Highest paying transport careers in the US
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.
20 careers in the United States
Ranked by typical pay
201Airline PilotExpensive to train, slow to start, and then one of the best-paid jobs in the country.Typical pay$232kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandGood2Air Traffic ControllerOne federal employer, one hard test, and a hard age cutoff. Then some of the best pay in government.Typical pay$148kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerate3Drone PilotA federal certificate you can earn at 16. The certificate is easy, the paid work is the hard part.Typical pay$123kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood4Helicopter PilotFly air ambulances, tours, news cameras, power line patrols and firefighting buckets. Cheap to get licensed, brutally expensive to become employable.Typical pay$123kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandGood5Marine Engineering OfficerRun the engine room of a ship. Four years at a maritime academy, a Coast Guard license, then months at sea and months at home.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery high6Logistics CoordinatorKeep freight, trucks and warehouses moving, and fix it when they stop.Typical pay$107kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery high7Ship OfficerRun the bridge of a tug, a ferry, a tanker or a container ship. Long trips away, long stretches at home.Typical pay$92kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerate8Locomotive EngineerDrive freight and passenger trains. You start as a conductor and get promoted into the seat.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimited9Rail Traffic ControllerYou sit in a control center and decide where every train on your territory goes next.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimited10Railroad ConductorYou are in charge of the train: the paperwork, the cars, the crew and every move it makes.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimited11Flight AttendantSafety crew first, service second, paid by the flight hour and living by a seniority list.Typical pay$64kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery high12Mail CarrierA federal job you can start at 18, with a pension at the end and no tuition at the start.Typical pay$61kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimited13Truck DriverMove freight across the country in a tractor-trailer. Good money fast, and a lot of nights away from home.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood14Flight DispatcherPlan and legally share control of an airline flight from a desk, without ever leaving the ground.Typical pay$57kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerate15DeckhandWork the deck of a tug, ferry or cargo ship. No degree, but you live where you work.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimited16Transport DispatcherDecide which truck goes where, keep drivers legal, and fix the day when everything goes wrong at once.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited17Bus DriverGet a commercial license paid for by your employer and drive a route every day.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate18Delivery DriverDrive a van or light truck, run a route, and get paid without a degree or a license exam.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery high19Tow Truck OperatorRecover wrecks, clear crashes and rescue stranded drivers, often at 3am in the rain.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood20Longshore WorkerLoad and unload ships on the docks. Getting on the list is harder than doing the work.Typical pay$40kTo qualify1 to 8 yrsDemandModerate