Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RCE
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching.
Also called: Conductor, Freight Conductor, Railroad Conductor, Yardmaster, Freight Train Conductor, Local Freight Conductor, Railway Yardmaster, Thru Freight Conductor.
O*NET 53-4031.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $78,000
- Middle half earn $65,610 to $83,820. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 86% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Observe yard traffic to determine tracks available to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic.
- Inspect freight cars for compliance with sealing procedures, and record car numbers and seal numbers.
- Receive instructions from dispatchers regarding trains' routes, timetables, and cargoes.
- Direct and instruct workers engaged in yard activities, such as switching tracks, coupling and uncoupling cars, and routing inbound and outbound traffic.
- Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals.
- Direct engineers to move cars to fit planned train configurations, combining or separating cars to make up or break up trains.
- Confirm routes and destination information for freight cars.
- Arrange for the removal of defective cars from trains at stations or stops.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Speaking3.8 / 5
- Monitoring3.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Active Listening3.5 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
- Writing3.0 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.0 / 5
- Transportation4.0 / 5
- English Language3.5 / 5
- Education and Training3.1 / 5
- Law and Government3.0 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service2.9 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic80
- Investigative16
- Artistic0
- Social14
- Enterprising46
- Conventional65
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- rail traffic controller · DE Fahrdienstleiter Bahn/Fahrdienstleiterin Bahn · FR opérateur de la circulation ferroviaire/opératrice de la circulation ferroviaire
- chief conductor · DE Zugführer/Zugführerin · FR chef de train
- train conductor · DE Zugbegleiter/Zugbegleiterin · FR contrôleur de train/contrôleuse de train
- rail switchperson · DE Weichenwärter/Weichenwärterin · FR aiguilleur du réseau ferré/aiguilleuse du réseau ferré
- train dispatcher · DE Fahrdienstleiter/Fahrdienstleiterin · FR régulateur du réseau ferré/régulatrice du réseau ferré
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Transport and distribution clerks and assistants (4134)69,500 employed
- Rail transport operatives (8234)13,700 employed
- Rail travel assistants (6214)23,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €32,957 |
| Sweden | €32,596 |
| Netherlands | €29,198 |
| Austria | €29,068 |
| Germany | €27,471 |
| Ireland | €26,978 |
| Italy | €24,995 |
| France | €24,971 |
| Spain | €18,303 |
| Portugal | €10,656 |
| Poland | €7,579 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.47. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-4031).
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