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What does a transportation engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Karen Panetta Ph.D.

Transportation engineers are also known as civil engineers who are responsible for planning, designing, and operating roadway construction and maintenance and modifications of existing streets, highways, or freeways to improve traffic flow for the safety and efficiency of transportation systems. Such a job requires knowledge and skills in transportation and traffic management systems technology and applications to be able to plan, design, develop, and maintain traffic systems and processes including traffic lights more efficiently and effectively.

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Transportation engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real transportation engineer resumes:

  • 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.
  • Compile survey data and produce GIS map.
  • Deploy Alcatel ADM/TM equipment and Rockwell 3X50 optical transmission terminals.
  • Produce corridor evaluation EIR reports including both LRT and BRT options.
  • Maintain network design diagrams and IP assignment database up to date.
  • Provide BOM, with advance ordering for long lead time equipment.
  • Work with OSP construction to overbuild fiber that are at capacity.
  • Review and notate on all interchange access request documents for FDOT D6.
  • Work with OSP construction to add laterals into buildings for new customers.
  • Used Geopak and MicroStation extensively in the design process to determine new alignments.

Transportation engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Transportation Engineers are proficient in Autocad, Cost Estimates, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Speaking skills.

We break down the percentage of Transportation Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Autocad, 9%

    Created and modified AutoCAD engineering drawings for LaGuardia Airport Conduit Externalization Project.

  • Cost Estimates, 8%

    Developed and produced final contract documents including plans, specifications, cost estimates and special provisions for municipalities and state agencies.

  • Project Management, 6%

    Plan development included project management, transportation systems analysis, traffic forecasting, project prioritization, public involvement, and documentation.

  • Roadway Design, 6%

    Performed quantity calculations for roadway design.

  • Transportation Projects, 5%

    Performed environmental documentation and permitting for numerous transportation projects.

  • CAD, 5%

    Create and prepare CAD drawings for accurate placing of conduits, pull boxes, and electrical wiring for street lighting.

Common skills that a transportation engineer uses to do their job include "autocad," "cost estimates," and "project management." You can find details on the most important transportation engineer responsibilities below.

Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling transportation engineer duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." According to a transportation engineer resume, here's how transportation engineers can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "provide technical direction and organizational leadership for "start-up" the highway design division of a locally based engineering firm. "

Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for transportation engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of transportation engineers all the time, as "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." An excerpt from a real transportation engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a transportation engineer does: "designed and provided technical assistance in drainage design, resolution of drainage complaints, hydraulics evaluations and other hydrology matters. "

Math skills. While "math skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to transportation engineer responsibilities. Much of what a transportation engineer does relies on this skill, seeing as "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of transportation engineers: "established design criteria and analyzed signalized and roundabout geometry using sidra and synchro in accordance with edsm. "

Most common transportation engineer skills

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Compare different transportation engineers

Transportation engineer vs. Traffic designer

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. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

The annual salary of traffic designers is $15,762 lower than the average salary of transportation engineers.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both transportation engineer and traffic designer positions are skilled in cost estimates, inroads, and mutcd.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a transportation engineer are more likely to require skills like "autocad," "project management," "roadway design," and "transportation projects." On the other hand, a job as a traffic designer requires skills like "traffic signals," "design traffic signal," "auto cad," and "construction plan." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, traffic designers reach lower levels of education than transportation engineers. Traffic designers are 9.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Transportation engineer vs. 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. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.

A career as a engineer brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a transportation engineer. In fact, engineers salary is $23,132 higher than the salary of transportation engineers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Transportation engineers and engineers both require similar skills like "cost estimates," "project management," and "cad" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, transportation engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "autocad," "roadway design," "transportation projects," and "highway design." Meanwhile, an engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Engineers earn a higher average salary than transportation engineers. But engineers earn the highest pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $97,672. Additionally, transportation engineers earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $75,108 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than transportation engineers. In fact, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for transportation engineers in the next 3-5 years?

Karen Panetta Ph.D.Karen Panetta Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University

Robotics and any technology that helps alleviate human contact to reduce the spread of disease. Robotics have been typically very expensive and used for space exploration or manufacturing, but we will see more applications of specific application-based robots in our everyday lives. This includes disinfecting robots, health monitoring robots in schools and community spaces and delivery services.
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.

Transportation engineer vs. Structures engineer

A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.

An average structures engineer eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of transportation engineers. The difference in salaries amounts to structures engineers earning a $4,446 higher average salary than transportation engineers.Using the responsibilities included on transportation engineers and structures engineers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "cost estimates," "project management," and "cad.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, transportation engineers are more likely to have skills like "autocad," "roadway design," "transportation projects," and "highway design." But a structures engineer is more likely to have skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "risa," and "aci."

Structures engineers earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $81,360. Comparatively, transportation engineers have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $75,108.Most structures engineers achieve a higher degree level compared to transportation engineers. For example, they're 6.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Transportation engineer vs. Civil engineer

Civil engineers average a higher salary than the annual salary of transportation engineers. The difference is about $2,005 per year.While their salaries may vary, transportation engineers and civil engineers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "cost estimates," "project management," and "roadway design. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between transportation engineers and civil engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a transportation engineer might have more use for skills like "autocad," "transportation projects," "cad," and "highway design." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of civil engineers require skills like "civil 3d," "engineering design," "engineering projects," and "site development. "

In general, civil engineers earn the most working in the construction industry, with an average salary of $76,163. The highest-paying industry for a transportation engineer is the government industry.The average resume of civil engineers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to transportation engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.

Types of transportation engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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