How to hire a transportation engineer

How to hire a transportation engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step transportation engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a transportation engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new transportation engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a transportation engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the transportation engineer you need to hire. Certain transportation engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A transportation engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, transportation engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of transportation engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Transportation Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Transportation Engineer	Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.	$24-43
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Structures Engineer	A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed-also improving the existing building structural integrity... Show more	$25-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autocad
   • Cost Estimates
   • Project Management
   • Roadway Design
   • Transportation Projects
   • CAD
   • Highway Design
   • Inroads
   • Geopak
   • Traffic Engineering
   • Transportation Planning
   • AASHTO
   • Technical Reports
   • Data Collection

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Make CFA assignments for T1's.
   • Perform traffic analysis using Synchro/Simtraffic, HCS, and CLV
   • Validate CFA availability base on LEC/ILEC database query; retrieve DACs cross connects to validate CFA availability.
   • Print GIS maps for presentations.
   • Update Telco office records utilizing Visio.

   More transportation engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your transportation engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A transportation engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, transportation engineers' average salary in hawaii is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level transportation engineers earn 44% less than senior-level transportation engineers.
   • Certifications. A transportation engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a transportation engineer's salary.

   Average transportation engineer salary

   $68,945yearly

   $33.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level transportation engineer salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average transportation engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$93,890	$45
   2	Oregon	$76,832	$37
   3	Massachusetts	$76,178	$37
   4	New York	$75,054	$36
   5	Nevada	$71,362	$34
   6	Washington	$70,544	$34
   7	District of Columbia	$70,450	$34
   8	Missouri	$70,272	$34
   9	Colorado	$70,213	$34
   10	Illinois	$69,329	$33
   11	Virginia	$69,177	$33
   12	Arizona	$65,882	$32
   13	Florida	$65,416	$31
   14	North Carolina	$65,407	$31
   15	Ohio	$64,980	$31
   16	Louisiana	$64,946	$31
   17	Texas	$64,784	$31
   18	Montana	$64,481	$31
   19	Iowa	$63,967	$31
   20	Indiana	$63,045	$30

   Average transportation engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$124,868	$60.03
   2	Bon-Ton	$102,043	$49.06
   3	Ford Motor	$92,995	$44.71	6
   4	Booz Allen Hamilton	$90,322	$43.42	4
   5	Amazon	$88,563	$42.58	42
   6	Vertex	$82,690	$39.75
   7	Arvig	$81,269	$39.07
   8	McKesson	$80,875	$38.88	1
   9	DISH Network	$80,664	$38.78
   10	T-Mobile	$80,165	$38.54
   11	Interstate Batteries	$79,937	$38.43
   12	Regions Bank	$78,845	$37.91
   13	Iteris	$78,338	$37.66
   14	CDM Smith	$78,086	$37.54	102
   15	City Of Alexandria	$78,009	$37.50	1
   16	RS&H	$77,655	$37.33	100
   17	Spectrum	$77,197	$37.11
   18	Florida International University	$76,934	$36.99
   19	Parsons	$76,923	$36.98	107
   20	ICF	$76,796	$36.92

4. Writing a transportation engineer job description

   A job description for a transportation engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a transportation engineer job description:

   Transportation engineer job description example

   Apply Now
   
   Transportation Engineer Location: Thief River Falls, Maple Grove, MN; Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, ND; or Sioux Falls, SD;Years of Experience: 4+As an experienced Transportation Engineer at Houston Engineering, you lead a team of engineers to help plan and design safe, smooth and efficient roadway systems for communities across the Midwest. You will manage a variety of transportation projects with successful delivery from the environmental stage through construction while assuring designs are in accordance with Federal, State and Local specifications. You will also play an active role in growing and expanding transportation services.What You'll Do Every Day
   
   + Effectively lead project activities through the life cycle of projects.
   
   + Prepare or oversee detailed engineering analyses, schedules, technical reports, etc.
   
   + Collaborate and communicate effectively with project teams such as CAD designers, engineers, subcontractors to complete projects safely, on time, and with high quality.
   
   + Create and foster a project team culture of superior service for the customer.
   
   + Assist in client contact and communications.
   
   Education, Experience and Skills
   
   + Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or related Engineering degree.
   
   + Minimum of 4+ years of experience with state DOT and county highway projects preferred.
   
   + State Professional Engineer license or the ability to obtain with 6 months.
   
   + Experience operation AutoCAD, MicroStation, and/or Geopak preferred.
   
   + Valid driver's license with a good driving record.
   
   Benefits of Joining HEIIn addition to joining a full-service civil engineering, surveying, environmental and technology solutions consulting firm that's been providing services since 1968, you will enjoy competitive pay, annual bonuses, paid health, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, PTO, paid holidays, generous 401(k) Plan with potential company contributions totaling up to 15% of annual salary.Additionally, view our careers page to read about HEI being selected as one of the ENR top 500 design firms and as one of the PB 50 best places to work since 2014! EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability
   
   Department: Transportation
   
   This is a full time position
   
   Experience: 4+ Years

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right transportation engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with transportation engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit transportation engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your transportation engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit transportation engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with transportation engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new transportation engineer

   Once you've selected the best transportation engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new transportation engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a transportation engineer?