Amazon Weekend Yard Jockey Hostler

Your Next Step in Ocala

Primary Details

• Stable workload with modern tooling and processes.
• Company: Amazon TOM Team
• Compensation: $19-$23/Hour (approx. $45.1k/Year)
• Core objectives involve your professional skills in Transportation And Logistics.
• Benefits: A comprehensive benefits package is included.
• Worksite: Ocala, FL
• Role in Ocala: Amazon Weekend Yard Jockey Hostler
• This Ocala-based role is an excellent opportunity for professionals skilled in relevant skills.
• Our Amazon TOM Team team in Ocala, FL is growing.
• Benefit from working in Ocala, a key hub for the Transportation And Logistics industry.

Pioneering the Future of Global E-Commerce Logistics

At Amazon, our mission is to be Earth's most customer-centric company, and our massive logistical facilities are the engines that power this mission 24/7. While the interior of a fulfillment center is a highly orchestrated dance of robotics, the exterior truck yard is a high-stakes, high-velocity environment that never stops—especially on the weekends. The Transportation Operations Management (TOM) team is the elite division responsible for ensuring the seamless, safe flow of massive 53-foot trailers in and out of the dock doors. We are actively seeking highly skilled, incredibly precise commercial drivers to join us as Weekend Yard Jockeys (Hostlers). If you possess flawless spatial awareness and a desire to operate heavy machinery on Saturdays and Sundays without the stress of highway traffic, this is one of the most highly coveted weekend driving jobs in the supply chain industry. You will be the conductor of the weekend yard, ensuring the facility never starves for inventory.

About the Role: Master of the Weekend Truck Yard

As an Amazon Weekend Yard Jockey, internally known as a Transportation Associate or Hostler, you are the undisputed master of the facility's exterior asphalt during the Saturday and Sunday peaks. Your primary vehicle is a specialized Terminal Tractor (often called a yard mule, goat, or spotter truck). Your mission is to rapidly, safely, and relentlessly maneuver empty and fully loaded 53-foot semi-trailers between the parking slips and the active warehouse dock doors. You operate completely off the public highway, meaning you are insulated from weekend traffic jams and unpredictable civilian drivers. You rely on advanced digital dispatch systems mounted in your cab to receive move orders, executing dozens of highly precise backing maneuvers per shift. This role demands ultimate situational awareness, a deep respect for pedestrian safety, and the ability to back a massive trailer into a dock door with mere inches of clearance.

A Day in the Life of a Weekend Yard Jockey

Your Saturday shift begins inside the facility with the TOM team stand-up meeting. You review the yard capacity and the inbound/outbound trailer flow required to keep the building fed during the weekend rush. You walk out to the massive, roaring truck yard, locate your assigned Terminal Tractor, and execute a meticulous pre-trip safety inspection. Once in the cab, you log into your onboard computer. A "move task" immediately pops up: an empty trailer at dock door 44 needs to be pulled, and a fully loaded inbound trailer parked in slip B-12 must be backed into door 44. You drive the mule across the yard, maintaining strict 10 MPH speed limits. You expertly back the mule into the loaded trailer, connect the red and blue gladhand air lines, hit the hydraulic lift switch to elevate the trailer, and execute a flawless, 90-degree blind-side back into dock door 44. The pace is rapid, the machinery is powerful, and your weekend shift flies by.

Comprehensive and Detailed Responsibilities

• Weekend Terminal Tractor Operations: Safely operate specialized yard hostling equipment to shuttle massive 53-foot trailers around congested, high-traffic facility yards on Saturdays and Sundays. You must master the unique handling characteristics and hydraulic fifth-wheel mechanics of the terminal tractor.
• Precision Backing & Spotting: Execute flawless, highly complex backing maneuvers under immense operational pressure. You will constantly thread massive trailers into incredibly tight dock doors and parking slips, utilizing mirrors and spatial geometry to avoid catastrophic facility damage.
• Digital Yard Management: Utilize proprietary Amazon onboard computers and handheld radios to receive dynamic move requests from the central dispatch tower. You must confirm and log every single trailer movement in the digital system to maintain perfect yard inventory accuracy.
• Absolute Safety Compliance: The yard is a highly dangerous industrial zone. You must strictly enforce and follow all Trailer Dock and Release (TDR) safety protocols. You are responsible for ensuring trailer wheels are properly chocked, dock locks are engaged, and pedestrian right-of-way is honored.
• Yard Auditing & Security: Conduct physical audits of the yard environment. You will periodically drive the aisles, physically verifying trailer numbers against the digital database, ensuring temperature-controlled refrigerated trailers are running properly.

What Our Drivers Say: Real Employee Perspectives

The hostler role is widely considered one of the best-kept secrets in commercial driving. A current Amazon Weekend Yard Jockey recently posted: "Becoming a weekend hostler on the TOM team is the greatest part-time driving gig I’ve ever had. I work a regular job during the week, but on Saturday and Sunday, I drive a specialized mule truck, listen to my podcasts, and back trailers with extreme precision. The hydraulic fifth wheel means I never have to manually crank landing gear, which saves my back. It’s highly respected work, the premium weekend pay is fantastic, and when my shift is over, I walk to my car and go home. No highway stress, just pure driving skill."

Industry-Leading Total Rewards and Benefits

Amazon provides a dominant compensation package for the highly skilled TOM team professionals:

• Premium Weekend Hostler Compensation: Earn a highly lucrative base hourly wage that reflects the intense skill and safety responsibility of commercial yard backing, complete with weekend shift differentials.
• Paid CDL Training (Career Choice): Even as a weekend worker, you may be eligible for Amazon to completely pay for you to attend a local commercial driving school to obtain your full CDL-A license.
• Total Healthcare Security: Access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage options, ensuring you and your family are always protected.
• Retirement & Time Off: Build your wealth with a robust 401(k) company match, and enjoy Paid Time Off (PTO) to ensure a phenomenal work-life balance.

Basic Qualifications and Physical Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years of age (or 21 depending on state commercial driving requirements) and possess a High School diploma or GED equivalent.
• Must hold a valid, active state driver's license with a pristine driving record.
• Must be completely available and committed to working Saturday and Sunday shifts.
• Incredible spatial awareness and the cognitive ability to rapidly process geometric angles while backing massive articulated vehicles using only mirrors.
• Ability to work safely in a loud, outdoor industrial environment subject to extreme weather conditions (rain, snow, extreme heat) for the entirety of a 10 to 12-hour weekend shift.