Rail technician vs emissions testing technician

The differences between rail technicians and emissions testing technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a rail technician and an emissions testing technician. Additionally, an emissions testing technician has an average salary of $48,515, which is higher than the $45,620 average annual salary of a rail technician.

The top three skills for a rail technician include rail cars, HVAC and test equipment. The most important skills for an emissions testing technician are emission test, DOT, and dynamometers.

Rail technician vs emissions testing technician overview

	Rail Technician	Emissions Testing Technician
Yearly salary	$45,620	$48,515
Hourly rate	$21.93	$23.32
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	27,605	25,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Rail technician vs emissions testing technician salary

Rail technicians and emissions testing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Rail Technician	Emissions Testing Technician
Average salary	$45,620	$48,515
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $76,000	Between $31,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between rail technician and emissions testing technician education

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

	Rail Technician	Emissions Testing Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Rail technician vs emissions testing technician demographics

Here are the differences between rail technicians' and emissions testing technicians' demographics:

	Rail Technician	Emissions Testing Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 7.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between rail technician and emissions testing technician duties and responsibilities

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.

Emissions testing technician example responsibilities.

Operate dynamometers on diesel engines, testing emission systems for``on and off"road application.
Work with thermocouple installation as well as wiring harness troubleshooting and run complex testing and sequences set-ups.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Repair or replace shock absorbers.

Rail technician vs emissions testing technician skills

Common rail technician skills

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

Common emissions testing technician skills

Emission Test, 42%
DOT, 25%
Dynamometers, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Vehicle Emissions, 8%
EPA, 6%

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Rail Technician
Rail Technician vs Emissions Testing Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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