Transportation Inspectors
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.
- O*NET-SOC code
53-6051.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$92,100
Employment, U.S.24,500
Median hourly wage$44.28
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,330 | $58,780 | $92,100 | $108,890 | $138,670 |
By state (46)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 670 | $108,140 | 2.01 |
| Alaska | 170 | $123,120 | 3.28 |
| Arizona | 830 | $62,250 | 1.63 |
| Arkansas | 120 | $85,130 | 0.56 |
| California | 1,790 | $83,000 | 0.62 |
| Colorado | 460 | $81,820 | 1.01 |
| Connecticut | 330 | $91,520 | 1.22 |
| Delaware | 90 | Not available | 1.23 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $89,960 | 1.35 |
| Florida | 1,630 | $101,470 | 1.04 |
| Georgia | 880 | $95,030 | 1.15 |
| Hawaii | 150 | $108,270 | 1.51 |
| Idaho | 170 | $54,330 | 1.25 |
| Illinois | 1,130 | $47,990 | 1.18 |
| Indiana | 250 | $80,330 | 0.49 |
| Iowa | 60 | $116,850 | 0.26 |
| Kansas | 210 | $103,380 | 0.92 |
| Kentucky | 260 | $83,970 | 0.82 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $77,460 | 0.42 |
| Maine | 90 | $63,750 | 0.92 |
| Maryland | 250 | $100,700 | 0.58 |
| Massachusetts | $79,650 | ||
| Michigan | 540 | $35,890 | 0.78 |
| Minnesota | 310 | $92,860 | 0.67 |
| Missouri | 380 | $64,690 | 0.83 |
| Montana | 180 | $62,810 | 2.29 |
| Nebraska | 200 | Not available | 1.25 |
| Nevada | 430 | $50,060 | 1.75 |
| New Jersey | 930 | $49,250 | 1.37 |
| New Mexico | 230 | $63,690 | 1.69 |
| New York | 3,720 | $93,420 | 2.44 |
| North Carolina | 380 | $84,470 | 0.48 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $106,330 | 0.90 |
| Ohio | 430 | $77,010 | 0.50 |
| Oklahoma | 470 | $111,070 | 1.73 |
| Oregon | 250 | $78,110 | 0.80 |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | $81,550 | 0.35 |
| South Carolina | 440 | $80,490 | 1.22 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $70,080 | 1.37 |
| Tennessee | 420 | $78,430 | 0.82 |
| Texas | 2,290 | $101,440 | 1.03 |
| Utah | 210 | $64,480 | 0.78 |
| Virginia | 330 | $68,610 | 0.50 |
| Washington | 490 | $104,250 | 0.87 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $58,670 | 0.77 |
| Wisconsin | 120 | $75,260 | 0.26 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airfield Operations Specialists | 3 | 0.959 |
| 2 | Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 3 | 0.955 |
| 3 | Traffic Technicians | 3 | 0.953 |
| 4 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 3 | 0.951 |
| 5 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 4 | 0.949 |
| 6 | First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand | 1-2 | 0.949 |
| 7 | Agricultural Inspectors | 1-2 | 0.948 |
| 8 | Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 4 | 0.948 |
| 9 | Facilities Managers | 3 | 0.948 |
| 10 | Wind Energy Operations Managers | 3 | 0.948 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Transportation Inspectors, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airfield Operations Specialists | Coordination | 0.88 | 0.959 |
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.951 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | Science | 2.88 | 0.948 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | Learning Strategies | 1.00 | 0.935 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | Mathematics | 0.76 | 0.934 |
| Conservation Scientists | Science | 3.00 | 0.933 |
| Precision Agriculture Technicians | Active Learning | 1.00 | 0.933 |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | Mathematics | 1.00 | 0.932 |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | Coordination | 0.76 | 0.932 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Transportation Inspectors, excluding software Transportation Inspectors already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Access | 18 of 20 | 2.2x |
| SAP software | 14 of 20 | 2.3x |
| Geographic information system GIS systems | 6 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 9 of 20 | 2.4x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 20 of 20 | 1.5x |
| Inventory control software | 3 of 20 | 8.7x |
| Database software | 8 of 20 | 2.2x |
| ESRI ArcView | 4 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP | 4 of 20 | 3.8x |
| Inventory management systems | 3 of 20 | 4.8x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 1.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3.91 | 4.04 |
| English Language | 3.84 | 4.30 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.52 | 4.33 |
| Mathematics | 3.21 | 3.94 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.18 | 3.78 |
| Administration and Management | 3.05 | 3.57 |
| Mechanical | 3.02 | 3.32 |
| Law and Government | 3.02 | 2.98 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.75 | 3.48 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.70 | 3.42 |
| Telecommunications | 2.69 | 2.01 |
| Education and Training | 2.65 | 3.24 |
| Production and Processing | 2.63 | 3.04 |
| Administrative | 2.52 | 3.19 |
| Geography | 2.40 | 2.72 |
| Chemistry | 2.38 | 2.43 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.37 | 2.33 |
| Physics | 2.33 | 2.88 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.31 | 2.18 |
| Communications and Media | 2.23 | 2.06 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.21 | 2.44 |
| Design | 2.03 | 2.19 |
| Building and Construction | 1.94 | 1.80 |
| Biology | 1.75 | 1.31 |
| Foreign Language | 1.68 | 1.56 |
| Food Production | 1.66 | 1.56 |
| Psychology | 1.45 | 1.41 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.38 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.17 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.11 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.04 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.02 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.02 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Written Expression | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.38 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Information Ordering | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Far Vision | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Visualization | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Number Facility | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.50 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Stamina | 2.50 | 1.62 |
| Memorization | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Static Strength | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Reaction Time | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Sound Localization | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Rate Control | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Night Vision | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft Word in demand
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Google Android hot
- Email software
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | 140 | 5.00 | Not available |
| Anchorage, AK | 110 | 4.03 | $131,060 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 4,000 | 2.67 | $93,420 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 130 | 1.90 | $108,270 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 110 | 1.86 | $105,370 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 690 | 1.85 | $51,990 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 820 | 1.84 | $100,100 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 300 | 1.67 | $46,800 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 160 | 1.64 | $82,390 |
| Boise City, ID | 100 | 1.62 | $105,370 |