How To Become A Transportation Planner: What It Is and Career Path

What is a transportation planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Transportation planners are responsible for developing and incorporating transportation strategies to meet the needs of all road users. This includes drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Your work is to promote efficiency, safety, and environmental progress. You are expected to perform tasks such as developing solutions to road problems like traffic congestion, designing research and survey techniques for transport systems, analyzing transportation data, and interpreting them. You will also work to prepare and publish transportation proposals for relevant authorities.

As a Transportation Planner, your duty may also include designing traffic flow using computer applications and mathematical techniques. Furthermore, you are expected to stay current about government transport and planning policy and may be required to act as an expert witness during public inquiries.

To work as a transportation planner, you are required to have a bachelor's degree in either civil engineering, environmental science, town planning, geography, or in a related field. However, a master's degree in transport planning may boost your chances in this position. Having a chartered status with a recognized professional body like the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), or the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) may also be necessary. A teamwork spirit, excellent communication skills, analytical and numerical skills are some of the helpful skills for this position. The average annual salary for this position is about $66,010 per year.

ScoreTransportation PlannerUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $68,983

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.79%

Asian 9.52%

Black or African American 4.83%

Hispanic or Latino 12.67%

Unknown 4.68%

White 67.51%

Gender

female 39.35%

male 60.65%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a transportation planner

Explore transportation planner education requirements

Most common transportation planner degrees

Bachelor's

65.7 %

Master's

18.3 %

Associate

10.4 %

Start to develop specific transportation planner skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	9.75%
GIS	9.47%
Project Management	7.16%
Corridor	5.84%
Logistics	5.63%

Research transportation planner duties and responsibilities

Manage the carrier scorecard, ensuring using proper mode, SCAC code, tending vs acceptance ratio and other KPI's.
Manage the account by performing detail cost/benefit analysis and WMS analysis.
Prepare and provide dispatch information to suppliers and freight forwarders, so cargo pick-up can be arrange.
Provide extensive interaction and communication with freight forwarders and customs brokers globally.

Prepare your transportation planner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your transportation planner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a transportation planner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable transportation planner resume templates

Build a professional transportation planner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your transportation planner resume.