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Transportation Planners

SOC 19-3099.01Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers transportation planning practice from entry-level data support through executive leadership across regional, metropolitan, and statewide planning contexts involving multimodal systems, public engagement, quantitative modeling, and policy development.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Regional transportation data — collect and organize under direct supervision to support identification of local planning problems and priorities.
  2. Public meeting materials — assist in preparing and distributing to help explain planning proposals to affected community members.
  3. Draft planning reports — compile background sections and format data tables under senior planner guidance for internal review.
  4. Traffic modeling software outputs — interpret basic results with supervisor support to summarize travel demand patterns on assigned corridors.
  5. Geographic information systems — execute standard queries and produce map exhibits under direction for use in transportation studies.
  6. Land use and transportation databases — enter, verify, and retrieve records using database interfaces to maintain project data integrity.
  7. Spreadsheet tools — apply pre-built templates to organize traffic counts, demographic data, and project schedules as directed.
  8. Environmental and policy documents — read and summarize relevant sections to support senior planners conducting project impact analyses.
  9. Transportation planning terminology and regulations — demonstrate foundational knowledge of federal and state frameworks when supporting project teams.
  10. Meeting notes and correspondence — draft clear, accurate summaries of stakeholder discussions for planner review and project files.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Local and regional transportation problems — identify and frame priorities by synthesizing land use, demographic, and traffic data with reduced oversight.
  2. Public hearings and community meetings — participate as a presenter, explain planning proposals clearly, and capture feedback for integration into project documentation.
  3. Planning reports and recommendations — prepare complete draft documents, including analysis sections and supporting maps, for supervisor review and agency submission.
  4. Transportation design issues — coordinate with engineers to analyze technical constraints and propose viable solutions within established project parameters.
  5. Computer travel demand models — run scenario analyses using analytical software and validate outputs against observed traffic data on routine study corridors.
  6. GIS-based spatial analyses — develop thematic maps and perform network analyses to evaluate land use and transportation system relationships for active projects.
  7. Economic and population projections — apply standard methodologies to assess transportation system needs and inform preliminary project recommendations.
  8. Environmental impact assessments — review project-level analyses, identify data gaps, and contribute technical findings to NEPA or state-equivalent documentation.
  9. Stakeholder coordination — schedule and facilitate working group sessions, reconcile conflicting input, and maintain productive relationships across agency partners.
  10. Time and project resources — manage personal task schedules and deliverable timelines to meet milestone commitments on multi-phase planning studies.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Regional and local transportation planning problems — define scope, establish evaluation criteria, and lead problem-framing processes autonomously across complex, multi-modal study areas.
  2. Public engagement programs — design and lead hearings, workshops, and comment processes, adjusting communication strategies to build consensus among diverse stakeholder groups.
  3. Comprehensive planning reports — author technically rigorous documents with policy recommendations, integrating quantitative analysis, agency goals, and community input for decision-maker audiences.
  4. Complex transportation design issues — lead cross-disciplinary collaboration with engineers and planners, resolving non-routine technical conflicts and ensuring design solutions align with planning objectives.
  5. Transportation system improvements — develop and defend project recommendations grounded in long-range traffic, economic, land use, and demographic projections for regional plan adoption.
  6. Advanced travel demand and simulation models — build, calibrate, and apply custom computer models to address non-standard planning scenarios and evaluate policy alternatives.
  7. Multi-source data synthesis — integrate GIS, modeling outputs, environmental data, and policy information to produce authoritative analyses supporting corridor, subarea, or long-range plans.
  8. Regulatory and legal frameworks — interpret federal, state, and local transportation law and government requirements to ensure project compliance and advise agency decision-makers.
  9. Funding and programming cycles — evaluate project readiness, develop cost estimates, and prepare submissions for transportation improvement programs and grant applications.
  10. Emerging transportation technologies — assess autonomous vehicle, shared mobility, or multimodal innovation impacts on regional systems using active learning and systems evaluation approaches.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Regional transportation planning vision — establish long-range strategic priorities for metropolitan or statewide transportation systems, aligning investments with economic development and equity goals.
  2. Organizational planning practice — develop agency-wide methodologies, standards, and quality review processes that elevate the technical rigor of all planning products.
  3. Policy advocacy and legislative engagement — represent the organization before elected bodies, regulatory agencies, and federal partners, translating technical findings into actionable policy positions.
  4. High-stakes public engagement strategy — design and oversee comprehensive community involvement frameworks for major capital programs, ensuring equitable representation and durable stakeholder consensus.
  5. Cross-agency and intergovernmental coordination — lead multi-jurisdictional task forces to resolve transportation corridor conflicts, align planning horizons, and negotiate cooperative agreements.
  6. Next-generation modeling platforms — direct the acquisition, customization, and institutionalization of advanced analytical tools, including activity-based models and big-data analytics pipelines, across the planning division.
  7. Workforce and talent development — mentor and formally develop junior and mid-level planners, establishing career pathways and structured learning programs within the transportation planning unit.
  8. Capital program and budget leadership — oversee multi-year transportation improvement programs, set investment priorities, and ensure fiscal alignment with state and federal funding constraints.
  9. Innovation and research agenda — identify emerging trends in land use, mobility, and climate resilience, and commission applied research that advances regional planning practice.
  10. Organizational performance and accountability — define measurable outcomes for transportation system performance, establish monitoring frameworks, and report progress to executive leadership and governing boards.

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Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (ATSS) · Fleet Coordinator · Planner · Program Officer · Traffic Analyst · Transit Planner · Transportation Analyst · Transportation Consultant · Transportation Data Programs Manager · Transportation Designer · Transportation Logistics Analyst · Transportation Management Consultant
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
Active ListeningWritingSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSystems EvaluationActive LearningCoordinationSystems AnalysisMathematicsTime ManagementOperations AnalysisMonitoringLearning StrategiesSocial PerceptivenessPersuasionNegotiationService Orientation
Knowledge domains
TransportationEnglish LanguageMathematicsGeographyLaw and GovernmentComputers and ElectronicsAdministration and ManagementEngineering and TechnologyCustomer and Personal ServiceDesign
Abilities
Oral ComprehensionInductive ReasoningDeductive ReasoningFluency of IdeasWritten ExpressionOral ExpressionWritten ComprehensionVisualizationProblem SensitivityNear Vision
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityIntellectual CuriosityAchievement OrientationCooperationInnovation
Technology
Document management softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareDesktop publishing softwareComputer aided design CAD softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareGeographic information systemMap creation softwareData base user interface and query softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.
  2. 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.
  3. Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.
  4. Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
  5. Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.
  6. Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.
  7. Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.
  8. Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.
CIP education codes
03.020913.060113.060313.060413.060713.069916.019919.070230.050130.100130.110130.170130.210130.230130.260130.270130.330130.340130.400130.420130.440130.460130.470130.510144.050244.050345.010145.010245.010345.019945.050145.050245.059945.999951.3204

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.