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AI exposure Transportation and material moving

Will AI replace railroad brake?

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers. US occupation 53-4022.

0.0%

of the time railroad brake spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of railroad brake's working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for railroad brakeWhat railroad brake no longer do alone

O*NET lists 25 tasks for railroad brake. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

25 of the 25 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Conduct brake tests to determine the condition of brakes on trains.Core task
  • Connect air hoses to cars, using wrenches.Core task
  • Inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and handbrakes to ensure that they are securely fastened and functioning properly.Core task
  • Inspect tracks, cars, and engines for defects and to determine service needs, sending engines and cars for repairs as necessary.Core task
  • Make minor repairs to couplings, air hoses, and journal boxes, using hand tools.Core task
  • Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes.Core task
Show the other 19
  • Observe signals from other crew members so that work activities can be coordinated.Core task
  • Observe tracks from left sides of locomotives to detect obstructions on tracks.Core task
  • Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers.Core task
  • Pull or push track switches to reroute cars.Core task
  • Raise levers to couple and uncouple cars for makeup and breakup of trains.Core task
  • Receive oral or written instructions from yardmasters or yard conductors indicating track assignments and cars to be switched.Core task
  • Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.Core task
  • Signal locomotive engineers to start or stop trains when coupling or uncoupling cars, using hand signals, lanterns, or radio communication.Core task
  • Signal other workers to set brakes and to throw track switches when switching cars from trains to way stations.Core task
  • Check to see that trains are equipped with supplies such as fuel, water, and sand.
  • Climb ladders to tops of cars to set brakes.
  • Inspect locomotives to detect damaged or worn parts.
  • Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently.
  • Operate and drive locomotives, diesel switch engines, dinkey engines, flatcars, and railcars in train yards and at industrial sites.
  • Operate locomotives in emergency situations.
  • Refuel and lubricate engines.
  • Ride atop cars that have been shunted, and turn handwheels to control speeds or stop cars at specified positions.
  • Set flares, flags, lanterns, or torpedoes in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops to warn oncoming trains.
  • Start diesel engines to warm engines before runs.

How that compares

Among the 44 transportation and material moving occupations, railroad brake rank 32. The group averages 0.6%, and its most exposed job is Passenger Attendants at 11.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Rail Car Repairers 0.0%
  2. 346Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers 0.0%
  3. 346Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators 0.0%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.