Pre Trip Bus Inspection Checklist for a Passenger Bus
Unofficial practice sheets for a passenger bus: type 1 beside each part the driver left out.
Bus Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist (unofficial)
Passenger bus equipment
Type names and scores in the boxes. Totals add up as you type.
Passenger bus equipment: a column for each run. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
Run 4
Run 5
Run 6
Emergency exit marking
Instructions at the release
Emergency exits in place
Way to every exit clear
No fixed seat in the aisle
Passenger seats fastened
Standee line
Standee sign near the front
Standees behind the line
Baggage clear of the driver
Baggage cannot fall
Floor
Passenger rows left out
Type a score and the totals fill in.
Scoring key
Unofficial sheet for practice
Made by this site, not by a licensing agency, an examiner, a carrier or a bus maker.
The mark
Put a 1 against anything the driver left out on that walk-through; blank boxes are parts covered.
The minimum before driving
49 CFR 392.7(a) lists what a driver must be satisfied is in good working order, from service brakes to emergency equipment. Section 392.62 adds standees, aisle seats and baggage for a bus.
Why no total to beat
The federal rule sends the passing figure to the manual that examiners use and prints none itself: 49 CFR 383.135(b).
Marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.
Emergency exits in placeA bus made on or after September 1, 1994 has the emergency exits that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217 required on the date it was made: 49 CFR 393.62(a).
Instructions at the releaseAfter the marking, concise operating instructions for each motion needed to unlatch or open the exit, within 152 mm (6 inches) of the release mechanism: 49 CFR 393.62(e).
Way to every exit clearBaggage or freight stowed so that any occupant has unobstructed access to all exits: 49 CFR 392.62(c)(2).
Aisle, seats and standees 5
No fixed seat in the aisleAn aisle seat only where it is designed to fold automatically and leave a clear aisle when unoccupied: 49 CFR 393.91; 392.62(b).
Passenger seats fastenedEvery seat securely fastened to the vehicle structure: 49 CFR 393.91; Appendix A to Part 396, item 14.a.
Standee lineOn a bus built to allow standees: a line of contrasting color at least 2 inches wide, or another means, that marks off the space forward of the rear of the driver's seat: 49 CFR 393.90.
Standee sign near the frontPosted at or near the front in letters at least one-half inch high, saying that operating with persons in the prohibited area violates federal regulations: 49 CFR 393.90.
Standees behind the lineAll standees rearward of the standee line or other means before the bus is driven: 49 CFR 392.62(a).
Show all 46 lines (37 more)
Baggage, freight and floor 4
Baggage cannot fallOccupants protected against injury from articles that fall or are displaced: 49 CFR 392.62(c)(3).
Baggage clear of the driverStowed and secured so the driver keeps unrestricted freedom of movement and proper operation of the bus: 49 CFR 392.62(c)(1).
FloorFree of unnecessary holes and openings, kept so as to minimize the entrance of fumes, exhaust gases or fire, and not permeated with oil: 49 CFR 393.84.
Passenger rows left outA tally for every run: each 1 entered higher up counts once.
Driver's area 2
Fire extinguisher ratingOn a bus that carries no hazardous materials: one extinguisher rated 5 B:C or more, or two rated 4 B:C or more each, made so that a full charge can be seen: 49 CFR 393.95(a)(1)(ii) and (a)(3).
Steering wheelSecured, with no spoke cracked through or missing: 49 CFR 393.209(a).
Hydraulic brakes 8
Brake pedal holds its heightUnder a 125-pound force held for 10 seconds, no perceptible decrease in pedal height after the first: 49 CFR 570.55(b).
Brake pedal reserveNo pedal reserve with the engine running unless the pedal is pumped: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(2).
Brake pedal travelPressed with 50 pounds of force, the pedal moves no more than 80 percent of the way to the floorboard, unless the maker designed the system for more: 49 CFR 570.55(c).
Brake telltale on the dashThe telltale for brake failure or low fluid is lit, or it fails to work: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(9).
Fluid on the brake partsAny leak of hydraulic fluid that can be seen, wherever in the braking circuit it is: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(6).
Hydraulic brake hosesA hose that seeps or swells under pressure, or one worn through its outer cover to the fabric layer: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(4) and (7).
Master cylinderLess than 1/4 full, or showing signs of leakage: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(1); 49 CFR 570.55(d).
Power brake assistThe power assist unit fails to operate: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.j(3).
Vacuum brakes 3
Low-vacuum warningA gauge the seated driver can see, and a continuous warning whenever the supply reservoir holds less than 8 inches of mercury: 49 CFR 393.51(d); Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.k(3).
Vacuum left with engine offWith the engine stopped, the stored vacuum cannot supply even a single complete application of the brakes: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.k(1).
Vacuum linesA hose or line restricted, crimped, cracked or broken, or a hose that collapses when vacuum is applied: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.k(2).
Air brakes 1
Air brakes, where fittedOne row for the whole air brake inspection that 49 CFR 383.113(a)(2) describes, which closes with an operational check of the system.
Engine compartment 2
Driver's area totalSums what was marked on the driver's area and engine compartment rows.
Engine compartment: steeringThe auxiliary power assist cylinder loose, or any other part of the power steering loose or broken: Appendix A to Part 396, item 7.f; 49 CFR 393.209(e).
Front of the bus 2
Front tiresOn a bus, no regrooved, recapped or retreaded tire on the front wheels, and no tire carrying more than its load limit: 49 CFR 393.75(d); Appendix A to Part 396, item 10.a(11) and (13).
Tie rods and drag linksA loose clamp or clamp bolt, or any looseness in a threaded joint: Appendix A to Part 396, item 7.h.
Side of the bus 2
Linings, rear axleOn an axle that does not steer: a lining or pad saturated with brake fluid, or worn to 1/16 inch or less at the shoe center of a hydraulic drum brake: Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.a(6)(b) and (c).
Stripped wheel nutsOn spoke and disc wheels alike, any fastener stripped or otherwise ineffective, the last two faults in the list: Appendix A to Part 396, item 11.c.
Underside of the bus 3
Driveshaft under the passengersA shaft running fore and aft beneath the passenger compartment is protected at its slip joint, so that it cannot whip about if it or one of its parts fails: 49 CFR 393.89.
Fuel system (bus)On a bus made on or after January 1, 1973, no part of the fuel system within or above the passenger compartment, and the fill pipe opening outside it: 49 CFR 393.65(b)(4) and (6).
Leaves, rubber springs, torsion barsA leaf shifted to where it could touch a tire, rim, brake drum or frame, a rubber spring gone, or a torsion bar spring that has snapped: Appendix A to Part 396, item 8.b(4) to (6).
Back of the bus 4
Exhaust outletGasoline engine: at or within 6 inches forward of the rearmost part of the bus. Other fuels: at or within 15 inches of it, or to the rear of all doors and windows designed to open, emergency exits excepted: 49 CFR 393.83(c) and (d); Appendix A to Part 396, item 3.b.
Lamps mounted and workingEach lamp securely mounted on a rigid part of the bus, and all required lighting devices and reflectors operable: 49 CFR 393.25(a); Appendix A to Part 396, item 5.
Rear tires and dualsFlat, or leaking so that it can be heard or felt, or so mounted that a tire touches its mate or any part of the bus: Appendix A to Part 396, item 10.b(2) and (6).
Walk-around totalThe number of outside rows that got a mark.
Scoring key 6
The markPut a 1 against anything the driver left out on that walk-through; blank boxes are parts covered.
The minimum before driving49 CFR 392.7(a) lists what a driver must be satisfied is in good working order, from service brakes to emergency equipment. Section 392.62 adds standees, aisle seats and baggage for a bus.
Unofficial sheet for practiceMade by this site, not by a licensing agency, an examiner, a carrier or a bus maker.
Where the areas come from49 CFR 383.113(a)(1) names the inspection areas; its last one covers the special features of a coach or transit bus.
Which brake rows to useHydraulic and vacuum rows are for a bus so equipped. A bus with air brakes takes the single air brake row.
Why no total to beatThe federal rule sends the passing figure to the manual that examiners use and prints none itself: 49 CFR 383.135(b).
How this list was compiled: From Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, read on ecfr.gov on 2026-10-05 in the text current as of 2026-10-01 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49). The inspection areas are those of section 383.113(a)(1) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-383.113), whose last area is the special features of a coach or transit bus. Each row is a part or condition that a federal section names, and its line says in our own words what that section requires or calls a defect. The passenger sheet: sections 393.62 (emergency exits for buses), 393.84 (floors), 393.90 (standee line) and 393.91 (aisle seats) of Part 393 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-393), section 392.62, safe operation of buses (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-392.62), and item 14.a of Appendix A to Part 396 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-396/appendix-Appendix%20A%20to%20Part%20396). The driver's area sheet: sections 393.209(a), 393.95(a) and 393.51(d), items 1.j (hydraulic brakes), 1.k (vacuum systems) and 7.f of Appendix A, and section 570.55, the hydraulic brake standard for vehicles in use (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-570.55), paragraphs (b), (c) and (d). The walk-around sheet: sections 393.25(a), 393.65(b), 393.75(d), 393.83(c) and (d) and 393.89, and items 1.a(6), 3.b, 5, 7.h, 8.b, 10.a, 10.b and 11.c of Appendix A. Sections 392.7(a), 383.91(a), 383.117 and 383.135(b) were read for the key lines and the page's answers. The passenger door, the handrails and the step lights have no row, because the sections read name no requirement for them. Section 383.135(b) was read for scoring: it sends the pass scores to the examiner manual and prints none, so the sheets show no pass mark, no point value and no time limit. Nothing is taken from a state CDL manual, a walk-around script, a memory aid or an examiner's score form, so a part that the sections read do not name has no row. Our own work: the wording of every line, which named parts were chosen for a one-page sheet, and what a 1 in a box means (a part the driver did not name or check on that practice run). These are unofficial practice sheets, not a state's, an examiner's or an employer's form and not an inspection record. RELEASE CHECK 2026-10-05: each of the 37 part rows was read a second time against the paragraph it cites in the eCFR text; none was cut. Licence: own work
How it works
This unofficial pre trip bus inspection checklist is for a passenger bus: tour, transit, charter, church or small bus. Rows cite 49 CFR: exits, aisle, standee line, baggage, brakes and the walk-around. Test directions are in your state's CDL manual.
Read the full guide
Three sheets, one bus
1. Start with the passenger rows; Print blank sheet puts them on paper.
2. One person walks the bus, naming each part and what is inspected. A second reads along.
3. A part left out gets a 1. Blank boxes are parts covered.
4. Choose Driver's area and engine compartment, then Outside walk-around, which ends at the back of the bus.
5. The last row of each sheet counts the 1s in every run.
For a Class C pre trip inspection checklist on a small or mini bus, the hydraulic and vacuum brake rows are on the second sheet.
The underside of the bus has three rows on the walk-around: springs, driveshaft and fuel system.
A bus with air brakes takes the one air brake row; the air brakes test has questions on that check.
Questions and answers
Is this a Class C CDL pre trip inspection checklist?
It serves a Class C bus. Under 49 CFR 383.91(a)(3) Group C is a smaller vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, driver included, or used to transport hazardous materials. For a truck, see the Class B truck checklist.
What is the minimum a bus pre trip inspection covers, and how often?
49 CFR 392.7(a) has no commercial motor vehicle driven unless the driver is satisfied these are in good working order: service and parking brakes, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, emergency equipment. It names no other frequency.
Is there a score for passing a CDL pre trip inspection in Class C?
The rule prints none. 49 CFR 383.135(b) ties passing to the scores in the examiner manual, for every class. So these sheets count the parts left out on each run and draw no pass line.
Is this bus pre trip inspection form a DOT form, and can I get it on paper or as a PDF?
It is our own unofficial sheet for practice, written from the federal rules and issued by no agency. Print blank sheet prints the sheet that is open on paper; choosing Save as PDF in the print window makes a file instead.
Does the passenger endorsement test use a bus?
49 CFR 383.117(b) has the skills test taken in a passenger vehicle of the vehicle group, and 383.113(a)(1)(ix) names the special features of a coach (motorcoach) or transit bus as an inspection area when that vehicle is used.