Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Median salary

$60,600

Average salary

$68,450

Employment

3,920

Projected growth

0.3% growth

Annual openings

200

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers Do

Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Transportationimportance 4.2/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.6/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.1/5
English Languageimportance 3.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.0/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.9/5
Health and Safety of Other Workers4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.7/5
Consequence of Error4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators97% skill match
Power Plant Operators96% skill match
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders95% skill match
Roof Bolters, Mining95% skill match
Print Binding and Finishing Workers95% skill match
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operation and Controlimportance 3.8/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Other Software Used

Positive train control PTC systems
RailComm DocYard
Railcar inspection management software
Railyard inventory software
Railyard management software RMS
Softrail AEI Automatic Yard Tracking System
Softrail AEI Rail & Road Manager
Web browser software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Stress Tolerance
Cooperation
Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
EnterprisingLow
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).