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Transportation Inspectors

Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-6051

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$92,100
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
3,300
Proj. Annual Openings
24,500
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-3.3%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 53-6051 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
45/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$92,100
H-1B offered wage $75,000; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
3,300
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.7%.
Observed/proxy demand
11
FY2025 certified LCAs; 3,153 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingOperations Monitoring

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

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.2%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

33.5%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI41.3%
AI ability · AIOE59.2%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne90%

AI could do ~41.3% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Critical Thinking
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Active Listening
4.Speaking
5.Operations Monitoring

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

142
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
11
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$75,000
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#306 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

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.

Common titles: Cargo Surveyor, Inspector, Marine Cargo Surveyor, Marine Surveyor, Petroleum Inspector

Representative Tasks

  • Prepare and submit reports after completion of freight shipments.
  • Inspect shipments to ensure that freight is securely braced and blocked.
  • Record details about freight conditions, handling of freight, and any problems encountered.
  • Advise crews in techniques of stowing dangerous and heavy cargo.
  • Observe loading of freight to ensure that crews comply with procedures.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Record details of deliveries or shipments.
  • Inspect cargo to ensure it is properly loaded or secured.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
  • Monitor loading processes to ensure they are performed properly.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotAdobe Acrobat · hotGoogle Android · hotEmail software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
0.8%
Avg AI Exposure
6
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 53-6051: 2019 — employment: 30,020, median wage: $75,820; 2020 — employment: 27,360, median wage: $78,400; 2021 — employment: 25,070, median wage: $79,770; 2022 — employment: 24,420, median wage: $79,570; 2023 — employment: 27,670, median wage: $87,290; 2025 — employment: 24,500, median wage: $92,100.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.2%
OutlookAverage20% Bright
Median Salary$92,100N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A