Ohio School Bus Pre Trip Inspection Checklist to Print

Print the hood and walk-around sheet blank, or type 1 beside a line with a defect.

Ohio School Bus Daily Inspection Checklist (unofficial)

Hood and walk-around

Sheet

Hood and walk-around: a column for each check. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
	Check 1	Check 2	Check 3	Check 4	Check 5	Check 6
Hood safety latch or hinges
Belts, hoses, wiring under hood
Tires: inflation, oil, wear
Wheel nuts and rear mud flaps
Battery compartment secure
Oil, fuel or coolant leaks
All bus windows clean
Outside mirrors, clean and firm
Headlights on high and low beam
Brake lights and stop lights
Backup lights and alarm
Clearance and marker lights
Signals, signs, turn signals
Reflectors, warning flashers
Exhaust leaks and support
Fuel tank secure, undamaged
Service and emergency doors
Wheelchair lift, if installed
Walk-around defects found

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Our sheet, not an owner's form: These lines follow the text of the rule. The inspection forms a bus owner provides to drivers are something else, and no agency has reviewed this one.
Typing a 1: A 1 marks a defect found at that line on that day. An empty box marks none.
Daily, before students ride: The driver completes and documents the inspection on a day students are transported, before transporting them. Defects are reported in writing to the owner or designee: OAC 3301-83-11(C).
Engine started: For the walk-around the transmission is in neutral, the parking brake set and the engine started: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b).

Marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.

Next step School bus endorsement questions

All 57 lines

Pre-starting and walk around: (C)(1)(a), (b) 19

All bus windows clean Every school bus window, in the rule's words, should be clean: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(v).
Backup lights and alarm The lights and the alarm are named together: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Battery compartment secure Secure, with no loose connections: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(iii).
Belts, hoses, wiring under hood Looked over for frayed, cracked or deteriorated conditions before the engine is started: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(a).
Brake lights and stop lights Both terms appear in the one list of warning systems: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Clearance and marker lights Named after the backup alarm in the warning systems list: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Exhaust leaks and support A visual check of the exhaust system for leaks and proper support: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(viii).
Fuel tank secure, undamaged Secure, and visually inspected for damage: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(ix).
Headlights on high and low beam First of the warning systems, each to be clean and working properly: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Hood safety latch or hinges With the hood raised, a visual check of its safety latch or hinges: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(a).
Oil, fuel or coolant leaks The bus is observed for evidence of leaks, and of vandalism: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(iv).
Outside mirrors, clean and firm All of them clean, mounted securely and not cracked or broken: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vi).

Show all 57 lines (45 more)

Pre-starting and walk around: (C)(1)(a), (b), continued

Reflectors, warning flashers The list ends with warning flashers; reflectors come before the turn signals: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Service and emergency doors Ease of operation, and that their lights and alarms are operating properly: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(x).
Signals, signs, turn signals All signals and signs, and the turn signals: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(vii).
Tires: inflation, oil, wear Underinflated, flat, oil on wheels and tires, excessive wear (tread depth) or damage: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(i).
Walk-around defects found Total of the marks from the hood latch down to the wheelchair lift.
Wheel nuts and rear mud flaps Loose or missing nuts, damage to a wheel, and the rear mud flaps: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(ii).
Wheelchair lift, if installed Its operation is checked on a bus that has one: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b)(xi).

Inside safety check: (C)(1)(c) 21

Air gauge or hydraulic lights The air pressure gauge, or the hydraulic brake warning lights: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(i).
Amber and red light indicators The amber warning light, the red warning light and the red over-ride switch: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(b).
Dome lights Two words in the rule: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(g).
Driver's seat and its belt The seat and the seat belt, checked before the engine instruments: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(ii).
Emergency brake: 20 to 40 psi Twenty to forty psi is the figure beside the emergency brake: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(h)(iv).
Heaters, fans and defrosters Three things in the plural: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(f).
High beam, panel, turn, hazard Indicators for head light high beam, panel lights, left and right turn signals and hazards, plus the strobe indicator light: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(b).
Horn, engine running One word in the rule, among the instruments and controls: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(c).
Hydraulic: pump 3, hold 5 s On hydraulic brakes, pump three times and hold five seconds: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(h)(v).
Inside check defects found Total of the marks from the door steps down to the emergency equipment.
Kit, extinguisher, reflectors The emergency equipment the rule lists: first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and emergency reflectors: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(l).
Low air light, buzzer: 60 psi The low air pressure light and buzzer, with the figure sixty psi: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(h)(iii).
Mirrors adjusted, sunshade Mirrors properly adjusted; the sunshade mounted and not broken: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(d).
Oil pressure gauge, running Read with the engine running, after the brake lines: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(j).
Oil, brake, alternator lights Warning lights, if installed: oil pressure, service brake and alternator, read with the engine running: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(a).
Seats, frames, exits, windows Passenger seats and frames, emergency exits, windows, and adaptive equipment for pre-school and special needs students: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(k).
Service brake: 3 psi, 1 minute Three psi, one minute, for the service brake: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(h)(ii).
Service door steps, handrail First line of the inside safety check: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(i).
Storage tanks: 2 psi, 1 minute The rule's leak figure for the storage tanks is two psi, one minute: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(h)(i).
Voltmeter, water temperature An ampmeter or voltmeter if applicable, and the water temperature gauge or warning light: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(a).
Wipers and washer fluid Named together in a single line of the rule: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii)(e).

Operation and post-trip: (C)(2), (C)(4) 10

Bus cleaned, belongings out The vehicle is cleaned and all loose belongings removed: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(4)(b).
Clutch engagement, free play Engages without jerking, slipping excessively or chattering, with some free play when the pedal is fully released: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(e).
Each seat position, post-trip Every seat position is visually inspected so that all passengers have left the vehicle: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(4)(a).
Parking brake holds in gear Checked by slowly engaging the drive train while the parking brake is on: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(a).
Road and post-trip marks Total of the marks from the parking brake down to the cleaned bus.
Steering: unusual handling Any unusual handling characteristics felt at the wheel: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(c).
Straight stop at low speed Service brakes tested at low speeds to a complete stop, without skidding, swerving or pulling to one side: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(b).
Suspension: ride and handling Any unusual ride or handling characteristics: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(g).
Transmission, slip or shifts An automatic should not slip; a manual should change gear easily and smoothly through the whole range: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(d).
Unusual engine noises The driver listens for them on the road pre-check: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2)(f).

Key 7

Daily, before students ride The driver completes and documents the inspection on a day students are transported, before transporting them. Defects are reported in writing to the owner or designee: OAC 3301-83-11(C).
Engine started For the walk-around the transmission is in neutral, the parking brake set and the engine started: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(b).
Instruments Lines from the warning lights down are checked with the engine running: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(1)(c)(iii).
Motor vans The rule's separate stationary inspection of a motor van, (C)(3), is not on these sheets; its post-trip check, (C)(4), is the same.
Our sheet, not an owner's form These lines follow the text of the rule. The inspection forms a bus owner provides to drivers are something else, and no agency has reviewed this one.
Typing a 1 A 1 marks a defect found at that line on that day. An empty box marks none.
When the road pre-check happens Planned for the drive between storage and the first pupil pickup. An item in need of repair goes in a written report to the owner or designee: OAC 3301-83-11(C)(2).

How this list was compiled: From Ohio Administrative Code rule 3301-83-11, School bus and motor van inspections, paragraph (C), Daily inspection of the school bus and motor van, read on 2026-10-05 on the state's own site (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3301-83-11). The page there gives: Effective July 1, 2025; promulgated under 119.03; authorized by 4511.76 and 3301.07; amplifies 3327.01 and 4511.76; five year review date 7/1/2030; prior effective dates 10/22/1984, 7/1/1991, 10/5/1998, 11/13/2001, 10/1/2004 and 3/26/2020. The 47 part rows follow the rule's order: 18 from (C)(1)(a) and (b), the pre-starting and walk around inspections; 20 from (C)(1)(c), the inside safety check; 7 from (C)(2), the operation inspection; and 2 from (C)(4), the post-trip check. A line that names several things is split where one row could not hold them (the warning systems of (C)(1)(b)(vii) are six rows). Each line restates the rule in our own words, keeps its figures and ends with its paragraph. The motor van's stationary inspection, (C)(3), is left out. Nothing comes from an agency handbook, a patrol inspection manual, a district's form or a bus maker's manual. Licence: own work

How it works

These unofficial Ohio school bus pre trip inspection sheets follow paragraph (C) of Ohio Administrative Code rule 3301-83-11 in its order: under the hood, the walk-around, the inside safety check, the road pre-check and the post-trip check. Read October 5, 2026.

Read the full guide

Three sheets, in the rule's order

1. Start on Hood and walk-around. Press Print blank sheet for paper, or mark it on screen.

2. Type 1 beside a line with a defect; leave the box empty when there is none.

3. Switch to Inside safety check, then Road pre-check and post-trip.

4. Add a column for the next day, up to six. The last row totals each column.

The five brake leak lines keep the rule's figures, such as two psi in one minute for the storage tanks.
The road pre-check is planned for the drive between storage and the first pupil pickup.

Questions and answers

What is on the Ohio school bus pre trip inspection checklist?

Rule 3301-83-11(C) sets a stationary inspection in three parts (pre-starting under the hood, a walk-around with the engine started, an inside safety check), then a road pre-check between storage and the first pickup, and a post-trip check.

What are the brake leak figures in the Ohio rule?

Storage tanks: two psi, one minute. Service brake: three psi, one minute. Low air pressure light and buzzer: sixty psi. Emergency brake: twenty to forty psi. Hydraulic: pump three times, hold five seconds.

Who does a school bus pre trip inspection in Ohio, and when?

Each driver completes and documents it on a day students are transported, before transporting them. The owner may designate another qualified individual for portions of the stationary inspection. Defects are reported in writing to the owner or designee.

Does the Ohio rule have a post-trip check?

Yes, in (C)(4): visually inspect each seat position to ensure all passengers have left the vehicle, then clean the vehicle and remove all loose belongings. Both lines are on the third sheet.

Notes

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Everything here is for study and general information. Rules change, and the statute, the regulation and the agency that runs your exam are the final word. Check the official source before you rely on an answer.

Practice questions do not replace required training, a course, supervised hours or hands-on instruction. Follow the law, the label and your trainer, not a quiz score.

Every question names the statute, regulation or official publication it was written from, and the page shows the date the bank was last checked. If you spot a mistake, please tell us through the contact page.

This sheet is for practice and study, and it is not an official inspection report or a substitute for the inspection that the law or your employer requires.