Equipment inspector vs rail technician

The differences between equipment inspectors and rail technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an equipment inspector and a rail technician. Additionally, an equipment inspector has an average salary of $50,976, which is higher than the $45,620 average annual salary of a rail technician.

The top three skills for an equipment inspector include safety equipment, troubleshoot and technical manuals. The most important skills for a rail technician are rail cars, HVAC, and test equipment.

Equipment inspector vs rail technician overview

	Equipment Inspector	Rail Technician
Yearly salary	$50,976	$45,620
Hourly rate	$24.51	$21.93
Growth rate	-3%	1%
Number of jobs	31,555	27,605
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Equipment inspector vs rail technician salary

Equipment inspectors and rail technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Equipment Inspector	Rail Technician
Average salary	$50,976	$45,620
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $88,000	Between $27,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Tampa, FL	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Jefferson Lab	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between equipment inspector and rail technician education

There are a few differences between an equipment inspector and a rail technician in terms of educational background:

	Equipment Inspector	Rail Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Business	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Equipment inspector vs rail technician demographics

Here are the differences between equipment inspectors' and rail technicians' demographics:

	Equipment Inspector	Rail Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5%	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.0% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 14.6% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between equipment inspector and rail technician duties and responsibilities

Equipment inspector example responsibilities.

Perform visual, auditory and/or road test inspections on cranes, bulldozers, and other engineering equipment.
Work with project manager for major renovations including plumbing, drywall, painting, electrical, HVAC and carpentry.
Prepare logistics to ship and receive supplies for storage.
Conduct initial, in-process, road test and final QC inspection of equipment.
Inspect repairs to winches and hoists to ensure that repair work are performed properly.
Inspect winches and hoists to ensure compliance with rules, standards, or regulations.

Rail technician example responsibilities.

Maintain up to 100 cars and locomotives.
Perform functional test such as break system and HVAC analysis.
Cut materials to specify sizes for installation using power saws, and torches.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Perform inspection of ventilation systems for functionality and preventive maintenance.

Equipment inspector vs rail technician skills

Common equipment inspector skills

Safety Equipment, 20%
Troubleshoot, 10%
Technical Manuals, 8%
Inspection Reports, 8%
Safety Procedures, 7%
API, 7%

Common rail technician skills

Rail Cars, 32%
HVAC, 12%
Test Equipment, 11%
Safety Regulations, 10%
FRA, 9%
Electrical Systems, 5%

Equipment Inspector vs. similar jobs

Equipment Inspector related careers

Equipment Inspector related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Transportation Industry
Equipment Inspector
Equipment Inspector vs Rail Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse transportation jobs