diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 542b8660c..a29201341 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/).
 ### Removed
 
 ### Fixed
+- backend/docker: switch to container hostname with dashes instead of dots
 
 ### Security
 
diff --git a/backend/docker.go b/backend/docker.go
index f2c7d4139..2d474ed1b 100644
--- a/backend/docker.go
+++ b/backend/docker.go
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ func findDockerImageByTag(searchTags []string, images []dockertypes.ImageSummary
 }
 
 func containerNameFromContext(ctx gocontext.Context) string {
-	randName := fmt.Sprintf("travis-job.unk.unk.%s", uuid.NewRandom())
+	randName := fmt.Sprintf("travis-job-unk-unk-%s", uuid.NewRandom())
 	jobID, ok := context.JobIDFromContext(ctx)
 	if !ok {
 		return randName
@@ -733,5 +733,5 @@ func containerNameFromContext(ctx gocontext.Context) string {
 		nameParts = append(nameParts, cleanedPart)
 	}
 
-	return strings.Join(append(nameParts, fmt.Sprintf("%v", jobID)), ".")
+	return strings.Join(append(nameParts, fmt.Sprintf("%v", jobID)), "-")
 }
diff --git a/backend/docker_test.go b/backend/docker_test.go
index 766b73b1a..55f77e3ae 100644
--- a/backend/docker_test.go
+++ b/backend/docker_test.go
@@ -589,11 +589,11 @@ func TestDocker_containerNameFromContext(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tc := range []struct{ r, n string }{
 		{
 			r: "friendly/fribble",
-			n: fmt.Sprintf("travis-job.friendly.fribble.%v", jobID),
+			n: fmt.Sprintf("travis-job-friendly-fribble-%v", jobID),
 		},
 		{
 			r: "very-SiLlY.nAmE.wat/por-cu-pine",
-			n: fmt.Sprintf("travis-job.very-SiLlY-nAm.por-cu-pine.%v", jobID),
+			n: fmt.Sprintf("travis-job-very-SiLlY-nAm-por-cu-pine-%v", jobID),
 		},
 	} {
 		ctx := context.FromRepository(context.FromJobID(gocontext.TODO(), jobID), tc.r)
@@ -601,8 +601,8 @@ func TestDocker_containerNameFromContext(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	randName := containerNameFromContext(gocontext.TODO())
-	randParts := strings.Split(randName, ".")
-	assert.Len(t, randParts, 4)
-	assert.Equal(t, "unk", randParts[1])
+	randParts := strings.Split(randName, "-")
+	assert.Len(t, randParts, 9)
 	assert.Equal(t, "unk", randParts[2])
+	assert.Equal(t, "unk", randParts[3])
 }