How To Become A Signal Maintainer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a signal maintainer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average signal maintainer salary is $54,117. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an electrical engineering major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a signal maintainer. Signal maintainers with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 12,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSignal MaintainerUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,117

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.14%

Asian 3.21%

Black or African American 9.73%

Hispanic or Latino 15.59%

Unknown 5.14%

White 65.19%

Gender

female 6.42%

male 93.58%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.4

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.0

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a signal maintainer

Explore signal maintainer education requirements

Most common signal maintainer degrees

Associate

39.0 %

High School Diploma

26.8 %

Bachelor's

22.6 %

Start to develop specific signal maintainer skills

Skills	Percentages
Switches	13.46%
Signal Systems	13.05%
Signal Equipment	12.46%
FRA	10.89%
Warning Devices	8.17%

Complete relevant signal maintainer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New signal maintainers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a signal maintainer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real signal maintainer resumes.

Research signal maintainer duties and responsibilities

Used UNIX base analysis systems to accomplish all tasks.
Lead, manage, and mentore the signal gang leadership team.
Develop and mentore 3employees to perform COMSEC custodian duties.
Maintain and inspect railroad crossings and signals, crossing programming, stay FRA compliant

Prepare your signal maintainer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your signal maintainer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a signal maintainer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Signal Maintainer Resume templates

Build a professional Signal Maintainer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Signal Maintainer resume.

Apply for signal maintainer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a signal maintainer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do signal maintainers rate their job?