# Rail Car Repairers

> Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 49-3043.00
- **Summary:** Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

## Aliases

- Rail Car Mechanic
- Rail Car Repairer
- Rail Car Repairman
- Rail Car Welder
- Freight Maintenance Specialist
- Locomotive Repairman
- Rail Car Maintenance Mechanic
- Rail Car Sandblaster
- Railroad Car Repairman
- Train Car Repairman
- Air Brake Adjuster
- Air Brake Man

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.d |
| Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment. | Core | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.d |
| Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.s |
| Test units for operability before and after repairs. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Repair and maintain electrical and electronic controls for propulsion and braking systems. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.b.5.b |
| Disassemble units such as water pumps, control valves, and compressors so that repairs can be made. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.2.s |
| Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.d |
| Measure diameters of axle wheel seats, using micrometers, and mark dimensions on axles so that wheels can be bored to specified dimensions. | Supplemental | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.c |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Inspect structural components of vehicles to identify problems. | 4.A.1.b.2.d |
| Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components. | 4.A.3.b.4.d |
| Paint surfaces or equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.ag |
| Seal gaps or cracks to prevent leakage or moisture intrusion. | 4.A.3.a.2.am |
| Replace vehicle glass. | 4.A.3.b.4.d |
| Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Inspect completed work to ensure proper functioning. | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Maintain repair or maintenance records. | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Remove parts or components from equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.s |
| Inspect mechanical components of vehicles to identify problems. | 4.A.1.b.2.d |
| Inspect vehicles to determine overall condition. | 4.A.1.b.2.d |
| Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance. | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Service vehicles to maintain functionality. | 4.A.3.b.4.e |
| Install vehicle parts or accessories. | 4.A.3.a.2.d |
| Fabricate parts or components. | 4.A.3.a.2.aa |
| Repair electronic equipment. | 4.A.3.b.5.b |
| Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. | 4.A.3.a.2.s |
| Measure distances or dimensions. | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Align equipment or machinery. | 4.A.3.a.2.ao |
| Rewire electrical or electronic systems. | 4.A.3.a.2.ah |
| Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning. | 4.A.1.b.2.l |
| Install hardware or other interior fixtures. | 4.A.3.a.2.a |
| Repair structural components. | 4.A.3.b.4.a |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mechanical | knowledge | 4.48 |
| Troubleshooting | transferable_skill | 4 |
| Repairing | transferable_skill | 4 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 3.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | ability | 3.88 |
| Control Precision | ability | 3.88 |
| Equipment Maintenance | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | ability | 3.75 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 3.62 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.62 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.5 |
| Reaction Time | ability | 3.5 |
| Static Strength | ability | 3.5 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 3.5 |
| Production and Processing | knowledge | 3.4 |
| Perceptual Speed | ability | 3.38 |
| Design | knowledge | 3.31 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Operations Monitoring | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Flexibility of Closure | ability | 3.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | ability | 3.25 |
| Administration and Management | knowledge | 3.24 |
| Building and Construction | knowledge | 3.21 |
| Engineering and Technology | knowledge | 3.2 |
| Transportation | knowledge | 3.13 |
| Operation and Control | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 3.12 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.12 |
| Visualization | ability | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | ability | 3.12 |
| Mathematics | knowledge | 3.02 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 3 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 3 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 3 |
| Stamina | ability | 3 |
| Gross Body Coordination | ability | 3 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | ability | 3 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Windows | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Adobe Acrobat | Specialized Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | Common Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Presentation Software | Specialized Skill |
| Accounting Software | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Acrobat | Document management software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Mozilla Firefox | Internet browser software | yes | no |
| Disassembler software | Compiler and decompiler software | no | yes |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | Internet browser software | no | no |
| RailTech Software Solutions Rail 21 Management System | Inventory management software | no | no |
| RailTech Software Systems Mars for the 21st Century | Accounting software | no | no |
| WheelShop Automation.com Wheel Shop Management Suite | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 4.89 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 4.88 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.58 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 4.57 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.5 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 4.48 |
| Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions | 4.46 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 4.41 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 4.29 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions | 4.26 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 4.13 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Equipment | 4.04 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.02 |
| Time Pressure | 3.99 |
| Contact With Others | 3.98 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 3.94 |
| In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment | 3.92 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 3.83 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 3.73 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.73 |
| Consequence of Error | 3.64 |
| Physical Proximity | 3.6 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 3.59 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 3.58 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 3.57 |
| Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection | 3.56 |
| Exposed to High Places | 3.55 |
| In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment | 3.49 |
| Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions | 3.43 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.43 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | 3.42 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 3.42 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.37 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.01 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 2.86 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 2.84 |
| Outdoors, Under Cover | 2.83 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 2.8 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 2.66 |
| Telephone Conversations | 2.64 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 61.41 |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 37.62 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 0.96 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 7 |
| Mechanics/Electronics | specific_interest_area | 6.55 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 6.16 |
| Engineering | specific_interest_area | 4.05 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 3.87 |
| Dependability | work_style | 3 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 2.77 |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | specific_interest_area | 2.56 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 2.41 |
| Construction/Woodwork | specific_interest_area | 2.23 |
| Cautiousness | work_style | 2.03 |
| Mathematics/Statistics | specific_interest_area | 1.53 |
| Perseverance | work_style | 1.52 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 1.48 |
| Integrity | work_style | 1.43 |
| Stress Tolerance | work_style | 1.27 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 49-3031.00 | role-49-3031-00 | Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists | Primary-Short |
| 49-3023.00 | role-49-3023-00 | Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | Primary-Short |
| 49-3042.00 | role-49-3042-00 | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | Primary-Short |
| 51-2031.00 | role-51-2031-00 | Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | Primary-Short |
| 49-9043.00 | role-49-9043-00 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | Primary-Short |
| 49-2092.00 | role-49-2092-00 | Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | Primary-Long |
| 49-9041.00 | role-49-9041-00 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | Primary-Long |
| 51-2011.00 | role-51-2011-00 | Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | Primary-Long |
| 49-3021.00 | role-49-3021-00 | Automotive Body and Related Repairers | Primary-Long |
| 49-3011.00 | role-49-3011-00 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | Primary-Long |
| 49-9012.00 | role-49-9012-00 | Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | Supplemental |
| 49-3052.00 | role-49-3052-00 | Motorcycle Mechanics | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Supply Chain & Transportation | supply-chain-transportation |

## Education Level

- **Category:** High school diploma or equivalent

## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians | mechanic-and-repair-technologies-technicians |

## Market

- **Median Wage:** 65680
- **Mean Wage:** 67610
- **Pct10Wage:** 45670
- **Pct25Wage:** 51640
- **Pct75Wage:** 80150
- **Pct90Wage:** 92000
- **Employment:** 18300
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 48-49 | 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing | Sector | 15650 | 63100 | 17.84 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 430 | 57330 | 0.28 |
| 21 | 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | Sector | 30 | 79830 |  |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector |  | 61020 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 48-49 | 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing | Sector | 15650 | 17.84 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 430 | 0.28 |
- **Count:** 4

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.88 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -1.448102 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -1.04777 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -1.48498 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 10
- **Percentile:** 6
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 6 | felten_aioe |
| 17 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 8 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -1.448102 | 6 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.12903225806451613 | 17 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.043248179716530416 | 8 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.88
- **Percentile:** 75
- **Band:** High
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.06451612903225806
- **Beta:** 0.0967741935483871
- **Gamma:** 0.12903225806451613

### Usage Tasks


### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** 2.8
- **Growth Percentile:** 50
- **Direction:** About average
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 1.5
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 22
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 17.9
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 18.4

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 20
- **Skills:** 40
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 13
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** 31415ecd2e8bc5a5