Rail Car Repairers
What Rail Car Repairers Do
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 3.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mechanicalimportance 4.5/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.4/5
- Designimportance 3.3/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
- Building and Constructionimportance 3.2/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.2/5
- Transportationimportance 3.1/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.9/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.9/5
- Spend Time Standing4.6/5
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.6/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Exposed to Contaminants4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers95% skill match
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines95% skill match
- Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers95% skill match
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General95% skill match
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers94% skill match
- Home Appliance Repairers94% skill match
- Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians94% skill match
- Signal and Track Switch Repairers94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Troubleshootingimportance 4.0/5
- Repairingimportance 4.0/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.8/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.3/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.3/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
- Disassembler software
Other Software Used
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- RailTech Software Solutions Rail 21 Management System
- RailTech Software Systems Mars for the 21st Century
- WheelShop Automation.com Wheel Shop Management Suite
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where rail car repairers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX8.62× national avg
- 2Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX1.74× national avg
- 3Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD1.21× national avg
- 4Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN0.92× national avg
- 5Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA0.89× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except EnginesLateral Move
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine SpecialistsLateral Move
- Engine and Other Machine AssemblersCareer Change
- Maintenance Workers, MachineryLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.