How To Become A Conductor/Brakeman: What It Is and Career Path

What is a conductor/brakeman and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a conductor/brakeman. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.98 an hour? That's $58,195 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreConductor/BrakemanUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $58,195

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.5

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.90%

Asian 2.03%

Black or African American 8.64%

Hispanic or Latino 11.27%

Unknown 4.82%

White 72.33%

Gender

female 6.21%

male 93.79%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a conductor/brakeman

Explore conductor/brakeman education requirements

Most common conductor/brakeman degrees

Bachelor's

32.9 %

High School Diploma

29.3 %

Associate

23.2 %

Start to develop specific conductor/brakeman skills

Skills	Percentages
Switches	18.21%
Rail Cars	15.78%
FRA	12.15%
Train Cars	8.00%
Hazardous Materials	7.88%

Complete relevant conductor/brakeman training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New conductor/brakemen learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a conductor/brakeman based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real conductor/brakeman resumes.

Research conductor/brakeman duties and responsibilities

Apply and test air brake systems to meet all require AAR specifications.
Study extensively to pass various field tests; consistently passing regular FRA facilitate exams annually.
Qualify on all NORAC rules and physical characteristics of the regional territory.

Prepare your conductor/brakeman resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your conductor/brakeman resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a conductor/brakeman resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable conductor/brakeman resume templates

Build a professional conductor/brakeman resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your conductor/brakeman resume.