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CDL · Loading and Unloading

What is the 'student count' procedure?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Mentally counting students as they unload at each stop, then visually verifying all students are at a safe distance before driving away

  1. A Counting fares
  2. B Counting students only at the start of the day
  3. C Mentally counting students as they unload at each stop, then visually verifying all students are at a safe distance before driving away
  4. D Counting bags

Why this is the answer

The student count is a critical safety procedure: as students unload, the driver mentally counts the number of students leaving the bus, then before driving away looks to verify that all those students are clearly visible at a safe distance (at least 10 feet) from the bus. If any student is missing from view, the driver must not drive — the missing student may have dropped something near the bus or be in a blind spot. The count prevents the deadliest school-bus incidents: a student being run over by their own bus after dropping a backpack or being hidden by mirrors. The count is also a check against leaving a student on the bus.
Source: FMCSA CDL Manual 10.2.3 Student Count

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About this topic: Loading and Unloading

Loading and unloading is where most student fatalities occur. These questions cover the stop procedure, use of warning lights and the stop arm, counting students, and what to do if a student drops something near the bus. This is one of 20 School Bus questions on loading and unloading, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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