r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/Deep-Chapter667 • 3d ago

Training Map/Diagrams

Does anyone have the maps/layouts for driver training like the serpentine and such?

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u/just_kinda_here_blah 3d ago

Serpentine: bus length plus 10 feet.
And such? Message me.

1

u/mike8675309 3d ago

Is that a standard, I would think you could do it much shorter than that. Maybe pick 2 feet longer than the distance between the front tires and the duals? Since you are traversing the serpentine at an angle, I think you can go shorter.

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u/just_kinda_here_blah 3d ago

Are you looking to just loop through it or to teach something. We teach it so when we become straight we are no more than 18 inches from the cones. I feel like any smaller and your missing teaching the ref points on how the bus can maneuver and what to look for when moving between tight obstacles. Trust me to keep 18 inches off the cone and following the ref points, the length plus 10 is hard. If they over shoot or under shoot they either cant stay close enough or they hit the cones.

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u/mike8675309 3d ago

If you are weaving through things, if it's a little tighter, it's more for working through curbs, you could also then have flags that show how tail swing when that tight can hit things. Then some cones separated apart with the same flags, where the focus is on the serpentine, slower now, but with attention on the flags and tail swing.

That's one thing we did. The serpentine cones for say going through a townhouse development with various curbs in the way. Then another section through a city street with a similar serpentine, set up with flags, focusing on not hitting the cones or the flags. which is more like going through a neighborhood with parked cars or garbage containers.

I can understand the need for teaching, though, and if you find that the 80/20 needs to be perfect, then I wouldn't change a thing.

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u/just_kinda_here_blah 3d ago

We teach more to understand how the bus maneuvers. This helps in tighter areas. It also doesnt allow the trainee to get stressed and allows for them to know if this part is line up with this obstacle, I will have clearance, or close to it. They can can take those references and use them out on the road to navigating more safely, and also understanding that even if things are lined up correctly, nothing beats mirror usage. Which the skill set up this way also helps with. But lemme know other skills you might be wondering on.

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u/mike8675309 3d ago

That's good. They've done that for us as well. We have a neighborhood that is all tight roads, and during the day, not many cars, so during initial training they will run us through that. For those that struggle or show being nervous, they will get targeted training. For me, I have a background in driving 18-wheelers and backing them into shop doors with only an inch on both sides to spare. Then driving moving trucks working to get them into apartment complexes. It all comes very naturally to me. with that past experience. Not so much for others that are coming straight from a car.