Also called: FRA Inspector, Track Inspector
Inspects tracks, locomotives, signals, and hazardous cargo to prevent train accidents.
Federal Railroad Administration inspectors walk miles of track looking for defects, climb on locomotives to check brakes, and audit how railroads handle toxic chemicals. Most worked for railroads before.
Federal General Schedule (GS) pay scale.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 4 years after high school. Several years of railroad experience; federal training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Railroad Operations, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing slowly. Approximate.
Low risk for 10 years. Track-scanning cars and cameras catch more defects; walking track and inspecting cars stay hands-on.
Classes: Auto or diesel tech CTE, Physics, Math.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-6051.
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