Traffic Technician

Role Overview

Traffic Technicians serve as vital members of the Canadian Armed Forces, tasked with orchestrating and overseeing the movement of military equipment and personnel across local, regional, national, and international theaters. Employing all transportation modes, they ensure operational efficiency in deploying resources to support exercises and missions, functioning within coordinated teams and established or custom-built supply chains.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and document transportation paperwork related to cargo and personnel movements.
• Coordinate and supervise loading and unloading operations for cargo, personnel, and baggage across military and commercial transport platforms including road, rail, air, and sea.
• Handle dangerous goods processing ensuring safety and compliance.
• Prepare and manage customs documentation while liaising with relevant authorities.
• Operate military vehicles and equipment used in material handling.
• Oversee transportation contracts, invoice processing, and maintain detailed financial records.

Work Environment

Traffic Technicians operate in diverse settings such as warehouses, offices, terminals, field locations, and flying squadrons both domestically and internationally. The role may involve shift work in a variety of environments including isolated posts and extreme climates.

Regular Force members, after completing training, receive placements at bases with a possibility of relocation encased in limited flexibility. Primary Reserve members serve within specific reserve units part-time, generally working one night weekly plus some weekends without obligatory relocation, while retaining potential for full-time roles and deployment.

Entry Requirements and Training

Applicants must have finished the provincial grade 10 (or Secondary 4 in Quebec) education standard or possess equivalent foreign credentials.

Initial training begins with the Basic Military Qualification at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, focusing on fundamental military skills and physical fitness. Further specialized instruction for Traffic Technicians occurs at the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre and spans approximately 12 weeks covering:

• Training for vehicle operation, maintenance, and material handling equipment.
• Skills in forklift and container mover operation.
• Movement of cargo via road, rail, sea, and air.
• Aircraft loading principles for fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
• Planning rail loads and compliance with customs and international transport regulations.
• Passenger processing, financial record keeping, and document management related to transportation activities.

Traffic Technicians may qualify as Loadmasters on various military aircraft including CC130H/J Hercules, CC150 Airbus, CC177 Globemaster, and CH147F Chinook after qualification in core skills and aircraft-specific training.

Advanced qualifications are available for experienced Traffic Technicians in areas such as dangerous cargo handling, helicopter sling operations, ship loading, tactical airlift support, and aerial delivery techniques.

Part-Time Opportunities

The role is accessible for part-time engagement in the Primary Reserve, allowing individuals to serve near their communities while balancing civilian employment or education. Reserve members train equivalently to Regular Force members and may volunteer for full-time service or deployments.

Related Military Occupations

• Vehicle Technician
• Materiel Management Technician
• Postal Clerk