Career profile
Also known as Field Traffic Investigator, Traffic Analyst, Traffic Control Technician, Traffic Investigator, Traffic Signal Technician (TST), Traffic Survey Technician, Traffic Technician, Transportation Planning Technician, Transportation Technician
Traffic Technician
Also known as Field Traffic Investigator, Traffic Analyst, Traffic Control Technician
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Interests Profile
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Realistic
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Investigative
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Enterprising
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Pay Range
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$32,150 - $83,150 (annual)
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Required Skills
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Active Listening
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Reading Comprehension
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Speaking
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Knowledge Areas
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Transportation
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Computers and Electronics
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Public Safety and Security
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Core tasks
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Analyze data related to traffic flow, accident rates, or proposed development to determine the most efficient methods to expedite traffic flow.
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Prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems.
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Plan, design, and improve components of traffic control systems to accommodate current or projected traffic and to increase usability and efficiency.
What does a Traffic Technician do?
Traffic Technicians conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors influencing traffic conditions, under direction of traffic engineer.
What kind of tasks does a Traffic Technician perform regularly?
Traffic Technicians are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:
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Study traffic delays by noting times of delays, the numbers of vehicles affected, and vehicle speed through the delay area.
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Interact with the public to answer traffic-related questions, respond to complaints or requests, or discuss traffic control ordinances, plans, policies, or procedures.
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Prepare graphs, charts, diagrams, or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions.
The above responsibilities are specific to Traffic Technicians. More generally, Traffic Technicians are involved in several broader types of activities:
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Activities
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Importance |
Details |
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Getting Information
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Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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Working with Computers
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Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
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Making Decisions and Solving Problems
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Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
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Processing Information
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Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
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Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
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Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
What is a Traffic Technician salary?
The median salary for a Traffic Technician is
$47,800,
and the average salary is
$53,140.
Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Traffic Technician salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.
Many Traffic Technicians earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors.
About 10% of Traffic Technicians earn less than $32,150 per year,
25% earn less than $37,550,
75% earn
less than $65,010, and
90% earn
less than $83,150.
Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Traffic Technicians is expected to change by 7.9%, and there should be roughly 1,100 open positions for Traffic Technicians every year.
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Median annual salary
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$47,800
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Typical salary range
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$32,150 -
$83,150
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Projected growth (2020 - 2030)
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7.9%
What personality traits are common among Traffic Technicians?
Interests
Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.
Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Traffic Technician are usually higher in their
Realistic
and
Investigative
interests.
Traffic Technicians typically have very strong
Realistic
interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Also,
Traffic Technicians typically have moderate
Investigative
interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Values
People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.
Compared to most people, those working as a Traffic Technician tend to value
Independence,
Relationships, and
Support.
Most importantly,
Traffic Technicians strongly value
Independence.
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.
Second,
Traffic Technicians moderately value
Relationships.
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
Lastly,
Traffic Technicians moderately value
Support.
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.
Psychological Demands
Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.
In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Traffic Technicians must consistently demonstrate qualities such as
dependability,
attention to detail, and
integrity.
Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Traffic Technicians, ranked by importance:
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Demands
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Importance |
Details |
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Dependability
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Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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Attention to Detail
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Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
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Integrity
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Job requires being honest and ethical.
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Cooperation
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Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
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Adaptability/Flexibility
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Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
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Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
What education and training do Traffic Technicians need?
Traffic Technicians often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Traffic Technicians usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.
Educational degrees among Traffic Technicians
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3.9% did not complete
high school or secondary school
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39.1% completed
high school or secondary school
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25.2% completed
some college coursework
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13.2% earned a
Associate's degree
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15.5% earned a
Bachelor's degree
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2.8% earned a
Master's degree
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0.3% earned a
doctorate or professional degree
Knowledge and expertise required by Traffic Technicians
Traffic Technicians may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as
transportation,
computers and electronics, or
public safety and security
knowledge.
The list below shows several areas in which most Traffic Technicians might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.
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Knowledge areas
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Importance |
Details |
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Transportation
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Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
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Computers and Electronics
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Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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Public Safety and Security
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Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
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Engineering and Technology
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Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
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Law and Government
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Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
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Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Important Abilities needed by Traffic Technicians
Traffic Technicians must develop a particular set of
abilities
to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.
For example, Traffic Technicians need abilities such as
oral comprehension,
oral expression, and
problem sensitivity
in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Traffic Technicians, ranked by their relative importance.
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Abilities
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Importance |
Details |
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Oral Comprehension
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The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
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Oral Expression
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The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
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Problem Sensitivity
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The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
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Inductive Reasoning
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The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
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Written Comprehension
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The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
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The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Critical Skills needed by Traffic Technicians
Skills
are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.
Traffic Technicians frequently use skills like
active listening,
reading comprehension, and
speaking
to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Traffic Technicians, ranked by their relative importance.
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Skills
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Importance |
Details |
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Active Listening
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Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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Reading Comprehension
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Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
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Speaking
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Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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Critical Thinking
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Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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Complex Problem Solving
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Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
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Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
What is the source of this information?
The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.
