What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called airport engineer, civil transportation engineer, engineer and highway civil engineer.
$100,840
Median pay a year
367,840
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Transportation Engineer resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Transportation Engineer
1 certification
Summary
Transportation engineer developing plans for surface transportation projects, preparing designs and specifications, and planning modifications to enhance safety and traffic flow
Experience
Transportation Engineer
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Designed and prepared plans for new transportation systems, including highways and bridges
Checked construction plans and design calculations for accuracy and conformity to engineering standards
Prepared technical reports on traffic-operation matters, including safety measures and pedestrian volume
Planned modifications of existing transportation structures to enhance safety and functionality
Conferred with contractors and government agencies to discuss plans and work schedules
Inspected completed transportation projects to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations
Evaluated traffic control devices to determine the need for modification or expansion
Skills
Core Skills
Evaluating equipment characteristics, Preparing detailed work plans, Investigating environmental impact, Testing material characteristics, Estimating operational costs, Evaluating plans or specifications, Evaluating technical data, Evaluating designs and specifications, Developing software applications, Inspecting facilities or sites
Tools and software
Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D, Bentley MicroStation, Cubic Synchro Studio, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Bachelor's Degree Your college, Year
Certifications & Licenses
State license for this work Your state board, Year
Yours will not say this. It will say what you did, in your own words, and Rung writes it with you one question at a time.
Nothing to write from scratch
What to put on a Transportation Engineer resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Designed plans for new transportation systemsChecked construction plans for accuracy and completenessPrepared technical reports on traffic operationsPlanned modifications to improve safety of structuresConferred with contractors on project specificationsInvestigated traffic problems and recommended solutions
becomes
On your resume
Designed plans for new transportation systems, ensuring compliance with safety and operational standards
Prepared technical reports on traffic operations, analyzing data to identify trends and recommend improvements
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Add what improved because of your designs
The line
Designed plans for new transportation systems that reduced accidents in the designed areas
Add what improved because of your designs
Pick one that fits
Reduced accidents in the designed areasImproved traffic flow significantlyEnhanced safety for pedestrians and vehicles
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention what changed after your recommendations were made
The line
Prepared technical reports on traffic operations, analyzing data to identify trends and recommend improvements
Mention what changed after your recommendations were made
Pick one that fits
Increased efficiency in traffic managementHelped reduce congestion during peak hours
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
What it is made of
Skills for a Transportation Engineer resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Inspecting facilities or sites
Evaluating equipment characteristics
Preparing detailed work plans
Investigating environmental impact
Testing material characteristics
Estimating operational costs
Evaluating plans or specifications
Evaluating technical data
Evaluating designs and specifications
Developing software applications
Designing environmental control systems
Creating graphics of civil structures
The work itself
What a Transportation Engineer does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Develop plans for surface transportation projects, according to established engineering standards and state or federal construction policy. Prepare designs, specifications, or estimates for transportation facilities. Plan modifications of existing streets, highways, or freeways to improve traffic flow.
What it pays
How much does a Transportation Engineer make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$79,930
Median
$100,840
75th percentile
$129,680
About 367,840 people do this work in the United States.
This page is about the occupation Transportation Engineers. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.