We have 9 bus driving tips for all of the new skoolie owners out there. For a lot of people, their first bus driving experience happens on the day they go pick up their brand new school bus conversion. Getting behind the wheel of a school bus for the first time and taking on your new bus driving role can be intimidating. With a little practice and a few tips, you will probably find that you will get the hang of it faster than you expected. Here are just a few things you might want to read before you get behind the wheel of your skoolie for the first time.
Bus Driving Tip #1: Mirrors
School buses have many mirrors and they can be intimidating if you don’t know what they can do. Before driving, sit in the driver’s and look at each mirror and see each different vantage point it can show. They are immensely helpful when driving a bus. The front mirrors can show the driver what is in their blind spot on each side and also for taking tight turns they let you see the ground directly in front of the bus to help you complete the turn successfully. The more you practice using each mirror, the less stressful your bus driving experience will be.
Bus Driving Tip #2: Slow + Steady
Drive slow at first and don’t worry about the people behind you. Driving your bus at a speed you are comfortable with is hard to do when you are used to driving a car at the speed limit. Especially if you have never driven a large vehicle before you might start out driving really slow just to get the hang of how it handles. You WILL have cars behind you. Don’t worry about them. They will pass when they can or if there are a lot of cars you can pull over safely if space is available on the shoulder. If you know you will need to drive slower than the rest of traffic, try to avoid being on the road during rush hours. The most important thing is that you don't pressure yourself to drive the speed limit; especially on highways. Take a deep breath and try to relax.
Bus Driving Tip #3: Brake Differently
Large, heavy vehicles like school buses do not stop quickly. You need to anticipate your stops and not crowd the cars in front of you. Another tip is to know the type of brakes that your bus has-hydraulic or air brakes. Air brakes can take some getting use to. A good tip is to try them out in a parking lot starting with simple stops and then try an emergency stop. Air brakes have amazing stopping power and they are really safe, but they do feel different at first from normal hydraulic brakes. There are also many advanced techniques for steep grade braking that you will want to understand before you drive on these. Remember that speed and heat are your enemy on steep grades. You can practice “stab braking” on small hills to prepare for the larger ones. Stab braking is where you apply the brakes for 3-5 seconds to reduce the speed by about 5mph and not apply again until you regain that speed back. Whatever speed that you went up the hill, is the speed you will be going down the other side.
Bus Driving Tip #4: Know All the Buttons
Know where the turn signal, headlights, caution lights, and windshield wiper button/switches are located. Trying to find them for the first time driving is not fun.
There is no worse feeling than when you are driving your new bus home for the first time on bright, sunny day and all of sudden you are driving into rain frantically trying to find the windshield wiper switch. That is not fun when you are driving on the interstate. When you get into the driver seat of the bus, do not be ashamed or embarrassed about asking what the buttons do. The seller should have no issue walking you through them. Take notes or ask to record as they talk you through each button if you feel that will help you to be more confident when you are on your own with the bus. At the very least know where the headlights, turn signals, caution lights, and windshield wipers are located.
Bus Driving Tip #5: Turn Wide
Buses have a lot of tail swing. A lot of the larger buses have up to eight feet of bus that extends past the rear wheels. This means that when taking turns if you are not careful the back end of the bus could be in the next lane. When bus driving at first, you will think that you are turning too late. Once you get the hang of it, it will be normal. Right hand turns are more difficult than left hand turns when bus driving. This is especially true in cities with tight streets. Also, when preparing to enter a turn at a stop, use the outside lane if there are multiple turn lanes. It is much easier to turn from that lane. Another good tip is to use Google maps to look at your route before you leave and make changes if necessary to accommodate the size of your bus.
Bus Driving Tip #6: Back Up Camera
Install a back-up camera. We can install these as an upgrade in our builds.
A back-up camera is an extremely important item to have when bus driving. Your mirrors help you see so much while bus driving, but behind the bus is not an option. Buses are so big and heavy that if you hit anything with that large overhang, you probably will not feel it or notice it while driving. They can help you see obstacles behind your bus or cars driving up close to you when you are trying to park. Another great feature is that they can be set to be on all of the time and act as a rearview mirror for you while driving. This is a great option when towing a vehicle behind the bus or just seeing if a car is following too close to you. We offer these as an upgrade option to our builds to make your bus driving experience easier and safer.
Bus Driving Tip #7: Ignore the Estimated Time of Arrival
GPS units take into consideration that you are traveling the speed limit. In most cases, especially highway driving, you will not be traveling at the posted speed limit and possibly make more stops. An easy rule of thumb is double the trip time that your GPS shows. This is a great method to use at first. As you drive the bus more, you can get a better idea of your real travel time and adjust as needed. The key thing to know is not to be in a hurry. Most skoolie dwellers say they try to break their bus driving time into 2-3 hour chunks with either a long break or overnight stop to rest. You are driving a very large and heavy vehicle that requires a lot of attention and energy to drive.
Bus Driving Tip #8: State Laws
Every state has different rules for driving large vehicles. Whether it is licensed as an RV already or it is still considered a bus, you will need to do some research to know if you need a specific license or endorsement to drive it. Your best bet is to call your local DMV and explain to them what you are needing to drive. They will probably ask questions like is it for commercial use, how long is the bus, and how much does it weigh. Another factor in some states for a special endorsement is whether or not your bus has air brakes. Knowing these rules ahead of time will make things a lot easier. Another key thing to remember is that in some states a bus is not considered non-commercial until certain criteria are met. You may need an endorsement just to drive your bus at first, but not at all after it’s converted and classified as an RV. The key takeaway here is to contact a local license office and be honest with them on what you are doing. And, if you need help finding insurance for your vehicle be sure to check out our Skoolie Insurers Quick Reference Guide.
Bus Driving Tip #9: Be Prepared
Always be prepared. These are great words to live by, especially when bus driving. So you have bought your bus and now it’s time to drive it home. Most times you have no idea on the mechanical history of the bus. These are typically retired buses that have some miles and age on them. Anything can and will happen. To help prepare for that first trip or next trip, we recommend bringing some oil, antifreeze, diesel fuel, safety kit and tools with you. Make sure you know what type of antifreeze should go into the bus before adding it or you could cause more potentially expensive repairs down the road. Some key tools to bring are: a 3/8” socket set with metric and standard sockets and a couple of extensions, needle nose pliers, straight blade and Philips screw drivers, 12v multimeter, slip joint pliers, vise grips, electrical tape, knife, and a good flashlight. It’s also a good idea to bring a basic safety kit and some flares.
Thank you for reading these 9 tips to improve your first bus driving experience. While intimidating at first, you will find it becomes easier as your confidence grows.
We are a part of the Amazon Affiliate program. Some links that you click on may result in us receiving a payment, but not at any cost to you!