AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Rail Car Repairers?

Task-level automation exposure for Rail Car Repairers: 20 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

18% weighted task index

20 of 20 tasks scored

Median Salary

$67,530 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Low

21,350 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+2.6% employment change

1,600 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 40 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$47,480 – $108,680

Highest medians

Massachusetts $108,680

Maryland $89,430

Oregon $87,470

Colorado $86,630

Idaho $85,420

Lowest medians

Mississippi $47,480

North Carolina $47,880

Louisiana $47,970

Nevada $48,100

Kansas $48,160

State figures come from the 49-3043 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 18%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 65%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 0%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 7%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 37/100 Moderate

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

20 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 7%

1 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 0%

0 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 93%

19 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#9986 · Core · 80% automatable

Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.

text generation — Log maintenance and repair records from data

Maintain repair or maintenance records.

#9988 · Core · 18% automatable

Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.

visual inspection — Mechanical component inspection requires hands-on access

Inspect mechanical components of vehicles to identify problems.

#9984 · Core · 10% automatable

Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.

physical manipulation — Manual replacement of mechanical parts

Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts. Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.

#9989 · Core · 20% automatable

Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.

visual inspection — Overall vehicle condition inspection is physical

Inspect vehicles to determine overall condition.

#9987 · Core · 8% automatable

Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.

physical manipulation — Removing equipment components requires manual dexterity

Remove parts or components from equipment.

#9985 · Core · 22% automatable

Test units for operability before and after repairs.

visual inspection — Completed-work function check is physical

Inspect completed work to ensure proper functioning.

#9990 · Core · 15% automatable

Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation.

physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.

#9992 · Core · 8% automatable

Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.

physical manipulation — Part fabrication requires physical machining and handling

Install vehicle parts or accessories. Fabricate parts or components. Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.

#9991 · Core · 9% automatable

Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components.

physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity

Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Service vehicles to maintain functionality.

#10000 · Core · 13% automatable

Examine car roofs for wear and damage, and repair defective sections, using roofing material, cement, nails, and waterproof paint.

visual inspection — Physical vehicle structural inspection requires hands-on access

Inspect structural components of vehicles to identify problems. Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.

#10001 · Core · 10% automatable

Paint car exteriors, interiors, and fixtures.

physical manipulation — Painting surfaces is hands-on manual work

Paint surfaces or equipment.

#9993 · Supplemental · 18% automatable

Repair and maintain electrical and electronic controls for propulsion and braking systems.

physical manipulation — Hands-on electronic equipment repair

Repair electronic equipment.

#9994 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Disassemble units such as water pumps, control valves, and compressors so that repairs can be made.

physical manipulation — Disassembly requires hands-on tool use

Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.

#9995 · Supplemental · 25% automatable

Measure diameters of axle wheel seats, using micrometers, and mark dimensions on axles so that wheels can be bored to specified dimensions.

physical manipulation — Physical distance measurement in field

Measure distances or dimensions.

#9998 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Test electrical systems of cars by operating systems and using testing equipment such as ammeters.

data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use

Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.

#9997 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Replace defective wiring and insulation, and tighten electrical connections, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Rewiring systems is hands-on electrical work

Rewire electrical or electronic systems.

#9999 · Supplemental · 7% automatable

Install and repair interior flooring, fixtures, walls, plumbing, steps, and platforms.

physical manipulation — Structural repair is hands-on physical work

Install hardware or other interior fixtures. Repair structural components.

#10003 · Supplemental · 7% automatable

Repair window sash frames, attach weather stripping and channels to frames, and replace window glass, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Physical glass removal and installation

Seal gaps or cracks to prevent leakage or moisture intrusion. Replace vehicle glass. Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.

#9996 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Align car sides for installation of car ends and crossties, using width gauges, turnbuckles, and wrenches.

physical manipulation — Physical alignment of machinery requires hands

Align equipment or machinery.

#10002 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Repair car upholstery.

physical manipulation — Hands-on automotive component repair

Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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