AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation?

Task-level automation exposure for Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation: 20 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

37% weighted task index

20 of 20 tasks scored

Median Salary

$92,100 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Low

24,500 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+2.2% employment change

2,300 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 46 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$29,760 – $123,120

Highest medians

Alaska $123,120

Iowa $116,850

Oklahoma $111,070

Hawaii $108,270

Alabama $108,140

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $29,760

Michigan $35,890

Illinois $47,990

New Jersey $49,250

Nevada $50,060

State figures come from the 53-6051 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 37%

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

Physical work 9%

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

Judgment & influence 29%

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

Routine administration 4%

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 54/100 High

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) 25%

6 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 24%

5 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 51%

9 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

#14573 · Core · 20% automatable

Inspect repairs to transportation vehicles or equipment to ensure that repair work was performed properly.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#14570 · Core · 20% automatable

Inspect vehicles or equipment to ensure compliance with rules, standards, or regulations.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#14576 · Core · 35% automatable

Investigate complaints regarding safety violations.

decision support — Records analysis aided; field investigation human

Investigate transportation incidents, violations, or complaints.

#14569 · Core · 20% automatable

Inspect vehicles or other equipment for evidence of abuse, damage, or mechanical malfunction.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#14575 · Core · 66% automatable

Issue notices and recommend corrective actions when infractions or problems are found.

decision support — Proposes corrective procedures; human verifies applicability

Recommend changes or corrective procedures.

#14572 · Supplemental · 20% automatable

Conduct vehicle or transportation equipment tests, using diagnostic equipment.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#19926 · Supplemental · 20% automatable

Conduct remote inspections of motor vehicles, using handheld controllers and remotely directed vehicle inspection devices.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#19924 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Attach onboard diagnostics (OBD) scanner cables to vehicles to conduct emissions inspections.

physical manipulation — Connecting cables is hands-on installation

Connect cables or electrical lines.

#14580 · Supplemental · 35% automatable

Investigate incidents or violations, such as delays, accidents, and equipment failures.

decision support — Records analysis aided; field investigation human

Investigate transportation incidents, violations, or complaints.

#14574 · Supplemental · 72% automatable

Prepare reports on investigations or inspections and actions taken.

text generation — Draft incident reports; human verifies facts and liability

Prepare accident or incident reports.

#14577 · Supplemental · 80% automatable

Examine carrier operating rules, employee qualification guidelines, or carrier training and testing programs for compliance with regulations or safety standards.

text generation — Policy compliance document review, human owns final call

Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations.

#19927 · Supplemental · 20% automatable

Conduct visual inspections of emission control equipment and smoke emitted from gasoline or diesel vehicles.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#14581 · Supplemental · 43% automatable

Negotiate with authorities, such as local government officials, to eliminate hazards along transportation routes.

text generation — Drafting agency communications aided; relationships human

Negotiate contracts for transportation, distribution, or logistics services. Negotiate project specifications. Resolve issues affecting transportation operations. Communicate with government agencies.

#19929 · Supplemental · 20% automatable

Identify modifications to engines, fuel systems, emissions control equipment, or other vehicle systems to determine the impact of modifications on inspection procedures or conclusions.

visual inspection — Vehicle inspection is physical on-site work

Inspect motor vehicles.

#14579 · Supplemental · 80% automatable

Review commercial vehicle logs, shipping papers, or driver and equipment records to detect any problems or to ensure compliance with regulations.

text generation — Policy compliance document review, human owns final call

Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations.

#19928 · Supplemental · 60% automatable

Identify emissions testing procedures and standards appropriate for the age and technology of vehicles.

text generation — AI drafts testing routines; engineer verifies coverage

Develop safety standards, policies, or procedures. Develop testing routines or procedures. Establish standards for products, processes, or procedures.

#19925 · Supplemental · 60% automatable

Compare emissions findings with applicable emissions standards.

decision support — AI assesses compliance against written standards

Determine operational compliance with regulations or standards. Analyze laboratory findings.

#14578 · Supplemental · 48% automatable

Investigate and make recommendations on carrier requests for waiver of federal standards.

decision support — Drafts policy options; political judgment owned by human

Investigate safety of work environment. Recommend organizational process or policy changes.

#19931 · Supplemental · 27% automatable

Perform low-pressure fuel evaluative tests (LPFET) to test for harmful emissions from vehicles without onboard diagnostics (OBD) equipment.

data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests

Test characteristics of materials or structures. Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Test mechanical systems to ensure proper functioning.

#14582 · Supplemental · 35% automatable

Evaluate new methods of packaging, testing, shipping, or transporting hazardous materials to ensure adequate public safety protection.

decision support — Technology evaluation aided; strategic judgment human

Evaluate new technologies or methods. Dispose of hazardous materials.

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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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