Many buses built before these dates have been  voluntarily equipped with ABS.  2005 Model Commercial Driver’s License Manual 10.5 – Student Management  10.5.1 – Don’t Deal with On-bus Problems  When Loading and Unloading  10.4.4 – Special Situations  10.5.2 – Handling Serious Problems  10.6 – Antilock Braking Systems  10.6.1 – Vehicles Required to Have  Antilock Braking Systems  • Air brakes vehicles, (trucks, buses, trailers and  converter dollies) built on or after March 1, 1998.  • Hydraulically braked trucks and buses with a  gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 lbs or more  built on or after March 1, 1999.  • Never put a student off the bus except at school  or at his or her designated school bus stop. If  you feel that the offense is serious enough that  you cannot safely drive the bus, call for a school  administrator or the police to come and remove  the student. Always follow your state or local  procedures for requesting assistance.  • If a change of seating is needed, request that the  student move to a seat near you.  • Stand up and speak respectfully to the offender  or offenders. Speak in a courteous manner with  a firm voice. Remind the offender of the  expected behavior. Do not show anger, but do  show that you mean business.  • Secure the bus. Take the ignition key with you if  you leave your seat.  • Stop the bus. Park in a safe location off the road,  perhaps a parking lot or a driveway.  • Follow your school’s procedures for discipline or  refusal of rights to ride the bus.  ¾  Check the crossing signals again before  proceeding.  ¾  At a multiple-track crossing, stop only  before the first set of tracks. When you are  sure no train is approaching on any track,  proceed across all of the tracks until you  have completely cleared them.  ¾  Cross the tracks in a low gear. Do not  change gears while crossing.  ¾  If the gate comes down after you have  started across, drive through it even if it  means you will break the gate.  • Crossing the Track:  In order to get students to and from school safely  and on time, you need to be able to concentrate on  the driving task.  Loading and unloading requires all your  concentration. Don’t take your eyes off what is  happening outside the bus.  If there is a behavior problem on the bus, wait until  the students unloading are safely off the bus and  have moved away. If necessary, pull the bus over  to handle the problem.  Tips on handling serious problems:  Bus Stalls or Trapped on Tracks. If your bus  stalls or is trapped on the tracks, get everyone out  and off the tracks immediately. Move everyone far  from the bus at an angle, which is both away from  the tracks and toward the train.  Police Officer at the Crossing. If a police officer  is at the crossing, obey directions. If there is no  police officer, and you believe the signal is  malfunctioning, call your dispatcher to report the  situation and ask for instructions on how to  proceed. Obstructed View of Tracks. Plan your route so it  provides maximum sight distance at highway-rail  grade crossings. Do not attempt to cross the tracks  unless you can see far enough down the track to  know for certain that no trains are approaching.  Passive crossings are those that do not have any  type of traffic control device. Be especially careful  at “passive” crossings. Even if there are active  railroad signals that indicate the tracks are clear,  you must look and listen to be sure it is safe to  proceed. Containment or Storage Areas. If it won’t fit,  don’t commit! Know the length of your bus and the  size of the containment area at highway-rail  crossings on the school bus route, as well as any  crossing you encounter in the course of a school  activity trip. When approaching a crossing with a  signal or stop sign on the opposite side, pay  attention to the amount of room there. Be certain  the bus has enough containment or storage area  to completely clear the railroad tracks on the other  side if there is a need to stop. As a general rule,  add 15 feet to the length of the school bus to  determine an acceptable amount of containment or  storage area.  The Department of Transportation requires that  antilock braking systems be on:  Page 10-9  Section 10 – School Buses 