Department of Transportation

Department of Transportation anchors a workforce of 3,805 employees, one of the biggest payrolls in state government.

The most common title is Highway Operations Technician 2 (4% of staff), followed by Assistant Engineer, Transportation and Highway Operations Technician Trainee. Median pay is $76,834, about 9% below the statewide median. About 81% of its employees are mapped to a civil service title specification, lower than most state agencies because it employs more agency-specific or unclassified roles.

Median tenure is 7.3 years, shorter than the statewide median of 9.6 years. CWA represents the largest share of its unionized workforce (about 56%).

About Department of Transportation

The Department of Transportation designs, builds and maintains the state highway system, its bridges and its traffic operations. It plans the capital program, manages construction contracts, and keeps the roads clear through winter.

The department runs two workforces at once. Highway operations technicians at several grades do the physical maintenance work, and their trainee grade is one of the more accessible entry points in state government. On the other side, assistant, senior and principal engineers carry the design and construction work, and the ladder between those engineering grades is one of the clearest career paths the state publishes. Electrical mechanics and construction and maintenance technicians cover the trades. IFPTE represents a much larger share of this department than of most others, because trades and inspection titles concentrate here.

Who works here

Ranked by headcount, these are the jobs that make up most of this agency's payroll. Follow any title through to its specification for the duties and requirements behind it.

• Highway Operations Technician 2156 employees
  4.1% of staff · median $58,133 · IFPTE
• Assistant Engineer, Transportation130 employees
  3.4% of staff · median $78,490 · CWA
• Highway Operations Technician Trainee126 employees
  3.3% of staff · median $45,453 · IFPTE
• Senior Engineer Transportation120 employees
  3.2% of staff · median $93,360 · CWA
• Principal Engineer, Transportation118 employees
  3.1% of staff · median $107,301 · CWA
• Electrical Mechanic100 employees
  2.6% of staff · median $59,678
• Construction And Maintenance Technician 198 employees
  2.6% of staff · median $58,145 · IFPTE
• Automotive Mechanic90 employees
  2.4% of staff · median $67,230 · IFPTE
• Engineer Trainee, Transportation85 employees
  2.2% of staff · median $69,075 · CWA
• Senior Executive Service83 employees
  2.2% of staff · median $169,231
• Crew Supervisor, Highway Operations71 employees
  1.9% of staff · median $83,050 · CWA
• Administrative Analyst 367 employees
  1.8% of staff · median $104,457 · CWA

At least 100 distinct titles appear on this agency's payroll. The 12 largest are listed above. Senior Executive Service is a catch-all title used for very different jobs across agencies, so the median pay shown against it covers a wide mix of roles and does not describe a single position.

Titles you will not find elsewhere

A useful way to read an agency is by what only it employs. 64 titles on this roster are held overwhelmingly here, including 60 that exist nowhere else in state government.

• Highway Operations Technician 2all 156 statewide
  only at this agency
• Assistant Engineer, Transportationall 130 statewide
  only at this agency
• Highway Operations Technician Traineeall 126 statewide
  only at this agency
• Senior Engineer Transportationall 120 statewide
  only at this agency
• Principal Engineer, Transportationall 118 statewide
  only at this agency
• Electrical Mechanicall 100 statewide
  only at this agency
• Construction And Maintenance Technician 1all 98 statewide
  only at this agency
• Engineer Trainee, Transportationall 85 statewide
  only at this agency

Concentration is measured against the same payroll file, comparing this agency's headcount in a title with the statewide headcount in that title.

How pay is spread

Median pay on its own hides how wide an agency's ladder is. These are the quartiles, set against the same points in the statewide distribution.

The middle half of this agency's employees earn between $58,818 and $99,717, a ratio of 1.70 between the two quartiles. State government as a whole sits at 1.80, so this agency's pay is bunched more tightly than average, which tends to happen where one or two large titles carry most of the staff.

• Lowest recorded salary$28,000
• Lower quartile$58,818
  statewide $62,428
• Median salary$76,834
  statewide $84,548
• Upper quartile$99,717
  statewide $112,646
• Highest recorded salary$164,122

Based on 3,505 salaried records, with 63 statistical outliers excluded from the quartile calculation.

Union representation

Bargaining unit representation across the agency. The unit a title falls into determines which salary schedule it is paid from.

• CWA2,122 employees
  55.8% of the agency
• IFPTE1,222 employees
  32.1% of the agency
• IBEW26 employees
  0.7% of the agency
• AFSCME2 employees
  0.1% of the agency

Union coverage is identifiable for 89% of this agency's payroll records. The remainder are unclassified, exempt or managerial positions that sit outside a bargaining unit.

How long people stay

The length of service profile below is worth reading alongside the pay figures, because a long-tenured workforce sits higher on its step ladders.

Half of this agency's employees have been on the state payroll longer than 7.3 years, well short of the statewide median of 9.6. 42% joined within the last five years, and 21% have twenty years or more behind them.

• Under 5 years1,541 employees
  41.5% of those with a hire date
• 5 to 10 years702 employees
  18.9% of those with a hire date
• 10 to 15 years541 employees
  14.6% of those with a hire date
• 15 to 20 years167 employees
  4.5% of those with a hire date
• 20 to 25 years372 employees
  10.0% of those with a hire date
• 25 years or more389 employees
  10.5% of those with a hire date

Hire dates are present for 3,712 of this agency's 3,805 payroll records.

Overtime

2,049 employees here recorded overtime, 53.9% of the agency, against 29.6% across state government. Agencies that have to cover a post around the clock always sit above that line.

Together they were paid $18,955,241 in overtime, averaging $9,251 for each employee who earned any. Overtime is not part of the salary figures elsewhere on this page, which report base pay.

• Employees with recorded overtime2,049
• Share of the agency53.9%
• Total overtime paid$18,955,241
• Average per employee earning it$9,251

Civil service coverage

81% of this agency's payroll records carry a title that matches a published civil service specification. The rest are unclassified, exempt or agency-specific positions filled outside the competitive examination process, so the standard exam and eligible list route covers most but not all of the jobs here.

• Records matched to a specification3,085
• Records with no matching specification720
• Distinct civil service titles on the roster100 or more

Where it sits among state agencies

By headcount this is the 8th largest of the 39 payroll lines in New Jersey state government, holding 5.2% of the state workforce.

These are the agencies closest to it in size, which makes them the fairest comparison for pay and tenure.

• Department of Human Services6,433 employees
  median $72,427
• Department of Environmental Protection4,647 employees
  median $86,027
• Department of Treasury3,666 employees
  median $82,173
• Department of Labor3,249 employees
  median $77,144

Study guides for this exam

• Civil Service Arithmetic National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Civil Service Grammar and Usage National Learning Corporation · $34.95
• Civil Service Administration, Management and Supervision National Learning Corporation · $55.95
• Clerical, Office & Administrative Support Positions (COAST) (Career Examination) National Learning Corporation · $39.95
• Logical Reasoning National Learning Corporation · $29.95
• In-Basket Examination National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• GRAPHS, CHARTS AND TABLES (Tabular Material) National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Abstract Reasoning / Spatial Relations National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• CIVIL SERVICE READING COMPREHENSION (General Aptitude and Abilities Series) (Passbooks) National Learning Corporation · $39.95 · general prep, not specific to this title

The Civil Service Commission does not publish official study guides or release past tests. These are independent equivalency guides.

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