Traffic control technician vs traffic engineering technician

The differences between traffic control technicians and traffic engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a traffic control technician and a traffic engineering technician. Additionally, a traffic engineering technician has an average salary of $49,538, which is higher than the $40,714 average annual salary of a traffic control technician.

The top three skills for a traffic control technician include DOT, safety regulations and traffic cones. The most important skills for a traffic engineering technician are traffic control devices, traffic studies, and hand tools.

Traffic control technician vs traffic engineering technician overview

	Traffic Control Technician	Traffic Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$40,714	$49,538
Hourly rate	$19.57	$23.82
Growth rate	1%	3%
Number of jobs	58,811	61,692
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Traffic control technician vs traffic engineering technician salary

Traffic control technicians and traffic engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Traffic Control Technician	Traffic Engineering Technician
Average salary	$40,714	$49,538
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $60,000	Between $33,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, VA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	City of San Diego	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between traffic control technician and traffic engineering technician education

There are a few differences between a traffic control technician and a traffic engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Traffic Control Technician	Traffic Engineering Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Traffic control technician vs traffic engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between traffic control technicians' and traffic engineering technicians' demographics:

	Traffic Control Technician	Traffic Engineering Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%	Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 5.5% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between traffic control technician and traffic engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Traffic control technician example responsibilities.

Install the load switches and loop detectors.
Operate light to medium size equipment, some which may require a valid CDL.
Operate various heavy equipment; bucket trucks, truck cranes, small excavators, forklifts, and bore rigs.
Maintain airspace boundaries and issue traffic alerts as necessary, providing mission coordination assistance, and disseminate weather information as required.
Set up devices including but not limit to: cones, barricades, signs according to MUTCD guidelines.

Traffic engineering technician example responsibilities.

Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Perform tests on RF and digital electronic assemblies and systems to characterize performance, uncover specification deficiencies and repair damage circuitry.
Test an repair uhf, vhf, Am/fm, ssb radios recording devices for a working airport.

Traffic control technician vs traffic engineering technician skills

Common traffic control technician skills

DOT, 21%
Safety Regulations, 20%
Traffic Cones, 12%
Road Signs, 9%
Traffic Control Devices, 7%
ATSSA, 6%

Common traffic engineering technician skills

Traffic Control Devices, 40%
Traffic Studies, 17%
Hand Tools, 16%
Traffic Counts, 8%
GPS, 8%
GIS, 7%

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Traffic Control Technician
Traffic Control Technician vs Traffic Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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