Traffic Technicians
Transportation and Material Moving
Most of the work is out on the road, counting vehicles, timing delays, and noting speeds through a delay area so an engineer can see how volume, signals, and lighting affect travel. Findings are turned into graphs, charts, and diagrams that show what was observed and what it suggests. The role also means talking with the public—answering questions, hearing complaints, and discussing traffic rules or planned changes—under the direction of a traffic engineer. It suits people who like careful field observation, clear writing, and turning counts into a picture others can use.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$59'090
Median Wage Market Position
$59'090
What you might do
- Count vehicles to measure how busy a road is
- Time backups and note how many cars are delayed
- Record speeds of vehicles moving through a jam
- Note whether signals and street lighting are adequate
- Answer public questions about traffic rules and plans
- Draw charts that show what the field study found
Skills that matter
- Timing delays and counting affected vehicles
- Answering questions about traffic controls
- Charting speed, volume, and delay findings
- Reading plans for signals and lighting
- Judging whether a signal is working
- Tracking how backups form and clear
AI & the future of this role
Software can already process traffic counts, signal timing, and video feeds that once required more manual field analysis. On-site observation and engineer-directed judgment still matter, but much of the data work may shift toward automation over the next decade.
Does Traffic Technicians fit your values?
Take the free LostInCareer assessment to see personalized matches based on your core values—not just a personality label.
Related careers
Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details