← All 785 jobsFile 53-6051
Transportation Inspectors
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 2.2% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #338 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $92,100 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 25,100 in the US, with about 2,300 openings a year
The work, 20 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Inspect vehicles33%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise others on business or operational matters8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 290 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 824 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Investigate incidents or accidents4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,241 conversations, and it got them there 81% of the time.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Issue documentation3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,236 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 84 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Mark materials or objects for identification1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,570 conversations, and it got them there 96% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 102 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 2,300 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 31% of the workCommercial Pilots16% AI does, against 21% here+5.2% by 2035 · $123,220 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 25% of the workAircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians11% AI does, against 21% here+5.4% by 2035 · $79,870 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 22% of the workNuclear Technicians16% AI does, against 21% here+1.1% by 2035 · $110,240 · Associate’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.13, higher than 46% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 53-6051 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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