Traffic management plays an important role in the different destinations that face a big volume of traffic like airports, streets, and retails. A traffic agent who organizes the traffic and offers the required assistance to the public becomes indispensable. Also, the traffic agent is available on roads.
To know all the details about the traffic agent job description you must be aware about the job duties and responsibilities of the traffic agent, and the needed skills. You will find all of this data during reading this article.
Table of contents
What is a traffic agent?
The traffic agent is responsible for managing the traffic to organize the traffic flow in the right way. We found the traffic agent generally in the airport receives a thousand people daily at the same time and their role is to organize the traffic in the right manner that facilitates the traffic and the experience of the visitor on site.
The traffic agent works also in giving all the support for the visitors by offering to them all the required information.
The traffic agent on roads works also to maintain the roads circulation, maintain the respect of the law and issue warnings in case of violation.
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Traffic agent in roads and airport job description
The job description of the traffic agent is to communicate with the public or the visitor in order to offer to them all the required information to maintain the stability and the flow of the traffic.
Also, the traffic agent deals with the different sorts of traffic to organize the circulation in a smooth way without the minimum risk.
What does a traffic agent do?
The traffic agent has multiple tasks and duties to do on a daily basis, these responsibilities are translated based on your workplaces. Let’s list all these responsibilities based on the traffic agent job description in the airport:
- Do all the check-in process
- Offer to the passenger the different services.
- Able to communicate with the passengers.
- Do all the required steps during passengers’ check-in based on the class and the destination.
- Insert the baggage tags as per the category of the flight.
- Print the name label and stickers.
- Print the boarding cards to each passenger.
- The traffic agent works to announce the flight arrival, departure, delay and boarding.
- Handle all the passenger requirements and answer their questions concerning the departure, the arrival or the boarding for any flight.
- Coordinate with the security officers to open the gate on the specified time.
- Check the boarding cards and the tickets of the passengers.
- Collects the bulky hand baggage.
- Announce the gate related to the boarding and the flight.
- In case of delay, inform the passenger about the new schedule and the delay reason.
- Serve meals and refreshments to the passengers in case of delay.
- Attend passengers during delays.
- Update the airport notice display with the new schedule.
- In case of a medical emergency, the traffic agent should provide the needed medical support and attention for the passenger.
From the other side, the traffic agent is also available on the roads to organize the traffic to offer smooth circulation. Let’s know all the duties of the traffic agent in the roads:
- Ensure that the circulation of the roads is smooth to help the cars move safely.
- Check the driver’s license.
- Make sure that the parking regulations are applied.
- Do the necessary actions in case of illegal parking.
- Issue warning, if the traffic agent found an illegal parking.
- Help the traffic acceleration in case of accidents, peak time or road works, also help the emergency rescue workers circulate safely and fast to arrive at the accident site.
- Write a report daily including the problems faced during the day. Also, the traffic agent writes his recommendations to avoid this problem again.
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Traffic agent demographics
The traffic agent job description forms a balance between males and females. In the case of traffic agents in the airport, you will find the females the dominant. And the traffic agents in the roads, the males are the category the most hired on this job title in comparison with the females. But the females also have the chance to work as a traffic agent in roads.
Top skills for a traffic agent
The traffic agent must have some important skills to be able to do his work in the right manner. Between these skills, we could find:
- Public relations skills: knowing the basics of the public relation will make you the best candidate for this job description, as you should get in contact with the public while respecting the public relations basics.
- Communication skills: having excellent communication skills is important as a traffic agent because you have to communicate with the different visitors.
- Language skills: you have to know many languages, especially the English language. If you are a traffic agent in the airport, you will need to talk with the passenger with their language or at least with the English language, so the language is a must for a traffic agent in the airport.
- Hospitality: Having the hospitality skills at the traffic agent in the airport will make you the best candidate ever for the airport hiring department. As you will be the facade of the country for the tourists, you must offer to them a warm greeting with a nice smile to make them satisfied.
- Customer service: one of the most important skills as you will face multiple problems during the day and you should offer the customer the suitable service at the fastest time to solve their problems and provide to them the needed support.
- Problem solver: to find the best solutions for each situation.
- Organization: you face a massive traffic; your role is to organize this traffic and make the circulation smoother and easier.
- Listening skills: as a traffic agent, you will get in contact with multiple visitors and the public, they will ask you to help them in their problem, so your role is listen to them carefully to be able to offer to them the reasonable solution that fits with their situation immediately.
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How to become a Traffic agent
To become a traffic agent, you must acquire some points to meet the requirements of the employers.
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College/training provider
Having a bachelor degree isn’t important to be a traffic agent, a high school degree is suitable with this job description. In some countries, there is a specific training, diploma, or certificate to let you become a traffic agent on the roads, like a college of traffic agents in the USA to be able to know all the criminal situations and how to deal with them.
On the other hand, as a traffic agent in the airport, you could have a bachelor of public relations or any training about customer service, hospitality.
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Apprenticeship
Each job title should have a training period, during this period, you will learn all the information about this job and how to do this job based on the system adopted in each company or country.
The training of the traffic agent on routes is taken from the Police Academy. And the duration of this training is about 12 to 14 weeks.
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Work experience
To work as a traffic agent, there is no work experience needed, an experience will be a plus but not a must. But you should have the right skills and certificates that make you the best candidates.
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Skills
As we mentioned before, the skills needed in the traffic agent, but let’s highlight the fact that the traffic agent in the routes or in the airport must have some skills personal and professional to make him able to deliver his work duties in the right manner.
Generally, you should be organized, with excellent communication skills, also, thinker to find the right solutions and supportive to support your visitors on their requirements.
Traffic agent job features
Being a traffic agent, you have some additional features especially the traffic agent in routes. You will be covered by law. Also, you will have the authority in the enforcement but from a narrow scoop to enforce violations.
On the other hand, if you look for the disadvantages, the traffic agent works during weekends, vacation and public holidays. Also, there are no fixed hours.
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Warning
As a traffic agent, you could issue traffic warning, tickets and citations in case of any violation of the applied law. Generally, during issuing a warning, you will need to assist police officers.
Considerations
To become a traffic agent, you have to finalize the specified training. This training is generally provided by the police academy, to make you aware about all the regulations, procedures and actions to fill the traffic agent job description, duties and responsibilities in a right manner.
Average salary for a traffic agent
The average salary of the traffic agent is about $46,716 per year based on your experience.
What are the working hours of the traffic agent?
The working hours of the traffic agent in roads or the traffic agent in airports aren’t specified, as you have to provide the services to the public during the 24 hours. So. You will work on a rotational basis. Also, concerning the vacation, you will find yourself at work during the weekends, the holidays and the public holiday.
In conclusion, the traffic agent job description appears as a simple job, but there isn’t an easy job. It has advantages and disadvantages, if you could deal with these disadvantages and you found yourself in this job position. So, start now to take the required training and start your career to grow on it. The Traffic Agent is a job that we found on routes and in the airport, choose the suitable one, and proceed your career path now!