Traffic operator vs operations specialist

The differences between traffic operators and operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations specialist has an average salary of $54,752, which is higher than the $36,610 average annual salary of a traffic operator.

The top three skills for a traffic operator include patrol, traffic management and CCTV. The most important skills for an operations specialist are customer service, logistics, and basic math.

Traffic operator vs operations specialist overview

	Traffic Operator	Operations Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,610	$54,752
Hourly rate	$17.60	$26.32
Growth rate	3%	10%
Number of jobs	31,592	109,181
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	4	-

What does a traffic operator do?

A Traffic Operator coordinates all logistic shipments and associated operations. You will be required to oversee all payments and credit negotiation demands within traffic management. For all that you will do, you'll be required to listen to emergency radios for incident alerts as well as maintain operating standards and emergency procedures. As a Traffic Operator, you will be responsible for carrying out rig movements while drilling is going on, depending on the particular industry. You'll do some other tasks like operating heavy machinery like the bobcat equipment and also perform demolition work.

What does an operations specialist do?

An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.

Traffic operator vs operations specialist salary

Traffic operators and operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Traffic Operator	Operations Specialist
Average salary	$36,610	$54,752
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $53,000	Between $35,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	Topeka, KS	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Trafigura	Coatue Management
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between traffic operator and operations specialist education

There are a few differences between a traffic operator and an operations specialist in terms of educational background:

	Traffic Operator	Operations Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Traffic operator vs operations specialist demographics

Here are the differences between traffic operators' and operations specialists' demographics:

	Traffic Operator	Operations Specialist
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8%	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	11%

Differences between traffic operator and operations specialist duties and responsibilities

Traffic operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Dispatch safety service patrol along the interstate to assist with disable vehicles, accidents, or any lane closures.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Train and recruit transportation personnel ensuring compliance with numerous transportation and DoD regulations.

Operations specialist example responsibilities.

Develop and implement VBA scripts to automate tasks in financial reporting.
Manage all international A/R functions, reporting, sales, expense analysis and marketing campaigns as well as all royalties.
Manage and process 100 FDA electronic and paper submissions including safety reports, new investigator reports, amendments, and protocols.
Demonstrate ability to manage and organize clinical setting for patients and families.
Personalize and manage a customer SQL network database to consolidate all incoming orders from different marketplaces.
Manage a variety of operational tasks for moderately complex securities transactions that require knowledge of vary systems and processes.

Traffic operator vs operations specialist skills

Common traffic operator skills

Patrol, 15%
Traffic Management, 10%
CCTV, 7%
Incident Management, 6%
DOT, 6%
Traffic Control, 6%

Common operations specialist skills

Customer Service, 21%
Logistics, 4%
Basic Math, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Operational Procedures, 4%

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Traffic Operator
Traffic Operator vs Operations Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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