School Bus: School Bus Equipment
7 questions in the bank cover this topic. Everything below is drawn from the sources those questions cite.
Sources: 49 CFR 393.75, 49 CFR 393.91, 49 CFR 393.95, 49 CFR 396.3
What you need to know
396.3(a)(2) requires inspection at least every 90 days, with records kept under 396.3(b)(4).
On a school bus these are the exits children use when the service door is unusable. None of the figures offered is the one the rule gives.
Pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency door marking lights in buses shall be inspected at least every 90 days.
49 CFR 396.3
393.75(d) prohibits them on the front wheels of any bus.
A steer tire failure with a bus full of children is the outcome the rule prevents. On bus front wheels specifically.
No bus shall be operated with regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on the front wheels.
49 CFR 393.75
393.75(b) requires at least 4/32 inch on the front wheels of a bus, against 2/32 inch for other positions under 393.75(c).
Any tire on the front wheels of a bus, truck, or truck tractor shall have a tread groove pattern depth of at least 4/32 of an inch when measured at any point on a major tread groove.
49 CFR 393.75
393.95(a)(1)(ii) applies to any power unit not carrying placarded hazardous materials, which includes a school bus.
The 10 B:C figure applies only to placarded hazmat units. The 10 B:C figure belongs to placarded loads.
A power unit that is not used to transport hazardous materials must be equipped with either: (A) A fire extinguisher having an Underwriters' Laboratories rating of 5 B:C or more; or (B) Two fire extinguishers, each of which has an Underwriters' Laboratories rating of 4 B:C or more.
49 CFR 393.95
393.91 bars operating the bus at all.
There is no provision for isolating the seat and continuing, because a seat that breaks free injures whoever is behind it.
No bus shall be operated if any seat therein is not securely fastened to the vehicle.
49 CFR 393.91
Every 90 days, which is far more often than the annual inspection most components get.
These are the parts that only matter once, during an evacuation, so they are checked before they are needed.
Pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency door marking lights in buses shall be inspected at least every 90 days.
49 CFR 396.3
396.3(b)(4) requires the record, not just the test.
An untested exit and an untested-but-recorded exit look identical on the bus, so the paperwork is the only evidence the 90 day check happened.
A record of tests conducted on pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency door marking lights on buses.
49 CFR 396.3
Check yourself
- What is the inspection interval for a school bus's emergency exits and their marking lights?
- May a school bus run recapped tires on its front wheels?
- The minimum tread depth on your school bus front tire is ______.
- What fire extinguisher must your school bus carry?
- A seat on your school bus is loose. May you run the route?
- What is the inspection interval for pushout windows and emergency doors on your bus?
- What must the carrier keep regarding your bus's emergency exits?
Answers are in the practice test for this topic.