Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-4031
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 53-4031 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 50/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $78,000
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 3,700
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.1%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 4,676 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~27.8% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Conductor, Freight Conductor, Railroad Conductor, Train Master, Trainman, Yardmaster
Representative Tasks
- •Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals.
- •Confer with engineers regarding train routes, timetables, and cargoes, and to discuss alternative routes when there are rail defects or obstructions.
- •Receive information regarding train or rail problems from dispatchers or from electronic monitoring devices.
- •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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- •Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- •Direct emergency management activities.
- •Receive information or instructions for performing work assignments.
- •Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $78,000 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |