Traffic Technician

Canadian Armed Forces; Petawawa; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Canadian Armed Forces seeks Traffic Technicians to manage equipment and personnel movements. This full-time role requires logistics expertise, including planning, executing, and documenting transportation operations both domestically and globally. Ideal candidates will have a high school education and the ability to adapt to various operational environments.

Qualifications

• Grade 10 completion required.
• Knowledge of customs processes and dangerous goods handling essential.
• Ability to operate various transport modes and manage documentation.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage the loading and offloading of cargo and personnel.
• Prepare and process transportation documents.
• Operate military vehicles and handle dangerous cargo.

Skills

Transportation Management

Customs Documentation

Dangerous Goods Handling

Logistics Coordination

Education

Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec

Tools

Military Vehicles

Materiel Handling Equipment

Job description

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

In Demand

As a member of the military, Traffic Technicians plan, execute and manage the movement of all Canadian Armed Forces equipment and personnel.

As a member of the military, Traffic Technicians plan, execute and manage the movement of all Canadian Armed Forces equipment and personnel. They use all modes of transport from any local, regional, national or international location in support of all Canadian Armed Forces Exercises and Operations. Traffic technicians operate in teams in existing or fabricated supply chains.

The primary responsibilities of Traffic Technicians are to:

• Prepare, process, record and account for all transportation documents and forms relating to cargo/equipment and personnel movements
• Plan, administer, execute and manage the loading and offloading of cargo/equipment, personnel and baggage from military and commercial road, rail, air and maritime transport vehicles
• Dangerous cargo processing
• Customs documentation and liaison
• Operate military vehicles and materiel handling equipment, and
• Process transportation contracts, invoices and maintain financial records

Work environment

Traffic Technicians work in warehouses, offices, terminals, the field and flying squadrons in Canada and around the world in support to Canadian Armed Forces operations. They may be required to work shifts and be employed in both established and isolated locations with extreme climates and conditions.

If you chose a career in theRegular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

MASTER CORPORAL REESE PATON: I’m Master Corporal Reese Paton from London, Ontario. I’m a Traffic Technician posted at 450 Squadron at CFB Petawawa.

Traffic Technicians play a key support role in the Canadian Armed Forces, organizing the transport of materiel, equipment and personnel around the world using every mode of transport.

PATON: Let’s say you have a parcel you want to deliver. So what you do is you’ll write up all the paperwork – what’s inside, where it needs to go – then you’ll present it to us. That’s when the Traff Techs step in. The Traff Techs are going to do up the waybills, they’re going to do all the customs paperwork, the dangerous goods paperwork, they’re going to make sure it goes to where it needs to be – either by road, or by air, sea, or by train.

These technicians help to move everyone and everything – be it helicopters, vehicles, ammunition, humanitarian relief supplies, or people. They are responsible for the safe processing of dangerous commodities and handle all customs documentation and liaison.

PATON: There’s a lot of office work and there’s a lot of physical work involved. When you’re in the office, you’re doing the paperwork, you’re making sure everything’s legal, there’s customs, dangerous goods. When you start working with your hands, that’s when you’re loading stuff on an aircraft palette, loading stuff on the back of a truck, loading stuff on the back of a train.

Traffic Technicians work across Canada and internationally to coordinate the movement of materials and people back and forth. That could mean shipping a Leopard tank by rail, packing weapons on a helicopter, or sending troops by air to their destination.

They operate military vehicles and specialized loading equipment. They often travel to exotic locations around the world in support of military operations, and are typically among the first ones on the ground to set up a military operation with supplies and equipment.

PATON: At 450 Squadron, I’m employed as a loadmaster. My job is to deal with passengers, to deal with internal cargo, to deal with paperwork, customs – also responsible for checking slung loads. Slung loads is what we use underneath the aircraft, so if we lift up a C-can, or we lift up a big artillery gun.

Traffic Techs carefully plan and coordinate each mission to ensure the Canadian Armed Forces can operate anywhere in the world.

PATON: The best part of the job – we get to do stuff that civilians normally don’t get to do. For example, for me, being a Chinook loadmaster, doing door gunnery, being able to shoot a weapon from a moving aircraft, probably the best part of my job.

The other part of the job I love is being able to travel the world, see interesting people, interesting cultures, and all being paid by the Queen.

On completion of their training, Traffic Technicians are posted to an operational unit to directly support the Royal Canadian Navy, the army or the Royal Canadian Air Force. As they gain experience, Traffic Techs can pursue advanced training in dangerous cargo handling, helicopter operations, tactical airlift support, as well as ship loading and stowage among other specialized skills.

Traffic Techs are also employed as loadmasters on military transport aircraft. This specialty qualification enables Traffic Techs to fly as aircrew on aircraft like the CC-177 Globemaster and the CH-147F Chinook helicopter.

PATON: Being a Traff Tech, you need to be knowledgeable, and you need to be able to work on your feet. You also need to be able to adapt and overcome certain scenarios that pop up that’ll change everything.

PATON: If I were to tell you why you should become a Traff Tech: 1- you get to travel the world. 2- you get to travel the world with unique and fun friends. Third: you get to travel on the back of military aircraft, you get to do deployments here and there, you get tours here and there. I have tons and tons of stories with day-to-day events and with being on deployments that I get to carry and pass on to my grandchildren. And at the end of the day, we get to be a part of history, not necessarily just at home, but abroad.

The minimum required education to apply for this job is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec.