What is a freight engineer and how to become one

Key steps to become a freight engineer

1. Explore freight engineer education requirements

   Most common freight engineer degrees

   Bachelor's

   50.0 %

   High School Diploma

   20.0 %

   Associate

   20.0 %

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2. Start to develop specific freight engineer skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Safety Rules	42.41%
   Locomotives	19.99%
   FRA	17.33%
   DOT	10.20%
   Air Pressure	10.06%

3. Complete relevant freight engineer training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New freight engineers 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 freight engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real freight engineer resumes.

4. Research freight engineer duties and responsibilities

   • Develop and manage technical procedures for quality control to comply with ISO laboratory accreditation.
   • Pull and push track switches to reroute cars.
   • Perform duties to get freight and locomotives to final destination safely and on time.
   • Interpret train orders, signals, and railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.

5. Apply for freight engineer jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a freight engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams