Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Summary

Conductors help passengers board a train.

Quick Facts: Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
2010 Median Pay	$49,770 per year $23.93 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	40,800
Job Outlook, 2010-20	5% (Slower than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	1,900

What Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Do

Conductors and yardmasters coordinate the daily activities of both freight and passenger train crews. Conductors work on the train. Yardmasters work in the rail yard.

Work Environment

Most conductors and yardmasters work in the rail transportation industry.

How to Become a Railroad Conductor or Yardmaster

Employers of conductors and yardmasters generally require a high school diploma and several months of on-the-job training.

Pay

The median annual wage of conductors and yardmasters was $49,770 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of railroad conductors and yardmasters is projected to grow 5 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average of all occupations. Population growth and an increase in global trade will increase demand for railroad conductors and yardmasters.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of railroad conductors and yardmasters with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about railroad conductors and yardmasters by contacting these additional resources.

What Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Do About this section

Conductors are the head of the train’s crew.

Conductors and yardmasters coordinate the daily activities of both freight and passenger train crews. Conductors work on the train. Yardmasters work in the rail yard.

Duties

Conductors typically do the following:

• Check passengers’ tickets
• Take payments from passengers who did not buy tickets in advance
• Announce stations and give other announcements as needed
• Help passengers to safety when needed
• Deal with unruly passengers when needed
• Oversee loading and unloading of cargo

Conductors travel on both freight and passenger trains. They coordinate activities of the train crew. On passenger trains, they ensure safety and comfort and make announcements to keep passengers informed. On freight trains, they oversee, and are ultimately responsible for, the loading and unloading of cargo.

Yardmasters typically do the following:

• Review schedules, switching orders, and shipping records of freight trains
• Operate freight cars within rail yards that use remote locomotive technology
• Arrange for defective cars to be removed from a train for repairs
• Switch train traffic to a certain section of the line to allow other inbound and outbound trains to get around
• Break up or put together train cars according to a schedule

Yardmasters do work similar to that of conductors, except that they do not travel on trains. They oversee and coordinate the activities of workers in the rail yard. They tell yard engineers where to move cars to fit the planned configuration or to load freight. Yardmasters ensure that trains are carrying the correct material before leaving the yard. Not all rail yards use yardmasters. In rail yards that do not have yardmasters, a conductor performs the duties of a yardmaster.

Freight trains move billions of tons of goods around the country and to ports where the goods are shipped around the world. Passenger trains move millions of passengers and commuters to destinations around the country.

Before a train leaves, the conductor or yardmaster discusses the train’s route, timetable, and cargo with the locomotive engineer. Conductors are in constant contact with engineers while en route, and they keep each other informed of any changes in the condition of the train. Conductors also receive information from dispatchers about delays and other trains’ locations.

Work Environment About this section

Some conductors have long routes and are away from home for long periods at a time.

Conductors and yardmasters held about 40,800 jobs in 2010.

Almost 90 percent of conductors and yardmasters work in the rail transportation industry.

Conductors on passenger trains generally work in cleaner, more comfortable conditions than conductors on freight trains. However, conductors on passenger trains sometimes must respond to upset or unruly passengers when a train is delayed.

Work Schedules

Most conductors and yardmasters have full-time schedules, although they do not necessarily work a standard 9-to-5 workweek. Because trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, many conductors and yardmasters work weekends, nights, and holidays.

Conductors who work on long freight routes may be away from home for long periods. Conductors on shorter passenger routes and yardmasters have more predictable schedules.

How to Become a Railroad Conductor or Yardmaster About this section

Many companies have conductor training programs.

Employers of conductors and yardmasters generally require a high school diploma and several months of on-the-job training.

Education

Most conductors and yardmasters have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some take training courses at a community college.

Training

Most railroad companies have 1 to 3 months of on-the-job training for conductors and yardmasters. Amtrak (the passenger train company) and some of the larger freight railroad companies operate their own training programs. Smaller and regional railroads may send conductors to a central training facility or a community college.

Yardmasters may be sent to training programs or may be trained by an experienced yardmaster. They learn how to operate remote locomotive technology and how to manage railcars in the yard.

Conductors and yardmasters also learn the proper procedures for loading and unloading different types of cargo.

Work Experience

Some conductors and yardmasters are promoted from within the railroad company. They may have worked as signal, switch, or brake operators. For more information, see the profile on train engineers and operators.

Certification

Recent legislation will soon require conductors who operate on national, regional, or commuter railroads to become certified. New conductors will have to pass a test that has been designed and administered by the railroad and approved by the Federal Railroad Administration. Existing conductors will be granted automatic certification. The new rule is expected to go into effect in late 2012.

Advancement

Some conductors or yardmasters advance to become locomotive engineers.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Conductors and yardmasters constantly speak with locomotive engineers and dispatchers to prevent accidents and ensure that the train stays on schedule. Conductors and yardmasters must be easily understood.

Customer-service skills. Conductors on passenger trains ensure customers’ comfort, make announcements, and answer any questions a passenger has. They must be courteous and patient. They may have to deal with unruly or upset passengers.

Leadership skills. On some trains, a conductor directs a crew. Yardmasters oversee other rail yard workers.

Speaking skills. Conductors on passenger trains announce stations and make other announcements. They must be able to speak clearly so passengers understand what they are saying.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of conductors and yardmasters was $49,770 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,510 and the top 10 percent earned more than $76,270.

The median annual wage of conductors and yardmasters in the rail transportation industry, where most are employed, was $48,580 in May 2010.

Most conductors and yardmasters are members of one of the two major unions representing rail workers.

Most conductors and yardmasters have full-time schedules, although they do not necessarily work a standard 9-to-5 workweek. Because trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, many conductors and yardmasters work weekends, nights, and holidays.

Conductors who work on long freight routes may be away from home for long periods. Conductors on shorter passenger routes and yardmasters have more predictable schedules.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of railroad conductors and yardmasters is projected to grow 5 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations.

This occupation’s growth will depend on demand for rail transportation. Demand for rail is being driven by population growth and an increase in global trade. In addition, rising gas prices may send some travelers to passenger rail and some shipping to freight rail. An increase in intermodal freight—the shipment of goods through multiple transportation modes—may shift some goods from trucks to freight rail.

Although the increase in rail traffic will likely increase demand for these workers, not many new tracks are expected to be built, which may hold back some rail growth. Because building new tracks is expensive, freight companies have found other ways to increase capacity, such as double-stacking (stacking one rail car on top of another) or running longer trains. With both of these approaches, passenger rail can add more cars to existing trains to increase capacity without increasing either the number of locomotives or the number of conductors on these trains.

Job Prospects

Job opportunities should be favorable for this occupation. Although workers typically stay in railroad conductor and yardmaster jobs longer than workers in many other occupations, more conductors and yardmasters are nearing retirement than are workers in most occupations. When these workers begin to retire, many jobs should open up.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about conductors and yardmasters, visit

United Transportation Union

For more information about commuter rail, visit

American Public Transportation Association

For more information about conductors and yardmasters who work on freight rail, visit

Association of American Railroads

For more information about opportunities in passenger rail, visit

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)