US dataswitch to UK
Traffic Technicians
analyzing data related to traffic flow, providing technical supervision regarding traffic control devices to other traffic technicians or laborers and laying out pavement markings for striping crews. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI is already taking a real slice of the routine work here: preparing graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions. That is a slice of tasks, not of you.
That slice is not coming back; the core of the job, measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic, stays yours. The tools change, the responsibility doesn't.
Your week, as this page understands it
Conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors influencing traffic conditions, under direction of traffic engineer. The job title says “traffic technicians”. The real job is the part underneath: measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But traffic technicians is not one task. It is 23 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 31%
- changing shape
- 19%
- staying human
- 50%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 39 out of 100 (34–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 23 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for traffic technicians is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- 2 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
7 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Preparing work orders
This is reading one thing and writing another: work orders in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 81 out of 100 (77–85 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Work orders follow a set form filled from known job details.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Preparing graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions
This is reading one thing and writing another: graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Prepare graphs, charts, diagrams, or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Turning counts into charts and diagrams is exactly what data software does.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Analyzing data related to traffic flow
This is reading one thing and writing another: data in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Analyze data related to traffic flow, accident rates, or proposed development to determine the most efficient methods to expedite traffic flow.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 66 out of 100 (59–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Traffic flow and accident analysis follows documented methods over data already collected.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Gathering and compiling data from hand count sheets
This is reading one thing and writing another: data in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Gather and compile data from hand count sheets, machine count tapes, or radar speed checks and code data for computer input.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Keying count sheets and tape data into a computer is routine data entry.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Changing shape
5 tasksTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Interacting with the public to answer traffic-related questions
The software now makes the first pass at the public, but the part that matters is a person saying it and standing behind it. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Interact with the public to answer traffic-related questions, respond to complaints or requests, or discuss traffic control ordinances, plans, policies, or procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 53 out of 100 (46–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Standard answers draft easily, but complaints are settled by someone the caller feels heard by.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Planning, designing
The software now makes the first pass at components of traffic control systems, but someone has to be answerable for the result, and it cannot be the software. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Plan, design, and improve components of traffic control systems to accommodate current or projected traffic and to increase usability and efficiency.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Signal system design is engineering judgment a qualified engineer must stand behind.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Preparing drawings of proposed signal installations or other control devices
The software now makes the first pass at drawings of proposed signal installations, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Prepare drawings of proposed signal installations or other control devices, using drafting instruments or computer-automated drafting equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 50 out of 100 (43–57 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Drafting software produces usable installation drawings, but the technician still corrects the detail.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
11 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Studying factors affecting traffic conditions
This work happens in the physical world: factors affecting traffic conditions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Study factors affecting traffic conditions, such as lighting or sign and marking visibility, to assess their effectiveness.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 29 out of 100 (22–36 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Judging whether signs and lighting are actually visible means standing at the roadside.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Studying traffic delays by noting times of delays
This work happens in the physical world: traffic delays, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Study traffic delays by noting times of delays, the numbers of vehicles affected, and vehicle speed through the delay area.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The analysis is easy once collected, but the delay observations are made at the roadside.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic
This work happens in the physical world: the speed of vehicular traffic, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Measure and record the speed of vehicular traffic, using electrical timing devices or radar equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Radar speed checks require someone at the roadside pointing the equipment at traffic.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Show the other 13 tasks
Computing time settings for traffic signals or speed restrictions
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: time settings in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Compute time settings for traffic signals or speed restrictions, using standard formulas.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 88 out of 100 (84–92 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Signal timings come from published formulas, which software calculates accurately.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Providing traffic information, such as road conditions, to the public
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: traffic information in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Provide traffic information, such as road conditions, to the public.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (72–86 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Road condition updates are already pushed out automatically by traffic information systems.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Establishing procedures for street closures or for repair or construction projects
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: procedures in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Establish procedures for street closures or for repair or construction projects.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 66 out of 100 (59–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Street closure procedures follow published standards that software can draft from.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Developing plans or long-range strategies for providing adequate parking space
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at plans, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Develop plans or long-range strategies for providing adequate parking space.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 50 out of 100 (43–57 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Parking strategy needs local knowledge and politics, though software can model demand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reviewing traffic control or barricade plans to issue permits for parades or other special events or for construction work that affects rights of way
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at traffic control, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Review traffic control or barricade plans to issue permits for parades or other special events or for construction work that affects rights of way, providing assistance with plan preparation or revision, as necessary.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 49 out of 100 (42–56 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Checking event and roadworks plans against permit rules is document review software handles well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Operating counters and recording data to assess the volume
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: counters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Operate counters and record data to assess the volume, type, and movement of vehicular or pedestrian traffic at specified times.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Counting traffic with equipment at the roadside means being there while it happens.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Timing stoplights or other delays
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: stoplights, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Time stoplights or other delays, using stopwatches.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Timing lights with a stopwatch means standing at the intersection.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Visiting development or work sites to determine projects' effect on traffic and the adequacy of traffic control and safety plans or to suggest traffic control measures
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: development, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Visit development or work sites to determine projects' effect on traffic and the adequacy of traffic control and safety plans or to suggest traffic control measures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 13 out of 100 (6–20 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Judging a development’s effect on traffic starts with going to the site and looking.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing technical supervision regarding traffic control devices to other traffic technicians or laborers
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: technical supervision regarding traffic control devices, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Provide technical supervision regarding traffic control devices to other traffic technicians or laborers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Supervising crews on traffic devices means being with them on site.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Monitoring street or utility projects for compliance to traffic control permit conditions
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: street, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Monitor street or utility projects for compliance to traffic control permit conditions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (5–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Checking that a work site follows its permit conditions means visiting it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Laying out pavement markings for striping crews
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: pavement markings, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Lay out pavement markings for striping crews.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Marking out where the stripes go is done on the pavement.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Placing and securing automatic counters
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: automatic counters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Place and secure automatic counters, using power tools, and retrieve counters after counting periods end.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Installing and collecting counters is physical roadside work with tools.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Maintaining or making minor adjustments or field repairs to equipment used in surveys
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: minor adjustments, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Maintain or make minor adjustments or field repairs to equipment used in surveys, including the replacement of parts on traffic data gathering devices.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Field repairs to survey equipment need tools and hands.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $59,090a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 7,860in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: preparing graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions and preparing work orders. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where the speed of vehicular traffic gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Preparing graphs, charts, diagrams or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions is going; measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic is not.
So, given all that: 31% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 19% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 50% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 23 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.
This week: one thing
Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.
- What you end up holding
- your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
- How long it takes
- about twenty minutes
If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.
Over the next 90 days
Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.
Over the next 12 months
Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles measuring and recording the speed of vehicular traffic, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to traffic technicians (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators: only about 3% of its durable work is work you already do. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 39/100 here, with only 31% of the task list in the top band, and “interact with the public to answer traffic-related questions, respond to complaints or…” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already visit development or work sites to determine projects' effect on traffic and the…, and their equivalent is to control traffic. Across both published task lists that is about 3% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 3% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Crossing Guards and Flaggers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already operate counters and record data to assess the volume, type, and movement of…, and their equivalent is to guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as street and…. Across both published task lists that is about 2% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 2% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $38,100 against your $59,090, 35.5% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Civil Engineers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems, and their equivalent is to supervise the maintenance or repair of transportation systems or system components. Across both published task lists that is about 2% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 2% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 31% of its task weight, across 23 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The whole-job doom story
Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.
Panic-buying a course
Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Quality assurance technicians is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
The other groups this work is counted across:
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Quality assurance technicians, Science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. and Market research interviewers. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it
Nothing Collab365 runs is built for traffic technicians, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 31% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.
7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.
The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for traffic technicians. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for traffic technicians launches. Nothing else.
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No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Traffic Technicians?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 23 official task statements scored for Traffic Technicians (United States, SOC 53-6041), 31% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 39 out of 100 (range 34–45, band: low). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Traffic Technicians” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Prepare graphs, charts, diagrams, or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions” (93/100, very high); “Compute time settings for traffic signals or speed restrictions, using standard formulas” (88/100, very high); “Prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems” (81/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Traffic Technicians” stay human?
- About 50% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Maintain or make minor adjustments or field repairs to equipment used in surveys, including the replacement of parts on traffic data gathering devices” (0/100, minimal); “Measure and record the speed of vehicular traffic, using electrical timing devices or radar equipment” (0/100, minimal); “Place and secure automatic counters, using power tools, and retrieve counters after counting periods end” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Traffic Technicians” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 31% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 50% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Traffic Technicians calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 23 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
Worth knowing about these figures
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 2 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.