Public works, utilities, construction, engineering, and roadway-maintenance organizations regularly perform work that affects motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, employees, and nearby property owners.
Temporary Traffic Control—or TTC—provides the framework for managing road users through and around these work areas. Although many Florida employers still use the familiar term Maintenance of Traffic or MOT, the Florida Department of Transportation now refers to the program as Temporary Traffic Control.
Effective TTC requires more than placing a few cones and signs. It requires appropriate planning, trained personnel, suitable devices, field supervision, inspections, and adjustments when conditions change.
Employees working near moving traffic face conditions that can change quickly. Traffic volume, speed, visibility, weather, work activities, pedestrian access, equipment movement, and driver behavior can all affect the work zone.
Training helps personnel understand their assigned responsibilities, recognize problems, select and apply relevant standards, and communicate with others involved in the operation.
Training alone does not make a work zone safe. Employers must also provide appropriate equipment, supervision, planning, inspections, hazard controls, and enforcement of established procedures.
The FDOT Temporary Traffic Control Training Handbook establishes training and certification requirements for applicable personnel responsible for work-zone transportation management and temporary traffic control on streets and highways within the State Highway System right-of-way.
Local governments, project owners, employers, and contract documents may establish additional or related requirements for other roads and projects.
Completing a course does not, by itself, guarantee that an employer or project complies with every applicable requirement. Organizations must still ensure that:
Appropriately trained employees are better positioned to understand the responsibilities of flaggers, installers, supervisors, inspectors, designers, contractors, and project managers.
This shared foundation can help organizations coordinate work more effectively, identify setup problems, respond to changing conditions, and document required activities.
The actual operational or financial benefit will depend on how well training is supported by planning, equipment, supervision, procedures, and management follow-through.
FDOT recognizes three principal levels of responsibility: Flagger, Intermediate, and Advanced. Intermediate and Advanced certifications also have refresher courses.
The appropriate course is determined by the employee’s assigned duties—not simply a job title.
Flagger Training is for individuals responsible for controlling traffic using approved hand-signaling devices within a temporary traffic control zone.
Training includes applicable flagging principles and a required performance component using a STOP/SLOW paddle and emergency flag.
Tampa Bay Training conducts its approximately four-hour Flagger course onsite because participants must complete the required skills assessment.
Intermediate training is generally intended for personnel who:
The Intermediate course requires 16 hours of instruction, a written examination, and applicable workshop exercises.
Advanced training is intended for personnel with the authority and responsibility to make decisions about the specific TTC requirements to be implemented.
This can include:
The Advanced course requires 20 hours of instruction, a written examination, and applicable workshop exercises.
Intermediate and Advanced certifications are valid for four years. To renew through a refresher course, the participant must hold the corresponding current certification and successfully complete the refresher before it expires.
Each refresher course requires at least eight hours of instruction and includes the applicable written examination and class exercises.
If an Intermediate or Advanced certification expires before the participant successfully completes the refresher, the individual generally must complete the corresponding full course again. There is no general grace period.
Organizations should monitor expiration dates and schedule refresher training well before the final month.
Under the current FDOT program, Intermediate, Advanced, and their refresher courses require participants to:
A failing examination grade requires the participant to retake the same course before retesting.
Flagger Training includes a knowledge assessment and required demonstration of flagging skills.
Official Intermediate, Advanced, and refresher examination results are processed by the TTC Administrator. Participants should allow time after the course for grading, processing, and posting of the official record.
Under the FDOT program:
Employers should still confirm the appropriate certification based on the employee’s actual duties, the contract, the project owner, and the agency having jurisdiction.
Providing every employee with the highest available course is not always the best use of time or training funds. The better approach is to match the training level to the decisions and responsibilities assigned to the employee.
Public works and utility directors can manage TTC development more effectively by following a structured process.
Identify employees who flag traffic, place or remove devices, supervise work-zone activities, inspect TTC operations, develop plans, or make field decisions.
Use the FDOT handbook, project requirements, and job responsibilities to determine whether each employee needs Flagger, Intermediate, or Advanced training.
Track:
Schedule refresher training early enough to account for class availability and processing time.
Course completion should be followed by job-specific orientation, field supervision, appropriate procedures, and observation of employee performance.
Employees who need disability-related accommodations should contact the training provider as early as possible. Accommodation requests must be coordinated while preserving applicable FDOT attendance, identity-verification, exercise, skills, and examination requirements.
Tampa Bay Training is FDOT-approved TTC Provider #213 and provides five instructor-led courses:
Intermediate, Advanced, and refresher courses may be available through live-online or onsite instruction. Tampa Bay Training’s Flagger course is conducted onsite. Self-paced FDOT TTC certification training is not available through Tampa Bay Training.
Individuals and small groups can view upcoming classes and register through Eventbrite. Organizations can also request private FDOT TTC training for their employees.
For help reviewing training options or arranging a private class, contact:
Cindy Torres
Customer Service Manager
service@tampabaytraining.com
813-360-1526
Temporary traffic control training is one part of responsible work-zone management. When appropriate training is combined with planning, suitable equipment, field supervision, inspections, and accountability, organizations are better prepared to protect employees and serve the traveling public.
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