What does a traffic director do?
Traffic director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real traffic director resumes:
- Manage TMS rate and routing tables.
- Manage vendor invoices ensuring timely payment to ensure processes run smoothly.
- Manage all inbound material which include part shortages, EC changes, QC inspection parts and sequence material.
- Communicate KPI results to key stakeholders on a weekly basis.
- Create a routing guide and orchestrate implementation of new TMS.
- Coordinate with logistics teams to ensure deliveries/services are meet during ships port stay.
- Minimize GRI (general rate increases) by issuing annual RFP (request for pricing) packets to competing ocean carriers.
- Provide logistics expertise in formulating adaptive plans and all phases of joint/combine combat, combat support, and humanitarian operations.
- Manage all inbound material which include part shortages, EC changes, QC inspection parts and sequence material.
Traffic director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Traffic Directors are proficient in Control Traffic, Patrol, and General Maintenance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Problem-solving skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Traffic Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Control Traffic, 17%
Control traffic, assure safety for drivers workers and also pedestrians.
- Patrol, 16%
Patrol parking areas in order to prevent vehicle damage and vehicle or property thefts.
- General Maintenance, 16%
General maintenance not taken care of by professionals.
- Direct Traffic, 11%
Direct traffic safely through Friendly Center during Christmas shopping season
- Customer Inquiries, 8%
Responded to all customer inquiries thoroughly and professionally.
- Account Executives, 5%
Worked closely with account executives, general manager, business manager and production manager.
Most traffic directors use their skills in "control traffic," "patrol," and "general maintenance" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential traffic director responsibilities here:
Problem-solving skills. One of the key soft skills for a traffic director to have is problem-solving skills. You can see how this relates to what traffic directors do because "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Additionally, a traffic director resume shows how traffic directors use problem-solving skills: "conducted payroll duties for department and resolution of pay issues. "
Speaking skills. Many traffic director duties rely on speaking skills. "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization," so a traffic director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways traffic director responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "represented radio station at local events and acted as point of contact for other media and the louisville broadway series. "
Writing skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of traffic directors is writing skills. This skill is critical to many everyday traffic director duties, as "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "scheduled on-air programming, underwriting announcements and taped-schedules on the daily program logs. "
Communication skills. For certain traffic director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a traffic director rely on this skill, as "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what traffic directors do: "direct traffic; perform surveillance in assigned areas of complex; drive golf cart as directed; conduct radio communication. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in traffic director job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what traffic directors do. Traffic director responsibilities rely on this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." You can also see how traffic director duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provide leadership and direction to a three-member staff at wls-tv accountable for inventory management. "
The three companies that hire the most traffic directors are:
- ABM Industries6 traffic directors jobs
- ACE Parking4 traffic directors jobs
- Waste Connections3 traffic directors jobs
Compare different traffic directors
Traffic director vs. Aviation manager
A fleet manager is responsible for monitoring the delivery processes, including the maintenance and registration of delivery vehicles, recruiting delivery drivers, and regularly inspecting the vehicle's engine to boost optimal performance for efficient deliveries. Fleet managers purchase the vehicles, negotiating contracts with trusted manufacturers, and try to keep minimal costs without compromising quality. They also manage delivery schedules, respond to the receivers' inquiries and concerns, and resolve delivery complaints immediately. A fleet manager must have excellent communication and analytical skills, especially on strategizing profitability techniques and identify related business opportunities.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between traffic directors and aviation manager. For instance, traffic director responsibilities require skills such as "control traffic," "patrol," "general maintenance," and "direct traffic." Whereas a aviation manager is skilled in "aviation operations," "direct reports," "unscheduled maintenance," and "federal aviation administration." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that aviation managers earn slightly differ from traffic directors. In particular, aviation managers are 5.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a traffic director. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Traffic director vs. Fleet manager
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that traffic director responsibilities requires skills like "control traffic," "patrol," "general maintenance," and "direct traffic." But a fleet manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "dot," "vehicle fleet," and "preventative maintenance."
Fleet managers earn a lower average salary than traffic directors. But fleet managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $49,573. Additionally, traffic directors earn the highest salaries in the media with average pay of $59,120 annually.In general, fleet managers achieve similar levels of education than traffic directors. They're 1.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Traffic director vs. Flight control manager
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from traffic director resumes include skills like "control traffic," "patrol," "general maintenance," and "direct traffic," whereas a flight control manager is more likely to list skills in "faa," "mcc," "nasa," and "biomedical. "
When it comes to education, flight control managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to traffic directors. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Traffic director vs. Assistant terminal manager
Types of traffic director
Updated January 8, 2025
