Section 458.1030 Driver
Requirements
a) Each day that a school bus is operated the driver shall
conduct a pretrip inspection of the mechanical and safety equipment on the bus
as prescribed by this Part. A person other than the driver may perform
portions of the pretrip inspection as prescribed by this Part. (Section
13-115 of the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law)
b) The pretrip inspection shall consist of inspecting mechanical
and safety equipment on the school bus. The Form lists all equipment required
to be inspected during the pretrip inspection. (See Illustration A − School
Bus Driver Pretrip Inspection Form.)
c) The
Form shall be completed in duplicate. Forms are typically organized in a
booklet format with 30 duplicate Forms in each booklet. Each bus shall have
one booklet assigned to it. The booklet must remain on the bus until each
duplicate copy has been on the bus for at least 30 days (see subsection (o)).
School bus owners or operators can either create the booklets in-house or
purchase them from an outside vendor. Vendor options are available by
contacting the Vehicle Inspection Unit Manager, Illinois Department of
Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, 1340 North 9th Street,
P.O. Box 19212, Springfield IL 62794-9212 or by calling 217/785-3031.
d) The pretrip inspection shall be performed each day a school
bus is operated to transport students. If the same driver operates the same
bus more than once a day, a new inspection is not required for each subsequent
trip.
e) If a bus is operated by a different driver for any subsequent
trips during the day, an additional pretrip inspection is required. If a
driver is required to complete his/her route in a bus different than the one
he/she started the route in, a complete pretrip inspection must be performed on
the replacement bus.
f) The driver is required to complete a School Bus Driver's
Pretrip Inspection Form in full each time an inspection is performed. Any
defects found on the bus must be recorded on the Form.
g) The following equipment must be inspected at least once every
24 hours when the bus is being operated to transport students. When the driver
inspects this equipment, he or she is responsible for verifying that these and
all other equipment listed on the Form have been inspected, as required. The
driver's signature on the Form is verification that these items have been
inspected, as required. Exempt times are excluded from the 24-hour period
requirement (see definition of Exempt Time in Section 458.1020).
1) Oil;
2) Coolant;
3) Battery;
4) Transmission Fluid;
5) Master Cylinder Brake Fluid;
6) Power Steering Fluid;
7) Washer Fluid;
8) All belts (e.g., fan, alternator, power steering); and
9) Wiring.
h) The equipment listed in subsection (g) may be inspected by
someone other than the driver (e.g., school bus mechanic or bus attendant). If
any person other than the driver inspects the equipment listed in subsection
(g), that person is responsible for the inspection of the equipment and must
provide his or her signature on the Form, along with the date and time the
equipment was inspected. (Writing "Shop" on the signature line is
not acceptable.) That person's signature is valid for a 24 hour period (i.e.,
the corresponding line may be blank on the next day's Form). Exempt times are
excluded from the 24 hour period (see definition of Exempt Time in Section
458.1020).
i) If defects are discovered, the driver must notify the school
bus owner/operator each day before the trip is started so the defects can be
corrected.
j) The Department recommends that all defects be corrected
before any bus is used to transport children. Each school district or
contractor must establish policies to govern procedures that are to be followed
when any equipment is found to be unsatisfactory.
k) Each day before a school bus is operated, the driver must
examine the previous Form to verify all defects have been corrected. If all
defects have not been corrected, the driver must immediately notify the school
bus owner/operator or his or her designee.
l) The original Form shall be presented to the school bus
owner/operator, or his or her designee, before the trip is started each day an
inspection is completed. The owner/operator, or his or her designee, shall be
responsible for insuring the repairs/adjustments are made as soon as
practicable.
m) After any repairs are made, the school bus mechanic performing
the repairs/adjustments must sign and date the Form.
n) The original copy shall be maintained by the owner/operator
for 180 days (i.e., six months) from the date of inspection.
o) The duplicate copy shall remain in the bus for 30 days (i.e.,
one month) from the date of inspection. Duplicate copies more than 30 days old
must be removed from the bus.
p) The original Forms shall be organized in an orderly fashion
and made available for inspection at any time by officers of the Department as
authorized by 92 Ill. Adm. Code 456.60(mm).
q) The owner/operator is responsible for providing Forms to the
drivers.
r) Each school bus must be equipped with an adequate supply of
Forms.
s) Forms must not be filled out in advance and each individual equipment
must be checked or marked with individual checkmarks while the Form is being
completed. If any equipment listed on the Form was not present on the bus at
the time of manufacture (e.g., clutch), the equipment must be marked out and
"Not Applicable" or "N/A" must be written beside the equipment.
t) A copy of Illustration A can be used or a form can be
developed which contains all the information found in Illustration A.
Additional equipment may be added to the equipment listed in Illustration A as
the bus owner/operator deems necessary (e.g., wheelchair lift).
u) The Department must approve all variations of the Form before they
can be used. Forms submitted for approval must be submitted to the address
provided in subsection (c).
v) The Form shall contain general information about the bus and
must list the equipment that is required to be inspected by the driver (see
Illustration A). A Remarks Section must be provided for the driver to detail
specific defects. A signature line must be provided for the driver and, if
applicable, the mechanic who performed any inspection of mechanical equipment.
A signature and date line must also be provided for the school bus mechanic
performing any repairs/adjustments.
w) The
Department must approve any variance from the procedures prescribed in this
Part. A request for a procedural variance must be submitted in writing to the
address provided in subsection (c).
x) Procedural changes may include, but are not limited to,
recording the inspection of the equipment listed in subsection (g) on a
supplemental form. This type of variance may help expedite the inspection of
larger fleets when an employee may be responsible for inspecting the equipment
listed in subsection (g). The supplemental form must list each piece of
equipment (i.e., fluids and belts) listed in subsection (g) and whether the
equipment is in satisfactory or unsatisfactory condition. The supplemental
form must provide space for each school bus to be listed by unit number along
with the date and time of the fluids/belts inspection. The person who performs
the inspection must provide his or her signature on the supplemental form that
confirms he or she is responsible for the inspection of the fluids and belts.
The supplemental form must provide the school bus owner's or operator's name.
The Form shall also be modified to indicate that the inspection of the
equipment listed in subsection (g) has been recorded on a supplemental form.
Department officers must be provided access to all inspection information, when
requested.
y) If the bus is not being used as a school bus (e.g., if it is
being driven to obtain maintenance/repair work), this Part does not apply.
z) Electronic
pretrip inspection systems may be used to meet the requirements of this Part.
This variance must be approved, upon request, before an electronic system is
implemented. The request must be submitted in writing to the address provided
in subsection (c). Provided prior approval is granted, electronic systems may
be exempt from recordkeeping procedures (e.g., pretrip forms stored on the bus
and/or data stored on electronic readers for 30 days). Electronic pretrip
inspections must include the equipment listed on the Form. Upon request,
Department officers must be provided access to all data collected and stored.
aa) In the
event that an electronic pretrip system is not functioning or is not meeting
the requirements of this Part, Illustration A must be completed, as required by
this Part.
bb) Inventory
of existing preprinted forms may be used until depleted. Illustration A must
be used after all existing forms are depleted from a school bus owner's or
operator's inventory.
AGENCY NOTE: School bus drivers
may need to be equipped with a flashlight in order to perform pretrip
inspections before sunrise or after sunset. A two-person system may also be
helpful when performing pretrip inspections to verify the lights on the rear of
the bus are functioning properly.
(Source: Amended at 40 Ill.
Reg. 2076, effective January 8, 2016)
