What does a yard hostler do?
A yard hostler is responsible for positioning large containers and cars in line with scheduled shipments. They are charged with transporting both full and empty containers in and out of dock doors. They are also expected to drive heavy machinery and vehicles, drive in and out of dockyards, and ensure that trailers and trucks are kept clean and in good working conditions. Yard hostlers adhere to set out security codes. A yard hostler should also be skilled or knowledgeable in various vehicle repair techniques.
Yard hostler responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real yard hostler resumes:
- Cut blackboard, operate skylift, forklift, bobcat, tractor.
- Load double trailers and flatbeds with rock or sand using bobcat forklift.
- Inspect, put trailer to dock for loading and unloading, pull trailer to lots for driver pickup
- Rake leaves, cut, and water grass and pick up garbage to maintain grounds and yards.
- Operate locomotives in and out of roundhouse to couple, uncouple, switch and build consist for outbound trains.
- Assist in cutting grass, trimming hedges, pulling weeds, planting flowers, applying chemicals to kill weeds.
- Prepare pallets by following prescribe stacking arrangement and properly tagging pallets.
- Premier transportation buy the contract from Werner for the home depot distribution center
Yard hostler skills and personality traits
We calculated that 42% of Yard Hostlers are proficient in CDL, Dock Doors, and DOT. They’re also known for soft skills such as Mechanical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Yard Hostlers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CDL, 42%
Obtained my CDL Class 'A'.
- Dock Doors, 20%
Switched trailers and containers from dock doors and on the yard.
- DOT, 17%
Work on trucks and trailers to ensure that they meet DOT standards.
- Landing Gear, 4%
Pushed and pulled dollies into place and cranked lever to raise and lower landing gear on semi-trailers.
- Yard Truck, 3%
Fueled and maintained daily inspection of the yard truck.
- Spot Trailers, 3%
Spot trailers in yard to be loaded and move trailers to drop yard.
"cdl," "dock doors," and "dot" are among the most common skills that yard hostlers use at work. You can find even more yard hostler responsibilities below, including:
Mechanical skills. The most essential soft skill for a yard hostler to carry out their responsibilities is mechanical skills. This skill is important for the role because "railroad workers should be able to adjust equipment when it does not work properly." Additionally, a yard hostler resume shows how their duties depend on mechanical skills: "shuffle trailer to designated locations using yard goatpark trucks, repair fallen loads.maintain property cosmeticaly and mechanicaly. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform yard hostler duties is communication skills. Yard hostlers responsibilities require that "railroad workers must be able to communicate with other crewmembers, dispatchers, and passengers to ensure safety and keep the trains on schedule." Yard hostlers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "use 2way radio's and cb's for communication. "
Customer-service skills. yard hostlers are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to yard hostler responsibilities, because "conductors on passenger trains ensure travelers’ comfort, make announcements, and answer questions." A yard hostler resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "transport shuttle trailers from a warehouse to customers desired location. "
The three companies that hire the most yard hostlers are:
- Tesla6 yard hostlers jobs
- Stericycle5 yard hostlers jobs
- Knight Transportation3 yard hostlers jobs
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Compare different yard hostlers
Yard hostler vs. Switch crew supervisor
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between yard hostlers and switch crew supervisor. For instance, yard hostler responsibilities require skills such as "cdl," "dock doors," "dot," and "back trailers." Whereas a switch crew supervisor is skilled in "switches," "tank cars," "equipment performs," and "air test." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that switch crew supervisors earn slightly differ from yard hostlers. In particular, switch crew supervisors are 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a yard hostler. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Yard hostler vs. Mine motor engineer
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, yard hostler responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cdl," "dock doors," "dot," and "back trailers." Meanwhile, a mine motor engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "electrical engineering," "client expectations," "environmental compliance," and "matlab." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Mine motor engineers tend to reach higher levels of education than yard hostlers. In fact, they're 18.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Yard hostler vs. Rail equipment operator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, yard hostlers are more likely to have skills like "cdl," "dock doors," "dot," and "back trailers." But a rail equipment operator is more likely to have skills like "osha," "rail yard," "loaders," and "train crews."
Rail equipment operators typically earn similar educational levels compared to yard hostlers. Specifically, they're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Yard hostler vs. Car barn labour
Types of yard hostler
Updated January 8, 2025
