Also called: Rail Defect Detection Operator, Ultrasonic Rail Test Operator
Drives a special hi-rail truck that scans railroad tracks with ultrasound to find hidden cracks before they cause derailments.
Your truck rolls on the rails at walking speed while ultrasonic wheels send sound pulses into the steel. When the screen shows a suspected crack, you stop, check it by hand, and mark it in paint so the railroad replaces it right away.
Estimated; long hours and travel common.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school plus company training and NDT certification.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Nondestructive Testing Technology.
Growing about average. Railroads test tracks on strict schedules.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI is getting better at spotting cracks in scans, but humans still confirm them.
Classes: Physics, Computer science, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-4099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.