Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Occupation · SOC 53-4031.00
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 · Train Master · Trainman · Car Chaser · Car Dispatcher · Car Distributor · Car Spotter · Centralized Traffic Control Operator (CTC Operator) · Dispatch Manager
Job family: Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-53-4031-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+1.1% by 2034)
- 3,100 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $74,080/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (68th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (41st)
41st-percentile task overlap — yet about 3,100 openings a year (+1.1% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 36th | -0.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 42nd | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 52nd | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 68th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Receive information regarding train or rail problems from dispatchers or from electronic monitoring devices. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 3,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 36,800 → 37,200 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters sits at the 25th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
25th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−5 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Railway Brake, Signal and Switch Operators · 8312 | 18% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals. Core · importance 4.7
- Confer with engineers regarding train routes, timetables, and cargoes, and to discuss alternative routes when there are rail defects or obstructions. Core · importance 4.4
- Instruct workers to set warning signals in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Receive information regarding train or rail problems from dispatchers or from electronic monitoring devices. Core · importance 4.3
- Direct and instruct workers engaged in yard activities, such as switching tracks, coupling and uncoupling cars, and routing inbound and outbound traffic. Core · importance 4.3
- Receive instructions from dispatchers regarding trains' routes, timetables, and cargoes. Core · importance 4.3
- Operate controls to activate track switches and traffic signals. Core · importance 4.3
- Keep records of the contents and destination of each train car, and make sure that cars are added or removed at proper points on routes. Core · importance 4.3
- Observe yard traffic to determine tracks available to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Arrange for the removal of defective cars from trains at stations or stops. Core · importance 4.2
- Direct engineers to move cars to fit planned train configurations, combining or separating cars to make up or break up trains. Core · importance 4.1
- Inspect each car periodically during runs. Core · importance 4.0
- Supervise workers in the inspection and maintenance of mechanical equipment to ensure efficient and safe train operation. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Review schedules, switching orders, way bills, and shipping records to obtain cargo loading and unloading information and to plan work. Core · importance 3.9
- Confirm routes and destination information for freight cars. Core · importance 3.8
- Supervise and coordinate crew activities to transport freight and passengers and to provide boarding, porter, maid, and meal services to passengers. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Verify accuracy of timekeeping instruments with engineers to ensure trains depart on time. Core · importance 3.7
- Document and prepare reports of accidents, unscheduled stops, or delays. Core · importance 3.7
- Record departure and arrival times, messages, tickets and revenue collected, and passenger accommodations and destinations. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Inspect freight cars for compliance with sealing procedures, and record car numbers and seal numbers. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Collect tickets, fares, or passes from passengers. Supplemental
- Instruct workers to regulate air conditioning, lighting, and heating in passenger cars to ensure passengers' comfort. Supplemental
Work activities
- Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Receive information or instructions for performing work assignments.
- Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
- Record operational details of travel.
- Control equipment that regulates vehicle traffic.
- Direct emergency management activities.
- Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures.
- Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Arrange maintenance activities.
- Inspect locomotives or other railroad equipment.
- Monitor vehicle movement or location.
- Prepare accident or incident reports.
- Direct maintenance or repair activities.
- Record operational or production data.
- Verify information or specifications.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Far Vision | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.6 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.6 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.3 | |
| Written Expression | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Control Precision | 3.1 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.1 |
Knowledge
| Public Safety and Security | 4.0 | |
| Transportation | 4.0 | |
| English Language | 3.5 | |
| Education and Training | 3.1 | |
| Law and Government | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | |
| Active Listening | 3.5 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Writing | 3.0 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Coordination | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 | |
| Time Management | 3.5 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology In demand |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Automated equipment identification AEI software | Industrial control software | |
| Bourque Data Systems YardMaster | Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software | |
| Freight reservation software | Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software | |
| Inventory tracking software | Inventory management software | |
| Positive train control PTC systems | Expert system software | |
| RailComm DocYard | Industrial control software | |
| SAIC government services and IT support software | Industrial control software | |
| Softrail AEI Automatic Yard Tracking System | Industrial control software | |
| Softrail AEI Rail & Road Manager | Inventory management software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Transportation and Materials Moving . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 85.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.3% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 6.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 6.1 | |
| Management/Administration | 3.6 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.4 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.2 | |
| Protective Service | 2.0 | |
| Engineering | 1.9 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Integrity | 4.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 3.0 | |
| Leadership Orientation | 2.3 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 2.2 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.8 | |
| Conventional | 4.9 | |
| Enterprising | 3.8 | |
| Investigative | 2.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $53,490 |
| 25th percentile | $63,480 |
| Median (50th) | $74,080 |
| 75th percentile | $82,060 |
| 90th percentile | $103,350 |
| People employed | 42,710 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 38,470 | $71,930 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 110 | $83,200 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 110 | $66,500 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 18.79× | 38,470 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 0.69× | 110 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 0.03× | 110 |
Related occupations
Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.
- Locomotive Engineers · 53-4011.00 Compare →
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers · 53-4022.00 Compare →
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers · 53-4013.00 Compare →
- Subway and Streetcar Operators · 53-4041.00 Compare →
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance · 43-5032.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators · 53-1043.00 Compare →
- Air Traffic Controllers · 53-2021.00 Compare →
- Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation · 53-6051.07 Compare →
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors · 53-1041.00 Compare →
- Airfield Operations Specialists · 53-2022.00 Compare →
- Transportation Inspectors · 53-6051.00 Compare →
- Traffic Technicians · 53-6041.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Transportation and Materials Moving · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 25th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters show 41st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 3,100 annual U.S. openings
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters rank in the 41st percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 3,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $74,080, across about 42,710 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters show 41st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 3,100 annual U.S. openings • Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters rank in the 41st percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 3,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $74,080, across about 42,710 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-4031-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-4031-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-4031-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-53-4031-00,
title = {Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-4031-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.