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Transportation Inspectors in Montana

Considering working as a Transportation Inspectors in Montana? Here’s what you need to know. 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. Excludes “Transportation Security Screeners” (33-9093).

What do Transportation Inspectors Make in Montana?

For a transportation inspectors working in Montana, the typical annual salary is $49,010 per year (or about $23.56/hour).Pay can range from $37,180 at the 10th percentile to $110,300 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$37,180	$17.88
25th percentile	$37,180	$17.88
Median (50th)	$49,010	$23.56
75th percentile	$64,440	$30.98
90th percentile	$110,300	$53.03

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Montana nationwide is 3.07, meaning that transportation inspectors are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, transportation inspectors earn a median of $41,904 per year ($20.15/hour), exceeding the Montana median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 754,294 transportation inspectors across the United States. In Montana alone, approximately 240 people work in this role. That’s right around the typical state median of 240.

Top Montana Metros for Transportation Inspectors

The largest metro-area employers of transportation inspectors in Montana.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Billings, MT	30	$61,210
Helena, MT	30	$107,240

Top States for Transportation Inspectors Employment

The table below shows the states where the most transportation inspectors work.

State	Number Employed
New York	3,730
Texas	2,890
California	1,900
Florida	1,670
New Jersey	1,020
Illinois	980
Arizona	930
Georgia	830
Massachusetts	510
North Carolina	450
Ohio	440
Tennessee	430
Washington	420
Colorado	420
South Carolina	350
Virginia	340
Missouri	340
Indiana	320
Michigan	310
Pennsylvania	310

Highest-Paying States for Transportation Inspectors

Where transportation inspectors earn the most: transportation inspectors.

State	Annual Median Salary
Alaska	$138,030
Idaho	$107,440
Hawaii	$105,650
Oklahoma	$104,490
North Dakota	$104,330
District of Columbia	$103,970
Kansas	$103,810
Wisconsin	$100,310
Georgia	$98,150
Nevada	$97,880

Skills

The most important transportation inspectors skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for transportation inspectors, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Prepare and submit reports after completion of freight shipments.
• Inspect shipments to ensure that freight is securely braced and blocked.
• Record details about freight conditions, handling of freight, and any problems encountered.
• Advise crews in techniques of stowing dangerous and heavy cargo.
• Observe loading of freight to ensure that crews comply with procedures.
• Recommend remedial procedures to correct any violations found during inspections.
• 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.
• Notify workers of any special treatment required for shipments.
• Direct crews to reload freight or to insert additional bracing or packing as necessary.
• Check temperatures and humidities of shipping and storage areas to ensure that they are at appropriate levels to protect cargo.
• Determine cargo transportation capabilities by reading documents that set forth cargo loading and securing procedures, capacities, and stability factors.
• Read draft markings to determine depths of vessels in water.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat In-demand technologies: Microsoft Excel

Related Careers

Other careers like transportation inspectors include:

• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• Government Property Inspectors and Investigators
• Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
• Cargo and Freight Agents
• Freight Forwarders

Also Known As

Admeasurer, Bridge Inspector, Cargo Inspector, Cargo Surveyor, Container Inspector, Damaged Freight Inspector, Equipment Inspector, Freight Car Inspector, Freight Inspector, Freight Service Inspector, Freight Specialist, Heavy Check Inspector, Inspections Specialist, Inspector, Loading Inspector.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-6051.00