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Freight Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mudflap

Director of Product, Freight

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$216K - $240K/yr

You'll partner closely with engineering, data, design, operations, and commercial teams to define ... You'll bring deep freight and logistics intuition while helping Mudflap thoughtfully expand beyond ...

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All JobsFreight Engineer JobsFreight Engineer Jobs in California

Freight Engineer information

See California salary details

$35K

$94.8K

$165.8K

How much do freight engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for freight engineer in California is $94,849.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $79,000.00 and $106,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as petroleum, aerospace, software, and electrical engineering often earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and in high-demand industries. These roles typically require specialized knowledge, advanced degrees, and sometimes professional certifications or leadership responsibilities.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as petroleum, aerospace, or software engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and leadership roles. High-level positions often require advanced degrees, certifications, and a strong track record in their industry.

What engineers make $500,000 a year?

Highly experienced engineers in specialized fields such as petroleum engineering, aerospace engineering, or software engineering with executive or senior roles can earn $500,000 or more annually. These positions often require advanced skills, certifications, and leadership responsibilities, and compensation may include bonuses and stock options.

How does a Freight Engineer typically collaborate with logistics and operations teams to optimize transportation solutions?

Freight Engineers work closely with logistics coordinators, operations teams, and sometimes clients to design and implement efficient transportation solutions. They analyze shipment data, routes, and carrier performance, then recommend improvements to reduce costs and enhance delivery timelines. Regular meetings and data sharing are essential, as Freight Engineers rely on input from operations to identify bottlenecks and test new strategies. This collaborative environment helps ensure that proposed engineering solutions are practical and aligned with real-world logistics challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Freight Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Freight Engineer, you need a solid background in logistics, transportation planning, and supply chain management, often supported by a degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with logistics management systems (LMS), route optimization software, and relevant certifications such as Six Sigma or APICS is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication skills help differentiate top professionals in this role. These skills are crucial for designing efficient freight systems, reducing costs, and ensuring timely and reliable delivery within complex transportation networks.

What does a freight engineer do?

A freight engineer is responsible for designing, maintaining, and overseeing the safe and efficient movement of freight trains or cargo transportation systems. They often work with railway or logistics teams, utilize technical skills, and may require certifications in engineering or safety standards. Their duties include ensuring compliance with regulations, troubleshooting technical issues, and optimizing freight operations.

What is a Freight Engineer?

A Freight Engineer is a professional who designs, optimizes, and manages systems for transporting goods efficiently and safely. They analyze shipping routes, develop logistics solutions, and work with various stakeholders to ensure timely deliveries while minimizing costs and environmental impact. Freight Engineers may also implement technology and automation to improve freight operations and address challenges such as capacity, regulations, and sustainability within the supply chain.

What is the difference between Freight Engineer vs Rail Signal Engineer?

AspectFreight EngineerRail Signal Engineer
CredentialsRelevant engineering degree, certifications in freight or transportation systemsElectrical or electronics engineering degree, certifications in signaling systems
Work EnvironmentFreight yards, transportation hubs, railroadsRailway control centers, trackside signaling systems, maintenance facilities
Employer & IndustryFreight rail companies, logistics firmsRailway operators, transit authorities
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

While both Freight Engineers and Rail Signal Engineers work within the rail industry, Freight Engineers focus on the operation and safety of freight trains, including train handling and logistics. Rail Signal Engineers specialize in the design, installation, and maintenance of signaling systems that control train movements. Understanding these differences helps job seekers identify the right career path based on their skills and interests in rail operations or signaling technology.

What cities in California are hiring for Freight Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Freight Engineer job openings:
Freight Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Freight Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,849 per year, or $45.6 per hour.
Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Freight Systems

Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Freight Systems

Flexport

San Francisco, CA

Other

Posted 4 days ago

Flexport rating

4.4

Company rating: 4.4 out of 10

Based on 11 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

Job description

The opportunity 

The Autonomous Freight Systems team is a brand new, AI-first engineering team in San Francisco. This team will own Flexport's client-facing rates platform and the self-serve freight booking experience-two of the highest-leverage surfaces in our Client App that dictate how clients see pricing and book freight without manual intervention.

As a Staff Engineer, you will be the technical anchor for our next-generation AI-powered rates platform. We aren't just building a UI; we are building AI agents that handle real logistics work: parsing complex rate sheets, managing pricing intelligence across ocean, air, and trucking, and making "Self-Serve" a reality for thousands of shippers. You will build the intelligence layer that allows clients to commit freight on technology alone, with no account executive and no operations touch.

This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape technical direction, set up a new codebase, and build the platform that moves Flexport from an assisted-sales model to a tech-run one for the long tail of our client base. You will partner with Pricing, Sales, Ops, and Design on hard domain problems and ship to the most-used client surfaces at the company.

You will
  • Design and ship end-to-end AI agents that handle pricing intelligence and booking compliance without human oversight.
  • Create the tooling and secure AI infrastructure required to expose internal logistics data to LLMs safely.
  • Navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of agent patterns, RAG, and prompt engineering to solve problems that don't have "Stack Overflow" answers yet.
  • Build and launch products rapidly and incrementally: we ship to production dozens of times per day.
  • Mentor and uplevel engineers across the team, fostering a culture of technical excellence.
  • Partner with the Engineering Manager to define the team's technical roadmap and hiring bar.
You should have
  • LLM Fluency: Experience with agent patterns, RAG, and prompt engineering. You know what works in production versus what only looks good in a demo.
  • Agentic Orchestration: Experience with workflow orchestration (e.g., Temporal) and building reliable systems around non-deterministic AI.
  • Entrepreneurial Drive: You don't wait for a spec; you find the highest-leverage automation problems and design the AI-driven solution.
  • Product Instincts: You can identify what is worth building, not just execute on a spec. You have a proven track record of building data-heavy applications where high-quality user interaction is the priority.
  • Architecture Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading technical initiatives across multiple teams or systems, specifically in building unified interfaces that aggregate data from various backend systems.
  • Technical Rigor: A love of simple, well-tested code that is easy to extend and hard to break, combined with experience building large-scale distributed systems.
  • Technical Communication: The ability to convey technical ideas in common terms to business partners, product managers, and engineers alike.
It's a plus if you have
  • Experience with elements of our tech stack: Java, Spring Boot, Ruby on Rails, React, AWS.
  • Experience in logistics, supply chain, or freight technology.
  • Experience building internal tools or operator-facing applications.
  • A bias for action: When you see a problem, you solve it.

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