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Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-4013
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$60,600
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
500
Proj. Annual Openings
3,920
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-5.2%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 53-4013 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 54/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $60,600
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 500
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +0.3%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 563 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operation and ControlMonitoringOperations MonitoringSpeakingActive Listening
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.2%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
21.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI20.5%
AI ability · AIOE43.8%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne91%
AI could do ~20.5% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
1.Operation and Control
2.Monitoring
3.Operations Monitoring
4.Speaking
5.Active Listening
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.
Common titles: Carman, Engineer, Hostler, Rail Yard Engineer, Railcar Switcher, Railroad Engineer
Representative Tasks
- •Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors.
- •Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation.
- •Apply and release hand brakes.
- •Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones.
- •Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Monitor traffic signals.
- •Inspect locomotives or other railroad equipment.
- •Operate locomotives or other rail vehicles.
- •Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- •Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
Tools & Technologies
Positive train control PTC systemsRailcar inspection management softwareRailComm DocYardRailyard inventory softwareSoftrail AEI Automatic Yard Tracking SystemSoftrail AEI Rail & Road ManagerWeb browser software
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.8%
Avg AI Exposure
6
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 53-4013: 2019 — employment: 5,400, median wage: $49,330; 2020 — employment: 4,580, median wage: $51,720; 2021 — employment: 4,460, median wage: $61,090; 2022 — employment: 2,680, median wage: $56,340; 2023 — employment: 2,430, median wage: $57,070; 2025 — employment: 3,920, median wage: $60,600.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $60,600 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |