Highest paying transport careers in Canada
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
21 careers in Canada
Ranked by typical pay
211Air Traffic ControllerPaid a salary from the first day of training. Most people who apply never get in.Typical pay$114kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandGood2Flight DispatcherPlan the route, pick the fuel, watch the weather. On many flights you share control with the captain.Typical pay$114kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerate3Airline PilotFly people across the country for a living. The training bill is big and the seniority ladder is slow.Typical pay$108kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandGood4Helicopter PilotFly the machine that can land anywhere. Most of the work is in the bush, not the city.Typical pay$108kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate5Locomotive EngineerRun freight and passenger trains across the country. The railway hires you first, then trains you.Typical pay$104kTo qualify3 to 6 yrsDemandModerate6Railway ConductorRun the train crew, switch the cars and own the paperwork. Hired off a high school diploma and trained on pay.Typical pay$90kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerate7Coast Guard OfficerSearch and rescue, icebreaking and buoy tending on a federal ship. The training is four years and the government pays you to do it.Typical pay$86kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandGood8Ship OfficerNavigate and command commercial ships. You train as a cadet at sea, not in a lecture hall.Typical pay$86kTo qualify3 to 5 yrsDemandGood9Rail Traffic ControllerSit in a control centre and decide where every train on your territory goes next.Typical pay$85kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandModerate10Marine Engineering OfficerKeep a ship's engines, power and systems running while it is a thousand kilometres from a repair shop.Typical pay$77kTo qualify3 to 5 yrsDemandGood11Longshore WorkerLoad and unload the ships that carry almost everything you own. Union work, hard to get into, hard to leave.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandModerate12Flight AttendantHired and trained by the airline in weeks. You are there for safety first and service second.Typical pay$65kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate13Logistics CoordinatorPlan how goods get from a factory to a shelf, and fix it when a shipment goes missing.Typical pay$61kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandGood14Drone PilotCheap and fast to get certified. Turning it into a full-time income is the hard part.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate15Letter CarrierOne employer, one union, and a route you walk in every kind of weather.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate16DeckhandThe entry door to working at sea. A short safety course, a medical, and you can be on a boat this season.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate17Transport DispatcherMatch loads to drivers, fix problems on the road, and keep a whole fleet moving from one desk.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerate18Tow Truck OperatorShow up when someone's day has gone wrong. Several provinces now licence the whole industry.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate19Truck DriverLicensed in a few months. Everything in every store got there on a truck.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood20Bus DriverLicensed in a few months, then hired by a transit system that trains you and pays a pension.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood21Delivery DriverThe quickest job to start on this site. Watch for the versions where you pay for the van, the fuel and the insurance.Typical pay$42kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood