Locomotive Engineers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

• Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
• Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Receive information or instructions for performing work assignments.
• Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
• Operate locomotives or other rail vehicles.
• Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
• Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.

• Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
• Monitor operational quality or safety.
• Respond to transportation emergencies.
• Monitor availability of equipment or supplies.
• Inspect locomotives or other railroad equipment.
• Prepare accident or incident reports.
• Monitor loading processes to ensure they are performed properly.

• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

• Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

• Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

• Subway and Streetcar Operators

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

• Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

• Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas

• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators