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CDL · Loading and Unloading

What is the 'student count' procedure?

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