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Traffic operator vs transportation director

The differences between traffic operators and transportation directors 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 operator and a transportation director. Additionally, a transportation director has an average salary of $51,314, 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 a transportation director are DOT, logistics, and CDL.

Traffic operator vs transportation director overview

Traffic OperatorTransportation Director
Yearly salary$36,610$51,314
Hourly rate$17.60$24.67
Growth rate3%-
Number of jobs31,59223,622
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4545
Years of experience44

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 a transportation director do?

Transportation Directors are responsible for managing an organization's transportation operations. They are involved in supervising transportation projects, monitoring performance, research workflow processes, conduct strategic meetings with stakeholders, administer the budgeting process, and ensures programs comply with state and federal regulations. Besides that, transportation directors also work with the human resources department in employee recruitment as well as implementing training and orientations. Other duties include performing financial reports analysis and software tools testing.

Traffic operator vs transportation director salary

Traffic operators and transportation directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Traffic OperatorTransportation Director
Average salary$36,610$51,314
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $53,000Between $30,000 And $86,000
Highest paying CityTopeka, KSNew York, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyTrafiguraZulily
Best paying industryFinanceHealth Care

Differences between traffic operator and transportation director education

There are a few differences between a traffic operator and a transportation director in terms of educational background:

Traffic OperatorTransportation Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Traffic operator vs transportation director demographics

Here are the differences between traffic operators' and transportation directors' demographics:

Traffic OperatorTransportation Director
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 60.2% Female, 39.8%Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between traffic operator and transportation director 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.

Transportation director example responsibilities.

  • Manage RFP process to outsource truck maintenance resulting in headcount reduction of 32, and total savings of $880K annually.
  • Manage inventory of inbound ocean containers, coordinate and schedule TL operations, supervise yard hostlers and manage outbound trailer traffic.
  • Perform OSHA forklift and domestic HAZMAT shipping training per regulatory guidelines.
  • Convert fleet on-board computer system from Cadec to GPS base Xata.
  • Install time-management Synovia GPS tracking and cameras on all school buses provide constant security to passengers.
  • Develop routing procedures for LTL, truck load, air freight, partial package, and inter modal shipments.
  • Show more

Traffic operator vs transportation director skills

Common traffic operator skills
  • Patrol, 15%
  • Traffic Management, 10%
  • CCTV, 7%
  • Incident Management, 6%
  • DOT, 6%
  • Traffic Control, 6%
Common transportation director skills
  • DOT, 18%
  • Logistics, 11%
  • CDL, 7%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%
  • Transportation Services, 5%
  • Transportation Operations, 4%

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