Cargo surveyor vs survey engineer

The differences between cargo surveyors and survey engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a cargo surveyor, becoming a survey engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cargo surveyor has an average salary of $80,171, which is higher than the $47,960 average annual salary of a survey engineer.

The top three skills for a cargo surveyor include commodities, board vessels and cargo operations. The most important skills for a survey engineer are GPS, vertical control, and autocad.

Cargo surveyor vs survey engineer overview

	Cargo Surveyor	Survey Engineer
Yearly salary	$80,171	$47,960
Hourly rate	$38.54	$23.06
Growth rate	1%	7%
Number of jobs	2,762	19,056
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	49	41
Years of experience	2	6

Cargo surveyor vs survey engineer salary

Cargo surveyors and survey engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cargo Surveyor	Survey Engineer
Average salary	$80,171	$47,960
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $141,000	Between $32,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Sunrise, FL
Highest paying state	-	Florida
Best paying company	-	Aviat Networks
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between cargo surveyor and survey engineer education

There are a few differences between a cargo surveyor and a survey engineer in terms of educational background:

	Cargo Surveyor	Survey Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Cargo surveyor vs survey engineer demographics

Here are the differences between cargo surveyors' and survey engineers' demographics:

	Cargo Surveyor	Survey Engineer
Average age	49	41
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	5%

Differences between cargo surveyor and survey engineer duties and responsibilities

Cargo surveyor example responsibilities.

Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, and electronicdistance-measuring equipment.
Coordinate with freight forwarders to expedite international shipments.

Survey engineer example responsibilities.

Create maps and graphs, using GIS software and relate equipment.
Select the control point (BM) by GPS or global positioning system.
Utilize hands on equipment, total stations, GPS units, data collectors, and optical levels.
Perform calculations necessary to prepare individual residential lot permit and as-built plans necessary for township approval.
Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites and electronic distance-measuring equipment.
Job types include residential, commercial/industrial staking, water management elevations and wetland location.

Cargo surveyor vs survey engineer skills

Common cargo surveyor skills

Commodities, 61%
Board Vessels, 19%
Cargo Operations, 12%
Business Proposals, 8%

Common survey engineer skills

GPS, 31%
Vertical Control, 11%
Autocad, 6%
CAD, 6%
RF, 6%
Survey Data, 6%

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Cargo Surveyor
Cargo Surveyor vs Survey Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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