How To Become A Trainman: What It Is and Career Path

What is a trainman and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a trainman. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.95 an hour? That's $56,050 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTrainmanUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.5

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.90%

Asian 2.03%

Black or African American 8.65%

Hispanic or Latino 11.24%

Unknown 4.82%

White 72.36%

Gender

female 2.80%

male 97.20%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a trainman

Explore trainman education requirements

Most common trainman degrees

Bachelor's

34.0 %

Associate

32.0 %

High School Diploma

16.0 %

Start to develop specific trainman skills

Skills	Percentages
Rail Cars	35.59%
Switches	18.98%
Safety Rules	13.59%
Train Cars	5.84%
Equipment Inspections	5.42%

Complete relevant trainman training and internships

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

Research trainman duties and responsibilities

Climb ladders, boarding freight cars, operating track switches, inspecting cars and using radio communications to control train movement.
Lead instructor for LASU RCL (remote control locomotives).
Operate remote locomotives to build trains in the yard and spot and pull cars from customer facilities.
Project problem solving and analysis skills to maintain interaction with coworkers and supervisors.

Prepare your trainman resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your trainman resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a trainman resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable trainman resume templates

Build a professional trainman resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your trainman resume.