SOC 53-6051.00

    Transportation Inspectors

    Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people.

    Median pay
    $92,100
    Growth
    +2.2%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    2,300
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $40,330
    Median
    $92,100
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $138,670
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    24,500 people work in this occupation.

    What transportation inspectors do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    78 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    32 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    9 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    27 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    86 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CRI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    94
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    83
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    80
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    79
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    78
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    78
    Documenting/Recording Information
    76
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    76
    Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
    74
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    72
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Time Management
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Transportation
    • English Language
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Mathematics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Administration and Management
    • Law and Government
    • Mechanical
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Far Vision
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Self-Control
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Leadership Orientation

    Also called

    Admeasurer · Bridge Inspector · Cargo Inspector · Cargo Surveyor · Container Inspector · Damaged Freight Inspector · Equipment Inspector · Freight Car Inspector · Freight Inspector · Freight Service Inspector

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What transportation inspectors may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    5 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.