Transportation Inspectors
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.
24,500 people do this job in the US. $92,100 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 30%
- 4%
- 66%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 29%. Today's estimate: 30%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observe loading of freight to ensure that crews comply with procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 19% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect loaded cargo, cargo lashed to decks or in storage facilities, and cargo handling devices to determine compliance with health and safety regulations and need for maintenance.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 17% | 1.1 h33 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Direct crews to reload freight or to insert additional bracing or packing as necessary.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare and submit reports after completion of freight shipments.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 29 min17 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Record details about freight conditions, handling of freight, and any problems encountered.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Determine cargo transportation capabilities by reading documents that set forth cargo loading and securing procedures, capacities, and stability factors.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Calculate gross and net tonnage, hold capacities, volumes of stored fuel and water, cargo weights, and vessel stability factors, using mathematical formulas. | 5% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Inspect shipments to ensure that freight is securely braced and blocked.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Advise crews in techniques of stowing dangerous and heavy cargo.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Measure vessels' holds and depths of fuel and water in tanks, using sounding lines and tape measures. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Visually inspect cargo for damage upon arrival or discharge. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Recommend remedial procedures to correct any violations found during inspections.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation13% now, 28% by 2028
- Aviation Inspectors17% now, 26% by 2028
- Construction and Building Inspectors24% now, 48% by 2028
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors30% now, 30% by 2028
- Ship Engineers9% now, 10% by 2028
- Cargo and Freight Agents45% now, 45% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).