La. Admin. Code tit. 55 § III-823

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 8, August 20, 2024

Section III-823 - General Inspection Procedures for School Busses (must comply with requirements of LAC 55:III.811 where applicable)

A. Documents. Mechanic inspectors shall check the following:

1. registration. Parish owned buses are exempt from presenting the registration certificate and proof of insurance. However, the operator must sign the log report confirming liability insurance coverage;

2. license plate;

3. operator's license (must be appropriate type of CDL); and

4. proof of insurance.

B. Brakes. All school buses shall be equipped with a hydraulic brake system or an air brake system. Mechanics shall check for all of the following.

1. Hydraulic Brake System

a. The brakes must be able to stop the bus within 30 feet at a speed of 20 miles per hour with no children on board.

b. The master cylinder must be inspected.

2. Air brake systems must be inspected for:

a. at least two reservoirs;

b. a safety valve on the first reservoir;

c. an air gauge;

d. an audible low pressure indicator;

e. hoses, tubes or connections shall be inspected for crimps, abrasions or breaks exposing cord;

f. audible air leaks; and

g. air chamber;

h. if visible, check brake shoes and drums for excessive wear or damage;

i. the push rod travel must be measured (see motor carrier chart) in lieu of a braking test.

C. Fluid Leaks. Vehicle fluids include gasoline or diesel, transmission fluid, engine oil, bearing grease, water or radiator coolant, windshield washer fluid or water and power steering fluid. No fluid leaks of any kind are allowed.

D. Lighting Systems. The lighting system will be checked as follows.

1. Interior Lamps (including stepwell lamp on types A, B, C and D school buses). Interior lamps shall be used to provide adequate illumination of the interior compartment. The stepwell lamp shall be illuminated by an entrance door-operated switch, to illuminate only when headlamps and clearance lamps are on and the entrance door is open.

2. Identification Lamps. A school bus is required to have three amber identification lamps on the front and three red identification lamps on the rear of the bus. They should be mounted at the upper most center of the body of the bus spaced in a horizontal line not more than 12 inches apart.

3. Clearance Lamps. A school bus is required to have clearance lamps mounted as high as possible on the permanent structure of the bus. The lights mounted on the front of the bus must be amber in color and those on the rear must be red. These lights must be mounted on each side of the bus and positioned in such a manner as to indicate the extreme width of the body of the bus.

4. Side Marker Lamps. School buses are required to have amber side marker lamps mounted on the front of the bus and red lamps on the rear. These must be on each side of the bus.

5. Reflectors. The school bus must be equipped with reflectors as follows.

a. Two red reflectors shall be installed on the rear of the bus.

b. Two reflex reflectors shall be installed on the side of the bus.

i. One must be mounted at or near the front of the bus and must be amber in color.

ii. One must be mounted at or near the rear of the bus and must be red in color. Buses 30 feet or longer in length require one additional amber reflex reflector on each side of the bus.

6. School Bus Alternately Flashing Lamps. A school bus shall have alternately flashing lamps mounted at the same horizontal level which identify the vehicle as a school bus. They also inform other vehicle operators that the bus is stopped or about to stop to take on or discharge students.

a. School buses are required to have four alternating flashing red signal lamps mounted at the same level and as high and as widely spaced as practical. Two lamps must be mounted on the front and two lamps must be mounted on the rear. All lamps must alternately flash.

b. All buses manufactured after July 7, 1977, must be equipped with four alternately flashing yellow lamps mounted on the same level as the alternately flashing red lamps, but closer to the vertical center line on the bus. These lamps must display two alternately flashing yellow lights to the front of the bus and two alternately flashing yellow lights to the rear of the bus. The alternately flashing yellow lights must not light when the alternately flashing red lights are activated (during a stop).

c. The alternately flashing lamps (both red and yellow) must function with a manually activated switch only. No brake operated switches are allowed.

d. The school bus must be equipped with an audible or visible means of indicating to the driver that the signaling system is activated.

E. Left Hand Stop Arm Lamps

1. All buses manufactured after July 7, 1977, must be equipped with two flashing red lights on each of the left hand stop arms with the light visible from both sides of the stop arms, and these lights shall be visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight [R.S. 32:318(B)(4)].

a. These lamps must activate when the stop arm is extended and the lamps must flash alternately.

2. Two stop signal arms shall be installed on types B, C and D school buses; one stop signal arm shall be installed on type A school buses. When two stop signal arms are installed on a school bus, the rearmost stop arm shall not contain any lettering, symbols or markings on the forward side.

3. The entire surface of both sides of the stop signal arm shall be of reflectorized material with type III reflector material that meets the minimum specific intensity requirements of 49 CFR 517.131 . When two stop signal arms are installed on a bus, the forward side of the rearmost stop signal arm shall not be reflective.

F. Stop Lamps. If the bus was manufactured after December 31, 1962, two 7-inch stop lamps emitting red light only must be mounted on the rear of the bus as high as possible, but below the window line.

G. Turn Indicator Lamps

1. Buses are required to have electric turn signal lamps that indicate the direction of a turn.

2. If the bus was manufactured after August, 1970, it is required to have four 7-inch turn indicator lamps.

a. Two 7-inch amber turn signal lamps must be mounted toward the front of the bus on the same level and as high as practical, but not less than 3 feet above the ground.

b. Two lamps, either red or amber in color, to the rear must be mounted on the same level as the front turn indicator lamps.

3. Buses manufactured after August 1970, are required to have operational four-way hazard warning signals.

H. Fog Lamps. Fog lamps are permissible provided that the lamps are properly installed and operational.

I. Backing Lamp and Audible Backing Alarm

1. Backing Lamp. The bus body shall be equipped with two white rear backup lamps that are at least four inches in diameter, or, if a shape other than round, a minimum of 12 square inches of illuminated area and shall meet FMVSS No. 108. If backup lamps are placed on the same horizontal line as the brake lamps and turn signal lamps, they shall be to the inside.

2. Backing Alarm. Every new school bus ordered or purchased after August 15, 1993, and every used bus not in service as a school bus on that date, but put into service as a school bus thereafter, shall be equipped with an automatic back-up audible alarm which sounds on backing and which is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 100 feet. The alarm shall also be capable of operating automatically when the vehicle is in neutral or a forward gear but rolls backward (R.S. 32:378).

J. Mirrors. School buses are required to have an interior mirror, exterior mirrors and one or more exterior cross-view mirrors.

1. Interior Mirror. Type A bus shall have a minimum of 6" x 16" mirror and type B, C and D buses shall have a minimum of 6" x 3" mirror.

2. Exterior mirror must have one or more left and one or more right hand mirrors with a minimum of 50 square inches of reflecting glass.

3. Exterior Cross View Mirror. Buses manufactured after July 1, 1979, shall have a mirror system which will provide a clear, unobstructed view of the area in front of the bus; the area immediately adjacent to the left and right front wheels and the entrance door.

K. Interior Doors

1. Service Door (front passenger pick up door). It may be controlled manually or by power. It must be controlled by the bus driver only.

a. The vertical closing edges of the service door must be equipped with a flexible material to protect passenger's fingers.

2. Emergency Exit Door

a. The passage way to the emergency door must not be restricted in any way to less than 12 inches in width.

b. There must not be steps to the emergency door when the door is in the closed position.

c. It must be equipped with a proper gasket around the door and the glass which furnishes a proper seal.

d. It must be equipped with an audible warning buzzer which notifies the driver's compartment that the door is open.

e. The emergency door mechanism shall function from the inside and outside.

f. The words "Emergency Exit" or "Emergency Door" shall be marked directly above the door on both the inside and outside in letters at least 2 inches high.

g. There must be no manual locking of any doors while the bus is in operation. No pad locks can be used on any door while the bus is in operation.

L. Bumpers and Crossing Control Arm

1. The words "School Bus" must be on the front and rear of the vehicle in plain, black letters at least 8 inches in height.

2. The stop arms shall be painted red with the word "Stop" in white letters.

3. Every school bus shall be equipped with a crossing control device actuated by the driver and operated in conjunction with the stop arm. The crossing control device shall pivot out from the right side of the front bumper to prevent persons from walking directly in front of the bus [R.S. 17:164.1(A)(1)].

M. School bus identification (signs):

1. the words "School Bus" must be on the front and rear of the vehicle in plain, black letters at least 8 inches in height.

2. bus identification number on the sides, rear and front;

3. district, company name or owner of the bus displayed at the beltline;

4. the location of the battery(ies) identified by the word battery or batteries on the battery compartment door in two-inch lettering;

5. "handicap" symbol, identifying the bus as equipped for or transporting student with disabilities; however, the symbol shall not be placed on the glass of the rear emergency exit;

6. the stop arms shall be painted red with the word Stop in white letters, or the stop arms may be covered by a manufactured decal with the same color combination.

N. Tires

1. At a minimum, the steering axle must have 4/32 inch tread.

2. No re-grooved or re-capped tires are allowed on the steering axle.

3. At a minimum, the rear axle must have 2/32 inch tread.

O. Mud Flaps. All school buses manufactured on or after July 1, 1979, shall be equipped with mud flaps on the rear of the vehicle.

P. Front and Rear Suspension and Steering. The front of the bus must be lifted and the following items checked:

1. wheel bearings for excessive looseness and play;

2. king pins and bushings for excessive looseness;

3. drive shaft and universal joints for excessive wear; and

4. ball joints for excessive wear.

Q. Windshield, Windows, and Glass

1. The left front driver's window must readily open and close.

2. No cracks, discoloration or scratches to the front, rear, right or left of the driver which would interfere with his vision are allowed.

3. No window may be broken or have any exposed sharp edges. No window may have any cracked or separated glass allowing one piece of glass to move independently of another.

4. The windshield, not including a 2 inch border at the top and a 1 inch border at each side of the windshield or each panel thereof, may not:

a. have any crack not over 1/4 inch wide, if not intersected by any other crack; or

b. have any damaged area which can be covered by a disc 3/4 of an inch in diameter, if not closer than 3 inches to any other such damaged area (Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulation, 393.60).

5. Side windows must open and close properly.

6. Windows must have exposed edge of glass banded.

7. Driver side windows and service doors shall not have window tint.

8. Each emergency exit window must be equipped with an alarm buzzer that alerts the bus driver to an unlatched or open window.

R. Stepwell and Floor Covering

1. The stepwell and the aisle on buses manufactured after July 1, 1966, must be covered with a rubber, non-skid, wear resistant, ribbed material.

2. All openings in the floor board, such as the gear shift lever and auxiliary brakes, shall be sealed.

3. The stepwell must not be rusted in any area and must have sufficient strength to support passengers.

4. The aisle must not be restricted in any way to less than 12 inches in width.

5. There must be no looseness in the stanchions, guard rails or grab rails.

S. Emergency Equipment. Any piece of emergency equipment may be mounted in an enclosed compartment, provided the compartment is labeled in not less than one-inch letters, identifying each piece of equipment contained therein. Emergency equipment shall consist of the following items.

1. First Aid Kit. The bus shall have a removable, moisture-proof and dust-proof first aid kit, securely mounted in an accessible place within the driver's compartment. The first aid kit must contain the supplies necessary to administer first aid in an emergency situation.

2. Fire Extinguisher The bus will be equipped with at least one UL-approved pressurized ABC type of dry chemical fire extinguisher. It must have a gauge and at least a 5 pound capacity. It must be mounted in the manufacturer's bracket of an automotive type. It must be located in the driver's compartment in a clearly marked location or in full view of, and readily accessible to, the driver. Fire extinguishers must have a valid and up-to-date certification.

3. Warning Devices. Each school bus shall contain at least three retroreflective triangle road warning devices that meet the requirements of FMVSS No. 125, warning devices. They shall be mounted in an accessible place.

4. Body Fluid Cleanup Kit (Optional). Each school bus may have a removable and moisture-proof body fluid clean-up kit accessible to the driver The kit shall be mounted and identified as a "body fluid clean-up kit."

T. Defrosters. The school bus will be equipped with defrosters which shall be capable of keeping the windshield, driver's left window and glass entrance door clear of fog, frost and snow. In addition, buses manufactured on or after July 7, 1979, shall be equipped with an auxiliary fan at least 6 inches in diameter. The fan must be located in the center of the windshield to provide maximum effectiveness to the right side of the windshield and the service door.

U. Sun Shield. An interior adjustable, transparent sun shield, not less than 6 inches by 30 inches, supported by two brackets shall be installed so that it can be turned up when not in use.

V. Instrument Panel

1. The instrument panel must have a lamp which effectively illuminates all instruments and gauges.

2. The school bus must be equipped with an operational beam indicator to indicate the bright/dim setting on headlamps.

3. All wiring under the instrument panel must not be hanging. Wiring must be tucked under the panel.

W. Seat Belts, Seats, and Guard Rails

1. The driver's compartment must be equipped with an approved seat belt for the driver.

2. No exposed padding, springs or wires will be allowed on the seats or guard rails.

3. If a rip or tear is not more than 3 inches long, the seats may be taped. However, no more than three pieces of tape may be used per seat.

4. No overhead storage compartments or racks shall be permitted inside the bus.

X. Battery. The battery for the school bus must be secured with some type of tie-down device. Bungee cords and bailing wire are not allowed.

Y. Exhaust

1. Inspect the exhaust system for leaks, rusted areas, broken hanger, etc.

2. The end of the exhaust system may turn and exit at the rear, side edge of the bus or it may go past the rear bumper no more than 2 inches. In any case, the exhaust system must extend past the passenger compartment of the bus.

La. Admin. Code tit. 55, § III-823

Promulgated by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of State Police, Safety Enforcement Section, LR 25:2434 (December 1999), Amended by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of State Police, LR 42439 (3/1/2016), Amended LR 441635 (9/1/2018).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 32:1304-1310.