Pre-Trip Inspection Guide for School Bus

Walk Around Checking

1- First look under the buss for any suspicious object.( In case of vandalism) 2- Check intrans door for condition of glasss robber molding, and glass is not loose, cracked or broken. 3- No signs of tampering around the key lock 4- Checking Condition of Tires. 4/32 minimum tread depth for front tire, and 2/32 for rear tires in major grooves, no cut of damage to the sidewall or tire tread and no retread, recapped or regrooved or miss matched is allowed in front tires. No cut or damage on sidewall or tire tread is allowed. 4-1) Rim- no bent, cracked and no non-factory welds. 4-2) Log Nuts: no excessive rust, no missing nuts. 4-3) Hub Seal- (front tires) and Axle Seal (rear tire) no missing bolts, cracks and no leaking. 4-4) Drum- (reach through holes in wheel) no cracks, non-factory welds and no signs of grease or oil.

5- Both Sides of Bus: no broken window, lettering and numbers are readable; reflectors and light cover are clean. And no broken or missing, fuel tank supports are firmly attached to the vehicle with no missing bolts and no sign of leaking. 6- Rear Brakes and Suspension: 6/1- Air Chamber is securely in place not cracked or dented. 6/2- Slack Adjuster, there is not missing cotter pins. Break rod should not move about one inch where the rod attaches to it, and should not be moved more than a 90-degree angle with the breaks applied. 6/3- Hoses no loose connections, no dry-rotted and no holes. No air-leaks can be heard from the airchamber system. 6/4- Spring Mounts and U-bolt are not cracked, no non-factory welds and no bolts are missing. 6/5- Leaf Spring are not missing, broken, shifted or bent. If or more are missing the bus could be put out service. 6/6- Torque Bar, Shock Absorber and Air Bellows no cracks, bends or non-factory welds on torque bar and no missing bolt or nut or leaking. No sign of debris between dual tires. 6/7- Dive Shaft no cracked or bent, no non-factory welds and no bolts or nuts are missing 6/7- Exhaust System is securely mounted with nuts and bolts. No sign of contact with the system. No holes, crack or dent. 7- Rear tires: the same as front tire. The different are: check for axel seal instead of hub seal and check for debris and spacing between dual tires. The recapped, retread, regrooved and miss match tire are allowed, the depth of major tread couldnt be lees that 2/32 . 8- Rear of the Bus: 8/1- Lenses and Reflectors are the proper color, clean and no missing screws 8/2- Exhausts tail-pipe not be chocked or obstruction 8/3- License Plate be secured. 9- Front of bus:

Beneath of the Front Bus:

Air chamber, Slack Adjuster, Hoses, Leaf Spring, and Shock Absorber should be checked with the same manner as beneath of rear bus. 9/1- Frame: Its not bent, cracked, rusted and no non-factory welds.

9/2- Steering Linkage: a- Steering Shaft; is secure and no missing bolt or nut is being seen, and it is not bended or defected. b- Steering Gear Box; is mounted and its secured. No missing nut no excessive rust and no leaking. c- Steering Hydraulic Pump; is secured. Hydraulic fluid reservoir is securely mounted. The hoses are not frayed or torn and theres no leaking. d- Pitman Arm; both end is mounted to gear box and drag link, and the castle nut and its cutter pin are secured. e- Drag Link; is securely mounted no missing bolt or nut is absorbed. Its not defected, bended. d- Power Steering Cylinder; no bend or dent or leaking.

Bus Engine Compartment

Bus Rear and Front Suspension

Bus Steering System

Front Face of the Bus:

9/3- Windshield: is secure, no cracked, clean and no unauthorized stickers. 9/4- Wiper Blade: are secure and blades are not dry-rotted. 9/5- Lenses: are the proper color and clean, no cracked or broken, no moisture and no missing screw. 9/6- Mirrors: firmly attached, not cracked or broken and theyre clean. 9/7- License Plate: is securely attached on its place.

First Interior Check

Entering the bus: 1- Step Covering; is not torn, no worn matting, no tipping hazards. 2- Handrail; securely mounted and theres no missing hardware. 3- Door Hinges; are not bent or cracked. 4- Security Check; theres no sign of unusual items or tampering in the passenger and driver compartment. 5- Unlock all Interior Locks; using the bus key and bring the white flag in front.

Second Exterior Walk- Around:

Side of Bus: Make sure that 1- Fuel Door; has no sign of tampering or wires. around the exit 2- Fuel Cap; has no foreign substance in or around the cap, and cap is attached. doors are 3- Emergency Exit; open emergency exit doors (emergency exit seal and limiter are intact) untouched From the emergency door, look under seats and make sure that no object is under the seating. 4- Look entire Compartment for anything unusual. Engine compartment: 1- Air Compressor; securely mounted with bolt, belt is in proper tension, hoses not cracked or frayed 2- Alternator; is securely mounted; its belt is in proper tension, no cracks, and no sign of loose or burnt wiring. 3- Coolant; level is good, no leaking. 4- Engine Oil; level is full. 5- Power Hydraulic Fluid; level is good. (For automatic transmission) 6- Water Pump; is securely mounted, no missing bolt or nut. 7- Leaks; there is no trace of leaking oil or fluid from coolant, engine compartment, power steering or transmission is absorbed. COUNTINUE AROUD THE BUS AND CHEKING EXITS, COMPARTMENT AND TIRES

Second Interior Check:

Front to back: (inter the key to the on or auxiliary position activate strobe and interior lights) 1- Seats; pull at the back of the seat bottoms, they should be securely mounted to the frame with no missing hardware.

Back to front: 1- Open all Emergency Exits; (doors, windows, roof hatches) individually. The alarm sound should be heard. In case of opening the roof hatches- beside the buzzer sound-, the strobe lights should flashing. No crack or broken windows and rubber moldings are in place and glass is secured. 2- No loose or missing screw in the bus ceiling. 3- Seat backs; push the back of the seats. Seat backs should be frame and mounted to the bus roof. Emergency equipment: 1- Fire Extinguisher; mounted securely, ABC type, fully charged and pin and tab are in place. 2- Reflectors; 3 reflectors mounted in place. 3- First Aid Kit; all contents available. 4- Flag; flag be available in front of the bus. 5- Fuses; spare electrical fuses be available in the fuse box. Driver Seat: 1- Drivers Seat; seat belt is secure and properly adjusted. 2- Gear; transmission be in natural and parking brake knob is pulled out. 3- Strobe; strobe light be turn off. 4- Start Engine; shift up and down through the gear- make sure that the gear ranges are properly engaging. Gauges: 1- Fuel; showing that or more of the tank volume is full. 2- Air Pressure; 3- Coolant Temperature; 4- Voltmeter; 5- Oil Pressure; Inside Indicator Light: 1- Left turn signal 2- Right turn signal 3- Hazard lights 4- Dash light 5- High beam light 6- Traffic warning light system; arm and gate, master, interrupt and cancel buttons. Driver Compartment: 1- Panel Switches; all be checked on low, high and off position. 2- Defrosters; check for low and high speed. (check by hand to feel the air current) 3- Stare; check step light. Checking the Big Things: 1- Entrance Door; open and close properly. 2- Mirrors; exterior and interior clean and properly adjusted. 3- Steering wheel; has no more than 2 of play on a 20 steering wheel. 4- Horn; the horn is functioning.

Complete Brake Test Procedures:

Parking Brake Test: 1234Push the service brake firmly. Shift to drive. Take your foot off the service brake. The engine pulling against the parking brake and the bus is not moving.

Air Leakage Test: 1- Push on the service brake, put the gearshift in neutral, turn off the engine, and turn the key to the on position. For bus with ABS, listen for 2 sets of 4 puffs and observe ABS light on dash. 2- Push in the parking brake knob. 3- Pause for one minute. 4- Watch the air gauge; it should not drop more than 3 psi during a minute. Low Air Warning Buzzer and Light Test: 1- Rapidly pump the service brake pedal. 2- The low air pressure warning light and buzzer should come on before the air pressure falls below 60psi. Spring Brake Test: Keep pumping service brake; the spring brake or parking brake knob should pop out below 40psi. 1st Outside Light Inspection: (leave headlight switch in off position). Before exiting the bus; leave the key in the on position. Pull on the parking brake knob (to be sure that the parking brake is in on position. Leave the gearshift in neutral. And turn on inside and outside lift lights (if equipped). 1- Turn on the amber traffic warning lights. 2- Turn on the left signal, side marker and daytime lights. 3- Activate the brake lights by putting a wrench under the service brake pedal. 4- Go outside the bus and make sure the lights are working. 2nd Outside Light Inspection: (Deactivate Brake Lights); 1- Activate the red traffic warning lights. 2- Turn on the Park and clearance lights 3- Turn on high beam. 4- Activate the hazard lights. 5- Turn on the license plat lights. 6- Go outside the bus and make sure the lights are working.

3th Outside Light Inspection: (Cancel Hazard Lights) 1- Turn on low beam headlight. 2- Turn on right turn signal and marker lights. 3- Shift gear to reverse for backup lights and turn the start switch in on position to activate the beeper. (Do not Start the Engine) 4- Go outside the bus and make sure the lights are working. Additional Equipment to Check before Moving the Bus: 1- Check seat belt. 2- Check state inspection and pink slip. 3- Check body fluid kit and spare key. 4- Check Registration and service schedule. Final Checks as You Move the Bus: (Ask yourself) 1- Is steering feel OK? Is there any unusual noises? 2- Is transmission shift OK? 3- Are all gauges working all-right? 4- Is the brake stop OK. Is there any unusual noises? ********************************************************************************************* Reza Hojjat rezahojjat407@yahoo.com