Railroad conductor vs railroad dispatcher

The differences between railroad conductors and railroad dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a railroad conductor has an average salary of $58,338, which is higher than the $39,504 average annual salary of a railroad dispatcher.

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

Railroad conductor vs railroad dispatcher overview

	Railroad Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$58,338	$39,504
Hourly rate	$28.05	$18.99
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	547	4,224
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	-	2

Railroad conductor vs railroad dispatcher salary

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

	Railroad Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average salary	$58,338	$39,504
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $83,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between railroad conductor and railroad dispatcher education

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

	Railroad Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Railroad conductor vs railroad dispatcher demographics

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

	Railroad Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 2.0% White, 72.4% 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 railroad conductor and railroad dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Railroad conductor example responsibilities.

Travel from terminal to terminal by rail while strictly adhering to all FRA rules and regulations.
Inspect locomotives after runs to detect damage and defective equipment.
Project problem solving and analysis skills to maintain interaction with coworkers and supervisors.
Follow all GCOR and SOI rules with no injuries.
Project problem solving and analysis skills to maintain interaction with coworkers and supervisors.

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.

Railroad conductor vs railroad dispatcher skills

Common railroad conductor skills

Switches, 16%
Rail Cars, 13%
FRA, 13%
Air Brakes, 9%
Locomotives, 7%
Hand Signals, 5%

Common railroad dispatcher skills

Locomotives, 55%
Train Crews, 45%

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Railroad Conductor
Railroad Conductor vs Railroad Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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