Locomotive Engineers
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 53-4011.00
Drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Interpret train orders, electronic or manual signals, and railroad rules and regulations.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.20
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 10 hidden tasks15 rated tasks · 5 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (33.3%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.O*NET Task ID 12752 | 1.0 |
Confer with conductors or traffic control center personnel via radiophones to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, or oncoming trains.O*NET Task ID 12754 | 1.0 |
Prepare reports regarding any problems encountered, such as accidents, signaling problems, unscheduled stops, or delays.O*NET Task ID 12760 | 1.0 |
Observe tracks to detect obstructions.O*NET Task ID 12751 | 0.5 |
Inspect locomotives after runs to detect damaged or defective equipment.O*NET Task ID 12762 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (15)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Monitor gauges or meters that measure speed, amperage, battery charge, or air pressure in brake lines or in main reservoirs. | Core |
| Observe tracks to detect obstructions. | Core |
| Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives. | Core |
| Receive starting signals from conductors and use controls such as throttles or air brakes to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas turbine-electric locomotives. | Core |
| Confer with conductors or traffic control center personnel via radiophones to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, or oncoming trains. | Core |
| Operate locomotives to transport freight or passengers between stations or to assemble or disassemble trains within rail yards. | Core |
| Respond to emergency conditions or breakdowns, following applicable safety procedures and rules. | Core |
| Check to ensure that brake examination tests are conducted at shunting stations. | Core |
| Call out train signals to assistants to verify meanings. | Core |
| Inspect locomotives to verify adequate fuel, sand, water, or other supplies before each run or to check for mechanical problems. | Core |
| Prepare reports regarding any problems encountered, such as accidents, signaling problems, unscheduled stops, or delays. | Core |
| Check to ensure that documentation, such as procedure manuals or logbooks, are in the driver's cab and available for staff use. | Core |
| Inspect locomotives after runs to detect damaged or defective equipment. | Core |
| Drive diesel-electric rail-detector cars to transport rail-flaw-detecting machines over tracks. | Supplemental |
| Monitor train loading procedures to ensure that freight or rolling stock are loaded or unloaded without damage. | Supplemental |
0.85/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Receive starting signals from conductors and use controls such as throttles or air brakes to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas turbine-electric locomotives. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate locomotives to transport freight or passengers between stations or to assemble or disassemble trains within rail yards. | E2 structured facilities |
| Respond to emergency conditions or breakdowns, following applicable safety procedures and rules. | E0 none |
| Inspect locomotives to verify adequate fuel, sand, water, or other supplies before each run or to check for mechanical problems. | E0 none |
| Inspect locomotives after runs to detect damaged or defective equipment. | E2 structured facilities |
| Monitor train loading procedures to ensure that freight or rolling stock are loaded or unloaded without damage. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 27K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 28K
- Change (2025–35)
- +0.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $81,410
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87111 | 고속철 기관사 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 87112 | 철도 기관사 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8311Locomotive Engine Drivers
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Locomotive engine drivers drive, or assist in driving, locomotive engines to transport passengers and freight.
Tasks
- (a) driving or assisting in driving a steam, electric or diesel-electric locomotive engine;
- (b) driving an underground or elevated passenger train;
- (c) driving a locomotive to haul carriages underground or on the surface of a mine or quarry;
- (d) watching for track hazards, observing signals and indicator gauges;
- (e) operating communications systems to communicate with train crews and traffic controllers to ensure safe operation and scheduling of trains.
Example occupations
Locomotive driver · Metropolitan railway driver · Train driver
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- train driverESCO 8311.1Same scope
Train drivers operate trains providing passenger or cargo transport services. They are responsible for driving the locomotive in safe manner, respecting all relevant safety, operational and communication regulations, and have full responsibility for the safety of passengers and cargo. The task involves cooperation and communication with the relevant staff under the infrastructure manager, as well as with staff on board the train.
- rolling stock inspectorESCO 3115.1.19Overlapping, not the same
Rolling stock inspectors inspect wagons and carriages to asses their technical condition while grouped together and before they are used for transportation activities. They check technical devices, ensure complete and correct operation of the rolling stock, and prepare required technical documents and/or checklists. Depending on work organisation they are also responsible for limited ad-hoc maintenance or exchange work and the performance of brake tests.
- shunterESCO 8312.3Overlapping, not the same
Shunters move shunting units with or without wagons or groups of wagons in order to build trains. They manage the driving of locomotives and are involved in switching wagons, making or splitting up trains in shunting yards or sidings. They operate according to the technical features, such as controlling movement via a remote control device.
- train preparerESCO 8312.5Overlapping, not the same
Train preparers are responsible for checking and testing of equipment and systems on rail vehicles before vehicles are moved. They ensure that a train is in a fit condition to enter service, that the train equipment is correctly deployed and the formation of the train matches the train’s designated pathway. Depending on the individual work organisation of the operator they also perform technical inspections carried out prior to the train entering service.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| N4301 | Conducteur / Conductrice de train | Same scopeprovisional |
| N4303 | Conducteur / Conductrice d'engins de manœuvre du réseau ferré | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| N4304 | Responsable d'équipe d'agents de conduite du réseau ferré | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8311 | Maquinistas de locomotoras | Same scopeprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 52202 | Triebfahrzeugführer/innen im Eisenbahnverkehr (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Same scope |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 609 | その他の鉄道運転従事者 | Same scopeprovisional |
| 601 | 電車運転士 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources