Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
Also called: Engineer, Railcar Switcher, Railroad Engineer, SwitchmanDrive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Locomotive engineers and operators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 90% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,900 | $38,270 to $75,220 | 80 |
| Arkansas | $38,980 | $37,560 to $48,800 | 70 |
| California | $67,160 | $67,130 to $67,160 | 190 |
| Colorado | $60,770 | $57,680 to $61,350 | not published |
| Florida | $80,360 | $80,360 to $80,580 | 120 |
| Indiana | $54,420 | $42,790 to $68,160 | 190 |
| Kansas | $56,090 | $49,200 to $56,090 | not published |
| Kentucky | $62,070 | $51,410 to $100,760 | 110 |
| Nevada | $48,970 | $45,960 to $48,980 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $71,030 | $53,890 to $102,220 | 130 |
| Ohio | $59,460 | $59,330 to $59,500 | not published |
| Oklahoma | $63,400 | $39,890 to $80,360 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $65,380 | $39,350 to $65,420 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $54,060 | $51,340 to $78,950 | 60 |
| Texas | $53,130 | $48,630 to $101,310 | 50 |
| Utah | $58,380 | $43,160 to $61,230 | not published |
| West Virginia | $91,380 | $63,510 to $91,380 | 40 |
Nationally: $60,600. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply and release hand brakes. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive engines within railroad yards or other establishments to couple, uncouple, or switch railroad cars. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe water levels and oil, air, and steam pressure gauges to ensure proper operation of equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones. | Not published |
| Not much | Couple and uncouple air hoses and electrical connections between cars. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| Not much | Inspect the condition of stationary trains, rolling stock, and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate track switches, derails, automatic switches, and retarders to change routing of train or cars. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect track for defects such as broken rails and switch malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel. | Not published |
| Not much | Spot cars for loading and unloading at customer locations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Report arrival and departure times, train delays, work order completion, and time on duty. | Not published |
| Not much | Pull knuckles to open them for coupling. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform routine repair and maintenance duties. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance in aligning drawbars, using available equipment to lift, pull, or push on the drawbars. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive locomotives to and from various stations in roundhouses to have locomotives cleaned, serviced, repaired, or supplied. | Not published |
| Not much | Ride on moving cars by holding onto grab irons and standing on ladder steps. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate flatcars equipped with derricks or railcars to transport personnel or equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance in the installation or repair of rails and ties. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 13 activities
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Monitor traffic conditions | |||
| Signal others to coordinate work activities | |||
| Climb equipment or structures |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 367 moves in
- 1 Light Truck Drivers Moderate +6.3% 9%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 5 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% less than high school
- 83% high school
- 13% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 27 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 45% high school
- 28% some college
- 10% associate's
- 13% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Locomotive engineers and operators” · 435 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Locomotive engineers and operators”
1 program: Railroad and Railway Transportation.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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