Transportation Inspectors
SOC 53-6051 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $84,817per year
- Projected openings
- 2,030
- Projected change
- +5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Writing
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Time Management
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $115,645 | 120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $103,496 | 480 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $83,317 | 270 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $76,936 | 150 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $76,373 | 30 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $73,735 | 120 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $73,730 | 50 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $71,456 | 270 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | Not reported | 30 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $41,683
- A quarter earn under
- $56,878
- Half earn under
- $84,817
- Three quarters earn under
- $117,364
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $147,622
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $104,034 | 14,650 | +2.1% |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $61,855 | 1,730 | +13.3% |
| Cargo and Freight Agents | $59,055 | 16,830 | +14.9% |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | $71,481 | 1,120 | -6.7% |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | $55,539 | 72,700 | 0% |
| Airfield Operations Specialists | $63,970 | 1,740 | +12.5% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Welding Technology I
Lassen Community College · Susanville · $1,713