop on the tracks, wait until there is room on the far side for the entire bus. Being trapped on the tracks is a deadly situation.

The distance a fully loaded bus needs to clear the tracks is important because:

• a.It affects fuel economy
• b.A stalled or trapped bus on the tracks can be struck by a train✓
• c.It determines the warning-light timing
• d.It changes the gear ratio

You must be sure there is enough room on the other side for the entire length of the bus before starting across. If the far side is blocked, the bus could become trapped on the tracks. Allow at least the length of the bus plus 15 feet of clearance beyond the far rail.

At an 'exempt' railroad crossing sign, a school bus:

• a.Is not required to stop, but the driver should still be cautious✓
• b.Must reverse and find another route
• c.Must still make a full stop
• d.Must sound the horn continuously

An 'exempt' sign indicates a crossing where a stop is not required, often an abandoned or industrial track. Even so, the driver should slow, look, and remain alert. Local policy may still require caution, and the driver should never assume no train can appear.

If your bus stalls or gets trapped on the tracks with a train coming, you should:

• a.Immediately evacuate everyone and move away from the tracks toward the oncoming train at an angle✓
• b.Call dispatch first, then evacuate
• c.Wait for help to arrive
• d.Stay in the bus and try to restart the engine

If trapped on the tracks with a train approaching, get everyone out and away immediately, moving toward the oncoming train but off to the side at an angle to avoid flying debris after impact. Never stay to restart the bus. Once everyone is at a safe distance, call for help.

When you move toward the oncoming train to evacuate, you angle away from the tracks because:

• a.Debris from the collision will fly forward, away from the train's direction of travel✓
• b.The train crew can see you better
• c.It is the shortest path to the road
• d.Trains stop quickly

You move toward the train but at an angle away from the tracks so that when the train strikes the bus, the debris is thrown forward in the train's direction of travel, away from you. Running away from the train in the same direction it moves would put you in the path of scattering wreckage. This roughly 45-degree angle toward the train is the standard escape direction.

'Storing enough room' at a railroad crossing means:

• a.Room in the aisle for standing students
• b.Keeping fuel in reserve
• c.Leaving space behind you for other buses
• d.Having enough space on the far side to fit the entire bus beyond the tracks✓

Before crossing, confirm there is enough space on the far side for the whole bus to clear the tracks without stopping. If traffic or a signal ahead could force you to halt on the rails, wait behind the crossing. Never enter a crossing you might not be able to exit.

At a crossing with multiple tracks, after one train passes you should:

• a.Speed up to beat any second train
• b.Look again in both directions, as a second train may be coming on another track✓
• c.Cross immediately since the danger is over
• d.Assume all tracks are now clear

A passing train can hide a second train approaching on another track from the opposite direction. After the first train clears, look and listen again before crossing. Never assume the tracks are safe just because one train has gone by.

Placing the transmission in the correct gear before a crossing matters because:

• a.It saves brake wear
• b.It reduces exhaust
• c.It keeps students quiet
• d.You must not shift on the tracks and need a gear that pulls you fully across✓

Choose a gear before starting across that will move the bus completely over the crossing without needing to shift. Shifting on the tracks risks stalling and getting stuck. Manual-transmission drivers especially must plan the gear in advance.

When stopped at a railroad crossing, the bus's hazard warning flashers should generally be:

• a.Replaced by the red student-loading lights
• b.Alternated with the headlights
• c.Turned on to warn traffic behind you that you are stopping✓
• d.Turned off to avoid confusion

Activating the hazard flashers as you slow and stop at a crossing warns following drivers that the bus is stopping, since they may not expect it. Do not use the red student loading lights, which are only for loading and unloading. Follow your state and district policy on flasher use at crossings.

If a railroad crossing gate is down or lights are flashing, you must:

• a.Drive around the gate if no train is visible
• b.Cross quickly before a train arrives
• c.Reverse and find another route immediately
• d.Wait until the gate rises and lights stop before crossing✓

Never drive around a lowered gate or cross while warning lights are flashing; wait until the gate is fully raised and the lights have stopped. Going around a gate is illegal and deadly. Trains can be closer and faster than they appear.

A common misjudgment drivers make at crossings is that:

• a.Trains are slower than they look
• b.Crossing gates always work perfectly
• c.Buses accelerate faster than cars
• d.A train's large size makes it look farther away and slower than it actually is✓

Because of their large size, trains appear to be moving slower and to be farther away than they really are. This optical illusion causes drivers to misjudge the time available to cross. Never try to beat a train; if you see one coming, wait.

The safest practice regarding stopping distance for a train is to remember that a train:

• a.Can stop within a few feet
• b.Cannot stop quickly and may take a mile or more to halt✓
• c.Always sounds its horn in time
• d.Can swerve to avoid the bus

A loaded freight train may need a mile or more to stop, so it cannot stop for a bus on the tracks. The responsibility to stay clear rests entirely with the bus driver. Assume the train cannot and will not stop for you.

After the bus has safely crossed the tracks, the driver should:

• a.Stop just past the rails to check students
• b.Turn on the red loading lights
• c.Continue smoothly and get fully clear of the crossing✓
• d.Reverse to confirm the tracks are clear

Once across, keep moving to get the entire bus completely clear of the crossing and out of any second track's path. Do not stop immediately past the tracks where the rear of the bus could still be in danger. Then resume normal driving.

A driver approaching a railroad crossing should turn off or reduce:

• a.The stop arm
• b.Radios, fans, and other noise so the driver can listen for a train✓
• c.The mirrors
• d.The parking brake

Before a crossing the driver should silence or reduce noise from the radio, fans, and heaters and quiet the students so a train's horn or bell can be heard. Opening the door and window further improves hearing. Listening is a key part of the stop-look-listen routine.