Glossary
School Bus Driver Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential school bus driver terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key school bus driver vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in school bus driver training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Amber warning lights
- Lights that warn traffic the bus is about to stop.
- Crossing control arm
- An arm that makes students walk farther in front of the bus.
- Danger zone
- The area around the bus, about 10 feet, where students are most at risk.
- ELDT
- Entry-Level Driver Training required for new CDL drivers and endorsements.
- Evacuation drill
- Practice for exiting the bus in an emergency.
- IEP transportation
- Transportation services for students with disabilities.
- Mirrors
- Crossview and convex mirrors used to see students around the bus.
- P endorsement
- Passenger vehicle endorsement on a CDL.
- Post-trip check
- Walking the bus to ensure no child is left aboard.
- Pre-trip inspection
- A required safety check before driving.
- Railroad crossing procedure
- Stop, open the door, look and listen before crossing tracks.
- Red flashing lights
- Lights that require traffic to stop while students load or unload.
- Route sheet
- The list of stops and times.
- S endorsement
- School bus endorsement on a CDL.
- Stop arm
- The red sign that extends to stop traffic.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free School Bus Driver practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see School Bus Driver training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.