Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-6051

Transportation Inspectors

The published band from $40,330 to $138,670 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Air Traffic Controllers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Transportation Inspectors: Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) , Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K) , Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers ($69K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Transportation Inspectors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-6051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Prepare and submit reports after completion of freight shipments
  2. 2. Inspect shipments to ensure that freight is securely braced and blocked
  3. 3. Record details about freight conditions, handling of freight, and any problems encountered
  4. 4. Advise crews in techniques of stowing dangerous and heavy cargo
  5. 5. Observe loading of freight to ensure that crews comply with procedures
  6. 6. Post warning signs on vehicles containing explosives or flammable or radioactive materials
  7. 7. Recommend remedial procedures to correct any violations found during inspections
  8. 8. Measure heights and widths of loads to ensure they will pass over bridges or through tunnels on scheduled routes
  9. 9. Inspect loaded cargo, cargo lashed to decks or in storage facilities, and cargo handling devices to determine compliance with health and…
  10. 10. Notify workers of any special treatment required for shipments
  11. 11. Direct crews to reload freight or to insert additional bracing or packing as necessary
  12. 12. Check temperatures and humidities of shipping and storage areas to ensure that they are at appropriate levels to protect cargo

Transportation Inspectors: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-6051 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  2. 2. Writing 3.6
  3. 3. Speaking 3.6
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.6
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.5
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.4
  7. 7. Time Management 3.4
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 3.9
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.2
  5. 5. Public Safety and Security 3.2
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$40,330 to $138,670
median $92,100 · ~3.4× spread
$92K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
2,500
Annual openings
24,500
Estimated US jobs
Air Traffic Controllers
Highest-pay peer · $148K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Transportation Inspectors

1. Kansas $103,380
2. Alabama $108,140
3. Florida $101,470
4. Iowa $116,850
5. Texas $101,440
6. Oklahoma $111,070
7. Washington $104,250
8. Hawaii $108,270
9. Alaska $123,120
10. North Dakota $106,330

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Flight Attendants $63,580
  2. 2. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  3. 3. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  4. 4. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  5. 5. Wellhead Pumpers $69,960
  6. 6. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000

The OEWS band for Transportation Inspectors runs from $40,330 (10th) to $138,670 (90th), about 3.4× wide, with median $92,100. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Kansas at $103,380. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Air Traffic Controllers at $148,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Transportation Inspectors pay-rank #6 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Among 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with a published OEWS median, Transportation Inspectors is pay-rank #6, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-6051 · national median $92,100 · upper third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#6/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Transportation Inspectors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-6051

Kansas · top state for Transportation Inspectors

$103K published median

Alabama · #2 state pay

$108K · behind Kansas

Air Traffic Controllers

Highest-pay peer vs Transportation Inspectors · $148K

Flight Attendants

Lower-pay peer beside Transportation Inspectors · $64K

Compare Transportation Inspectors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Transportation Inspectors with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles sit near Transportation Inspectors at the top of the pay table? ▼
Transportation Inspectors is pay-rank #6 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K), Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K), Locomotive Engineers ($81K), Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters ($78K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do transportation inspectors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Transportation Inspectors. Leading ones include: 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for transportation inspectors? ▼
For SOC 53-6051, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.6), Writing (3.6), Speaking (3.6), Critical Thinking (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Transportation Inspectors? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $40,330 and the 90th at $138,670 for Transportation Inspectors (3.4× spread). The national median is $92,100. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Transportation Inspectors? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Transportation Inspectors is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 2,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Transportation Inspectors? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Transportation Inspectors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Transportation Inspectors? ▼
Kansas ($103,380), Alabama ($108,140), Florida ($101,470) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Transportation Inspectors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-6051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Transportation Inspectors. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics