Conductor vs railroad dispatcher

The differences between conductors and railroad dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a conductor has an average salary of $58,690, which is higher than the $39,504 average annual salary of a railroad dispatcher.

The top three skills for a conductor include switches, electrical connections and locomotives. The most important skills for a railroad dispatcher are locomotives, train crews, and .

Conductor vs railroad dispatcher overview

	Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$58,690	$39,504
Hourly rate	$28.22	$18.99
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	567	4,224
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	-	2

Conductor vs railroad dispatcher salary

Conductors and railroad dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average salary	$58,690	$39,504
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $83,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Tigard, OR	-
Highest paying state	Oregon	-
Best paying company	Barclays	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between conductor and railroad dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a conductor and a railroad dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Conductor vs railroad dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between conductors' and railroad dispatchers' demographics:

	Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1%	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between conductor and railroad dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Conductor example responsibilities.

Provide excellent leadership by training new conductors in railroad rules and regulations, while simultaneously managing the train yard.
Manage all commodities, crew, safety, and efficient delivery of each assign train and while following strict FRA guidelines.
Review and verify the train paperwork and train lists are accurate and in accordance with HAZMAT and other federal regulations.
Claim ladders to tops of cars to set brakes, make minor repairs to couplings air hoses, using have tools.
Qualify RCL operator and instructor.
Service customers including Paxon, Rhodia and Exxon.

Railroad dispatcher example responsibilities.

Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation and warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
Follow all GCOR and SOI rules with no injuries.

Conductor vs railroad dispatcher skills

Common conductor skills

Switches, 28%
Electrical Connections, 16%
Locomotives, 14%
Conductors, 7%
FRA, 6%
Field Training, 6%

Common railroad dispatcher skills

Locomotives, 55%
Train Crews, 45%

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Conductor vs Railroad Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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