Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. BLS publishes wages, growth, openings and typical education for this occupation as a whole (SOC 53-6051); 2 related specialties share them.
State licensing. Transportation Inspectors is licensed or registered in 4 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 5 professional certifications to Transportation Inspectors. 1 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Vehicle Maintenance Management and Inspection. Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 64 in the occupation group that includes transportation inspectors (3 related careers are counted together), median yearly pay is $71,100 with a high school diploma or GED, $76,100 with some college or an associate's degree and $90,400 with a bachelor's degree (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of workers in the occupation group that includes transportation inspectors (3 related careers are counted together) work in Transportation and Warehousing (47%), Public Administration (16%), Manufacturing (15%) and Other Services (except Public Administration) (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes transportation inspectors (3 related careers are counted together) are Federal Executive Branch (19% of the jobs counted, median pay $131,730), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (16% of the jobs counted, median pay $93,420), State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (13% of the jobs counted, median pay $68,100), Support Activities for Air Transportation (11% of the jobs counted, median pay $79,620) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Scheduled Air Transportation ($133,850), Federal Executive Branch ($131,730), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing ($107,940). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Other transportation workers", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 112.5 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 12 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Transportation and material moving", which includes this career, 12.8% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,174 for union members and $866 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to transportation inspectors.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Transportation and material moving", which includes this career, 80% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 76% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 82% had paid sick leave, 86% paid vacation and 85% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to transportation inspectors, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $37.05 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Transportation and material moving" in June 2026 ($25.16 in wages and salaries and $11.89 in benefits, 32.1% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to transportation inspectors in the work done and the skills used: Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation, Aviation Inspectors, Construction and Building Inspectors, Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors, Ship Engineers, Cargo and Freight Agents, First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators, Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare transportation inspectors with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →