Yard hostler vs rail equipment operator

The differences between yard hostlers and rail equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rail equipment operator has an average salary of $53,402, which is higher than the $38,648 average annual salary of a yard hostler.

The top three skills for a yard hostler include CDL, dock doors and DOT. The most important skills for a rail equipment operator are OSHA, rail yard, and .

Yard hostler vs rail equipment operator overview

	Yard Hostler	Rail Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$38,648	$53,402
Hourly rate	$18.58	$25.67
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	3,770	41,857
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

Yard hostler vs rail equipment operator salary

Yard hostlers and rail equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Yard Hostler	Rail Equipment Operator
Average salary	$38,648	$53,402
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $31,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Elizabeth, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Ryder System	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between yard hostler and rail equipment operator education

There are a few differences between a yard hostler and a rail equipment operator in terms of educational background:

	Yard Hostler	Rail Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 67%
Most common major	General Studies	Biology
Most common college	-	-

Yard hostler vs rail equipment operator demographics

Here are the differences between yard hostlers' and rail equipment operators' demographics:

	Yard Hostler	Rail Equipment Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 1.9% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 1.9% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between yard hostler and rail equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Yard hostler example responsibilities.

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.

Rail equipment operator example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Lead compression shift of twenty-one operators and supporting staff in daily operations of manufacturing generic prescription medications in a GMP setting.
Create comprehensive written reports and PowerPoint presentations that show information in an interactive form during monthly staff meetings.

Yard hostler vs rail equipment operator skills

Common yard hostler skills

CDL, 42%
Dock Doors, 20%
DOT, 17%
Landing Gear, 4%
Yard Truck, 3%
Spot Trailers, 3%

Common rail equipment operator skills

OSHA, 83%
Rail Yard, 17%

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Transportation Industry
Yard Hostler
Yard Hostler vs Rail Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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