What does a Transportation Planner do?

Prepare studies for proposed transportation projects. Day to day that includes work like define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities and Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.

What skills should a Transportation Planner put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Transportation Planner list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Autodesk AutoCAD. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Transportation Planner work?

O*NET records 12 titles for this occupation, including Planner, Program Officer, Transportation Data Programs Manager, and Transportation Analyst. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Transportation Planner need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 55% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Transportation Planner role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Transportation Planner resume example

A resume for a Transportation Planner needs to show the work itself: prepare studies for proposed transportation projects. Day to day that means work like this: define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities; participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Planner
Program Officer
Transportation Data Programs Manager
Transportation Analyst
Transportation Tech
Traffic Analyst
Transit Planner
Transportation Consultant
Transportation Designer
Transportation Management Consultant
Transportation Modeler
Transportation Technician

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.
Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.
Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.
Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.
Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.
Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.
Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.
Design transportation surveys to identify areas of public concern.
Collaborate with other professionals to develop sustainable transportation strategies at the local, regional, or national level.
Evaluate transportation project needs or costs.
Analyze information from traffic counting programs.

22 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
Bentley MicroStation
Caliper TransCAD
Citilabs Cube
Crash Mapping Analysis Tool CMAT
Dowling Associates TRAFFIX
ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcView
Geographic information system GIS software

42 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Blueprint machines
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computers
Photocopying equipment

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Geographic information system GIS systems
Caliper TransCAD
Citilabs Cube

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Complex Problem Solving
03Critical Thinking
04Reading Comprehension
05Speaking
06Writing
07Judgment and Decision Making
08Active Learning
09Systems Evaluation
10Coordination

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Transportation
English Language
Mathematics
Geography
Law and Government
Computers and Electronics
Administration and Management
Engineering and Technology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

55%Bachelor's Degree
45%Master's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Transportation Planner do?: Prepare studies for proposed transportation projects. Day to day that includes work like define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities and Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.
What skills should a Transportation Planner put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Transportation Planner list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Autodesk AutoCAD. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Transportation Planner work?: O*NET records 12 titles for this occupation, including Planner, Program Officer, Transportation Data Programs Manager, and Transportation Analyst. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Transportation Planner need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 55% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Transportation Planner role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.