The Pre Trip | What does a coach bus driver check for before a trip? 

Coach driver for over 16 years now. I have learned this: The only way to keep a coach in good condition is when every driver has his own bus. No switching around between coaches. That simply doesn't work. You can't do your job at a high standard as it should if you don't know every little piece en habit of your coach. Simple as that. In my country it's not required (on papre/logbook) to have pre trip cheks, but the coach have to be in safe condition. It's the drivers responsibility for that, not the company.

Don’t forget your brake test! Remember GSALE *garage sale* Pressure readings that are in spec may differ by make and model of coach; but are usually very similar. G=Governor Cut In/Cut Out S=Static Air Loss (no more than 2 psi, listen for leaks) A=Applied Air Loss (no more than 3 psi, listen for leaks) L=Low Air Warning Devices (visual/audible) E=Emergency Brake (Handle) Pop-Out Remember to chock your wheels because all of these tests are done with the key on and parking brake released. Your method may vary.

I like the Star Trek nods.

Some of those motor coaches, especially the older ones had a hydraulic fan drive and so it is critical that it has power steering fluid.

Our pre trip procedures in Australia a fairly similar to this.

I got my driver's license at 15, as soon as I could, and I just bought and paid off my own vehicle at 17!

Also check chains if you drive out west where required to carry like Colorado or

Great video. You covered the the required items and what your company wants. And as you stated, each company has their own additions. I have used reflections to check to see if the rear brake and reverse lights working when I was alone. Back up to a building and from the seat you can see the lights bouncing off the surface. Of course, this only works if it's dark enough but needs must! I was never required to check fluid levels as the company considered it a safety issue for the driver but we were required to know how in the event that fluids needed to be added on the road. Fun fact - the fill for a 1997 Van Hool radiator is so high up that you need a ladder to reach it. Standing on a milk crate and having to use a milk jug makes for a wet driver. Got the Tee Shirt for that one!

Paid 10 minutes for a sign-on/pre-departure check in Australia is common. Bus Drivers and Mechanics often exchange words!. Jogging, frequent holidays and moving interstate to drive a bus has been more than half my working life experience 👍

I love 💕 Motorcoach

Ha, the House of Quark! Nice insert there! Man, I just saw this now. RU-vid notifications are acting all wonky. Im not getting any from anyone, so I manually have to check, and if a bunch pop up...I miss it. At least the front page had yours! As far as pretrips...I feel really old. We only had a small half sheet of triplicate carbon paper with the profiles and front/back of the coach (an MC-9), and we marked down things on that...and turned in one, kept one ourselves and one I think went to the DOT. I still h ave a huge stack of unused ones LOL. I dont know why I kept them... Also, I have a pre-trip for my privately owned bus but its not modeled after the DOT requirements. Its a bit more OCD...I modeled it after the AFTO 781 forms used for military aircraft. I know I go a bit far because every single one of my cars has them, and it ends up being binders of maintenance and inspection paperwork for just one vehicle!

How do you remember all of this? I love buses but this was extensive I don't know how you are able to remember all this information. I'm not saying I disliked this video I am not saying that at all I just did not realize there's so much to pre trips and buses in general but I watched every second of this video and I liked it. I at least know now where the belts and alternators are in a coach so I'll take that information I learned something so that's awesome!!! This was a great video I'm sure you can drive practically any bus James. Very good video once again my dude!!!

I am starting to get my CDL with a charter company in San Antonio, TX

Besides all that you mentioned, I always check to see if there Is "Do It Fluid" in the tank. LBVS.

You'd struggle to find a way to pay for knowledge like this that is presented so well. Glad to be a part of the Motorcoach World

Pre-trip: Item: Does it start? Yes. Good to go 👍

I would’ve thought nice coaches like that would have tire pressure monitors.

My only concern during the pre trip is the "tie" we wear. When pre tripping, I have it off or tuck it in to my shirt. No need to have it catch something in something, get it dirty, and worse yet catch it in a moving part. I do check the engine compartment on our Provo's after its running for a bit just to make sure nothing is leaking, belts are acting up, and all that.

With drivers based in the NYC & Phila area (where we operate), it is impossible to get any experienced driver to honestly do a pre trip and not just check all the boxes. You’d be very lucky if 1 even noticed a fully flat tire before driving away. The newbies are much better, but experienced drivers feel it’s below them and should be someone else’s job. I don’t know why drivers are so bad here, especially when it comes to pre trips!

This is James (ex motorcoach operator) Just passing along. Make sure the toilet is not leaking blue toilet water onto the ground especially at large events such as sporting, amusement parks.etc. where a surprise on the spot inspections may appear. Hearty fines for the driver for not doing a proper Pre-trip and I think it’s an OUT OF SERVICE- vehicle violation. Oh yea, the spare tire is present and in good condition. Yes, I do miss driving and wish I could return to it.

This is very helpfull thanks

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

The very first thing I do is...make sure I have my license on me 😀

Here on the UK to check the vehicle over takes 5-10 mins our inspection ain't as in depth

How do you open the glass roof on a bus and coach

Can you showcase women coach drivers in the USA??? I'm in Michigan and there's not many in my area probably 1 to 10 ratio of women drivers!!

So.. .the whole tire thumper thing via a stick. That seems to be the norm. Why? Are gauges too expensive for most companies? I earned my CDL on a school bus, wooden sticks were in a pocket on our seats right behind our heads. I didn't feel comfortable with a potential weapon in my "blind spot".

You forgot your brakes and break test And break fitness or set my D hard order on a coach bus and it is on a 18 Wheeler And the air warning light coming on Otherwise a pregood creature

Hello my friend I hope your doing good I like your videos they're very awesome and cool I was wondering if you could send a shout-out with my name sometime and if you could make more videos of the MCI 102 dl3 102 A3 the 102 C3 and mc9 ! It'd be awesome too learn more fun knowledge

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. I am a bus driver and have seen drivers just check lights and drive. They depend too much on the mechanics to catch everything. Since we don’t have set vehicles, I normally write up everything that they miss. One can NEVER be too safe when you have people’s lives in your hands.

I didn't know I was such a coach nut till I started watching these videos. When we lived in New York my dad would sometimes Drive one for his friend that owned Cobra bus lines. Such good memories.

Half hour to an hour for a pretrip. I would love to have that much time. Of the companies I've worked for (non motorcoach) the most we have been allowed is 15 minutes, Other places places *cough* the city *cough* we were threaten with write ups if we "wasted" time doing a pretrip. Makes you feel real good knowing those snow plows arent inspected.

Hi, I've been a school bus driver for 14 years. I'm now starting to become a motor coach driver starting 6/29. Thank you for all your videos

This makes me respect and appreciate the type of job a coach driver do.

Intro the background music please. It's nice.

I'm thinking about switching from trucking to motor coach.

You forgot the critical brake checks, driver! 😉 Brake shoe/pad minimum lining thickness requirements, maximum allowable slack adjuster freeplay, and the air brake bleed-down/low air warning light and buzzer test. Also, you left out the steering wheel freeplay test, as well as the body fluids clean-up kit. Just thought I'd point those out. Love your videos and the glimpse into the motorcoach industry. I've been a truck driver for almost 19 years and I love it, but I've always found buses and all types of mass-transit to be fascinating. Keep up the good work!

Hey, this was great. We are planning to buy MCI coach bus & turn into a tiny home on wheels and hopefully some day take off & really see America...before it's too late. Gonna turn our lives all upside down, hah haa, I can't wait. We need to learn all about buses. Inspections before going on the road are so important and we going to make sure to do that. Very good. Thank you 👍

hi James, when conducting the inspection Dvir, a motor coach driver, finds that he needs motor oil, it is the driver's responsibility to add the oil, according to the fmsca regulation. Please could you help me with an answer.

Back last century, when I was a School Bus Driver (1975-78) we each had a long handled window squeegee / sponge wiper with the handle cut to length so we could depress the brake pedal against the front of the driver's seat and check our own lights. Primitive, but it worked. Especially when I was on the early route out of the Bus Yard at 0500 and no one else was around. Enjoy the trip down memory lane, as always. Thanks.

I like the way your pretrip is setup i dont drive for a living anymore but evert time my bus pulls out of the driveway it has had a pretrip done i use the same one that i used on our tractor trailerwith a little bit of modification our last truck was a 300 inch wheel base 4 axle pulling a tandem axle rgn with a flip axle Have a good day THE GRUMPY BUS

Thank you so much for your videos sir, your videos are a blessing to me learning about the motorcoach industry.

This brought back many fond memories, along with a few other not so fond memories of my time behind the wheel. Thanks for sharing. Most non-professional drivers would never believe all that a motor coach drivers have to know and perform before every trip.

Thank you!(AGAIN) Very informative video. Love the fish on the side of the buses. :-)

There are different things extra different in areas of the country in Il you have to deal with crossion in AZ and CA you. Have check wipers and window seals drying cracking when sitting in south but get subzero you will lose pressure. This what got tom Brady in trouble they inflated inside but lost pressure outside in subfreezing

I recently found your channel and I really have enjoyed your videos, especially for their production. I've been a class A CDL driver for close to 30 years, and have contemplated changing to coach driving for the remainder of my career. There's much to learn, especially in keeping the customer safe and happy. Thanks for your professionalism.

1verry important thing you missed- a delicious cup of coffee to start the trip.

very informative vlog, Stay safe always boss James..😊

When they invent automatic Bay Doors then I'll buy one 😂

Go help greyhound have had to ride on many busses in sad mechanical condition and as well as physical condition inside the coach have even been stranded on a bus in the middle of no where caused by a snapped belt

What to check? Make sure the bus is in the parking lot. Ha ... Ha..

Also...did I miss it or space out (possible), but do you guys still have to do the brake check and brake pressure check? I still do that when I get behind the wheel of the bus. Basically, the buzzer has to turn off (duh) once pressure builds, then, we press the brake, and we should only lose a certain amount of pressure per each depress (I forgot what it was on an MC-9. On mine its half a bar. Yes, my gauges are in bars LOL). THen make sure the needle stays for 60 seconds without any loss while pedal is depressed. Ensure brakes hold by applying parking brake and placing vehicle in gear, with only a light depress of the accelerator pedal. Bus should not move and brakes should hold. The dynamic brake test requires the operator place the bus in gear and move forward at no more than 5mph and apply the brakes firmly. The bus should stop. Ok...I may have gone into full nerd mode there (Hey, Im translating the tech manual for my bus, so Ive been so used to writing things this way it just came out and Im not going back now LOL). I do try to make pre-trips easy to follow, based on sections so the driver doesnt have to go back and forth a lot, or start then stop then start the bus etc. And I managed to fit it on one page (double sided) so its real easy to grab it and follow along each bullet point.

Great video as always!! So many things are similar with the transit bus pre-trip inspection.

Wow buddy, that's quite a comprehensive pre-drive check. It should be that way if you are driving across country. I live and drive coaches in New Zealand and generally we dont have that kind of comprehensive procedure. Ours is very basic as a requirement (although I take more time than usual during the check for my own personal satisfaction). Great to know that about your company and we could definitely improve on our process in comparison.

That they have a spare cap to collect tips from the old dears

Didn't think anyone used the penny trick to check tread depth anymore! I totally confused a tire tech at a trucking company I used to drive for when I called in a blown trailer tire. He asked about the depth on the other tire and I told him how much of Lincoln's head was showing on the penny. He actually told me he needed exact tread depth not sone stupid trick. Told him what the penny truck meant for depth. He still didn't believe me.

I busted a Greyhound driver big-time a couple years ago for not pre-trip and the bus. Apparently greyhound hasn’t learned yet though because another bus I was on ran out of fuel.

Hey James, Any of the coaches you run have fire suppression systems? I work for a company that produces them for the Bus world. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Comment before the premier :) Always looking forward to your videos!

Thanks for this. I had one incident that goes back to what I think is the eventual responsibility of the driver, but as mentioned, this was most likely a mistake made somewhere along the line. I won’t mention the name of the company. The bus actually ran out of fuel during the trip. It was a school trip to go ice skating in New York, and this was on the trip to New York, right after exiting the Holland Tunnel. Luckily it didn’t happen inside the tunnel, otherwise that would have been a major traffic issue. This probably goes back to the driver and the pre trip inspection / checklist, which should include making sure the coach has enough fuel for the trip.

The heck with it. Just jump in and go. If it breaks down you're on the clock. hehehehe

I couldn't agree more. Every company is different and in my view, as long as the vehicle is safe and presentable to the customer, then I think all should be well, the rest is just fine touches I think.

How many Karens have you dealt with? What are your options?

Driving bus / coach requires a lot of skills and dedication because you're carrying passengers and their lives is in your hand.

Well done. So important. Nothing bothers me more than to see a driver walk out to a bus and start it up and assume everything is fine, The court system is rightly not going to be kind to a driver who injures or kills someone because he assumed all was well and didn’t check anything. Keep the great videos coming

When I was taught the pre trip for driving a school bus the magical words were mounted and secured.

I like the way your company does your pre trip a lot of motor coach and bus operators could lean a lot off this video nice clean busses too

Thanks James, very insightful. I have my CPC module 4 test in a couple of weeks' time. It's a walk around /show me tell me pre-trip exam. Pass this and Im ready to rock n roll.

Anyone private or commercial should do a thorough pretrip on the coach they are driving. Great topic James!

In the UK stop buttons and emergency exits are checked as well to measure they're working. In the UK a lot of buses are also fitted with wheel nut indicators, makes checking the nuts easier, although not mandatory.

G'day mate. At the company I drive for, drivers are not allowed to open the engine bay door for safety reasons but we still do our walk around pre trips if you are the one taking the bus out first thing in the morning. My buses are driven by several drivers each day. We also fill out a little checklist form and have a diagram to mark off any damage.

Never use your vehicle without a decent if not thorough inspection, first. really This should apply to any vehicle not just Buses and Motor Coaches.

I enjoyed your pre trip inspection. It was informative. My Prevost pre trip inspection is much longer than a passenger bus as you can imagine. In addition to the bus itself most of us are towing a vehicle and this inspection is very important. In a motor home the inside inspection is also very important. Even though I have been doing this for many years I have written a check list for both the outside side and the inside and review this list before putting the coach in gear. Keep up the good work and going into detail.

Also check the gauges on the instrument panel along with the a/c and heat system but maybe you covered that and I missed it. Safe travels.

I know all too well that access to the bathroom is important. The last time I rode on a coach bus, the bathroom door stopped functioning and wouldn't open. I don't know when or how it was fixed, as the final destination that trip was Milwaukee and the bus had to make a return trip to the U.P. of Michigan on a line run.

I was always thankful that our mechanics were on top of the maintenance of the coaches. When you're leaving at 3am there is not a lot of time to make repairs when you are the only one at the garage.

Horror story from a fellow driver in salt lake city he told me that a bus was stopped by the highway patrol it seem like there was red fluid leaking from the engine compartment when they open the lid they found a body of a man wrapped around the engine Moral of the story if you do a inspection before you go anywhere You will be stress free and no headaches No body's too

I wish Greyhound was this thorough with their busses. Nothing worse than broken down hundreds of miles of nowhere, on a hot summer day. #neveragain

Well…..you could do a proper pre trip if your company hired a cleaner and you did not have to do that on top of a pre trip at 4 AM before even getting started.

The pre-trip video is finally out! I have been waiting forever for a good technical video :D

Another good vlog! Drivers had better do a thorough inspection. They are liable, as their name is on a legal document when agreed to on ELD.

Lol “it’s all fun and games until someone loses an alternator” love your videos

Bicycles are definitely always cool (as well as buses / coaches). It’s the private cars we need to get rid of. Although I appreciate that it will be far easier in smaller countries like the U.K. where I am. But unfortunately people here are probably as car obsessed as Americans are despite most trips being easily bike-able. It’s pretty insane.

Bicycles are still the coolest!

Great pre trip vid! Lost a drivers mirror going thru the Holland tunnel (a dump truck thought it needed to be in my lane) it was a real thrill driving in the city with a lost mirror. Lucky it was 6 am on a Sunday and the drop-off was just a few blocks from the tunnel. Drive Safe. Miss the Driving and the friends I made out there.

Excellent video! Thanks for the in-depth explanations.

I am a Class A CDL holder, I currently work for a very known soda Beverage Company as a line haul driver delivering products to other satellite facility that deliver on day-to-day basis two stores and whatnot. Your pre trip was very good, I have 6 months experience and I'm prior military and my mindset is always making sure I can catch something before I leave so I'm not stuck on the highway waiting for help and to make sure I can get myself my car go from point A to point B safely, while also being sure I can get home safely as well. There is a lot of dangers even with a tractor-trailer if you are overlooking certain items or even rushing just so you can hurry up and leave the yard first for whatever reasons people feel the need to rush for LOL

THANK FOR SHARING THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION

In my trucking company we do both pretrip and post trip. I think it's a good idea because you get things fixed during your 10 hr rest.

Beautiful video as usual. Now, wether you forgot or not, do you also ever pre-trip check the front kneeling feature, the rear rise feature and in the the case of the E and J series coaches the steerable tags?

My grandfather spent 30 years as chief mechanic for a coach operator. In the end he was let go for unfortunate reasons which I can’t go into here for legal reasons, but in the early days he was one of the best.

Oh my! So many cool extras added to this one. Very good!

Keep on making the great videos God bless you always :)

No mention of checking the brakes , wouldn't it be useful to make sure that they are working? 😊

Pre trips......Every company uses a different way. None of them really mirror the DMV test, all the components are covered through. The easy way to put it, 1 + 3 =4 just like 2 + 2 = 4. Sad to see no belt of death

DVD PLAYER BETTER WORK GREAT OR THE PASSENGERS WILL BE UPSET

tell me on on a skill to 1 to 100 what would be as a driver.? me safely say the 100 mark I can go off a motor way up the slip way and around the round about with out touching the foot break.

Great video 💯

“KELLY”😊😊😊😊😊🙃🙃🙃

This is a good birthday gift !!!😁