Track inspector vs emissions testing technician

The differences between track inspectors 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 track inspector and an emissions testing technician. Additionally, an emissions testing technician has an average salary of $48,515, which is higher than the $40,437 average annual salary of a track inspector.

The top three skills for a track inspector include CDL, inspection reports and federal regulations. The most important skills for an emissions testing technician are emission test, DOT, and dynamometers.

Track inspector vs emissions testing technician overview

	Track Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Yearly salary	$40,437	$48,515
Hourly rate	$19.44	$23.32
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	17,232	25,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Track inspector vs emissions testing technician salary

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

	Track Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average salary	$40,437	$48,515
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $64,000	Between $31,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between track inspector and emissions testing technician education

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

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

Track inspector vs emissions testing technician demographics

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

	Track Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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 track inspector and emissions testing technician duties and responsibilities

Track inspector example responsibilities.

Grind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders.
Perform track inspection on mainline and interlocking tracks, turn outs, and switches.
Operate ballast regulators and tampers.
Test mechanical products and equipment after repair or assembly to ensure proper performance and compliance with manufacturers' specifications.

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.

Track inspector vs emissions testing technician skills

Common track inspector skills

CDL, 19%
Inspection Reports, 15%
Federal Regulations, 7%
State Regulations, 7%
Severe Weather, 6%
Switches, 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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Track Inspector
Track Inspector vs Emissions Testing Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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