Flagger Job Description: Duties, Certification, Template & Pay (2026)
A flagger stands between moving traffic and a work crew, holding a paddle, for eight to twelve hours. This page has a flagger job description template you can copy, what the certification actually requires, and the two facts a posting has to state about a job whose real hazard is other people's driving.
What a flagger does
A flagger controls traffic through or around a work zone so that a crew can work and the public can pass without either being hurt. Federal data does not break flaggers out as their own occupation — most sit inside construction labourers or highway maintenance workers — but the job is distinct and should be described as one.
Set up the work zone. Placing advance warning signs, cones, drums, barricades and the taper at the distances the traffic control plan specifies. Most of the safety of the day is decided before anyone picks up a paddle.
Control traffic. Working the STOP/SLOW paddle, coordinating with the flagger at the other end of the lane by radio, managing one-lane alternating flow, releasing queues, and letting emergency vehicles and haul trucks through.
Read the traffic. Watching for the driver who is not slowing, positioning with an escape route, keeping a clear line of sight and staying visible. This is the part experience buys and it is the part that matters.
Protect the crew. Being the person who sees the intrusion first and warns everyone else.
Break down. Recovering the signs and devices in reverse order, which is statistically one of the more dangerous parts of the day.
Flagger job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and delete what does not apply. It is written for a traffic control company or a highway contractor; the customization section covers utility work, municipal crews, night work and flagger-to-technician progression.
Job title
Flagger [/ Traffic Control Flagger / Traffic Control Technician] — [Company], [City, ST] — [$00.00/hr] — [We certify you]
Summary
[Company name] is hiring flaggers for [highway, utility and municipal] work zones across [territory]. You will set up and break down traffic control and control traffic through active work zones on a crew of [0]. Days start at [5:30am] at the yard and run [8–12] hours, [Monday–Friday] with [some weekends and night work]. Pay is [$00.00–$00.00] an hour [plus [$0.00] for night work], with overtime after [40] hours. [No experience needed — we pay for your [state / ATSSA] flagger certification and train you on a crew.]
Responsibilities
- Set up advance warning signs, cones, drums and tapers per the traffic control plan and [MUTCD]
- Control traffic with a STOP/SLOW paddle and hand signals; maintain radio contact with the opposite flagger
- Manage one-lane alternating flow, queues and pilot car operations
- Maintain an escape route, clear sight lines and high-visibility positioning at all times
- Watch for and warn the crew about vehicle intrusions and unsafe drivers
- Allow emergency vehicles, haul trucks and equipment through safely
- Break down and recover devices in the correct sequence at the end of the shift
- Inspect signs, paddles, radios, vests and PPE and report damaged equipment
- Complete daily work zone and incident documentation
Requirements
- [18] or older with a valid driver's licence [and reliable transport to the yard for a [5:30am] start]
- [State / ATSSA] flagger certification [— or willingness to complete our paid course before your first shift]
- Able to stand and walk for [8–12] hours in all weather
- Able to lift [50] lbs when setting and recovering devices
- Able to pass a drug screen [and DOT physical where required]
Preferred
- Previous traffic control, construction or utility experience
- [Current [state] certification]
- [OSHA 10], [first aid and CPR], [flagger instructor certification]
- [Class B CDL for pilot car or device truck — [$0.00]/hr differential]
- [Bilingual Spanish and English]
Pay and benefits
- [$00.00–$00.00] an hour, paid [weekly], with overtime after [40] hours
- [Night and weekend differential of [$0.00]/hr]
- [We pay for flagger certification and renewal]
- [High-visibility gear, rain gear, cold-weather gear and boots provided]
- [Health, dental and vision after [00] days], [401(k)], [PTO and paid holidays]
- [Progression to lead flagger, traffic control technician and supervisor — [$00.00] at each step]
- [Prevailing wage on [state DOT] projects]
How to apply
[Apply here / text FLAG to 00000 / walk in to [address] before [9am]]. We reply within [24] hours and can certify and start you within the week.
Requirements: what is required, what is preferred, and what costs you applicants
Flagging is one of the lowest-barrier ways into construction and one of the most dangerous jobs on a site. Both of those facts belong in the posting, and postings that include neither compete on an hourly rate they usually cannot win.
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Certification | Required in most states, and typically a four-to-eight-hour course through ATSSA or a state programme. It is cheap against the cost of a vacancy. Requiring candidates to already hold it shrinks the pool for no reason; paying for it is the strongest lever on this role and should be in the first three lines. |
| Experience | Not needed. Say so explicitly. This is a genuine entry point into construction for someone with no trade and no tools. |
| The hazard | Be honest. The risk in this job comes from passing traffic, not from the crew. Describing your traffic control plan, your equipment and your training is how a serious employer distinguishes itself here, and candidates in this work notice. |
| The hours | Say the yard start time and that days run long. Also say whether night work is in the rotation, because it is the single biggest schedule question in traffic control. |
| Weather | Standing outside in whatever the day brings, for the whole shift. Say what gear you provide — rain gear, cold-weather kit and good boots are a real expense and a real differentiator. |
| Driver's licence | Usually needed to get to the yard and to move between zones. A CDL for pilot car or device truck work should carry a stated differential. |
| Prevailing wage | On state DOT and federally funded work, prevailing wage rates apply and are often well above the general market rate. If your projects qualify, say so — it is frequently the most compelling number available and it is almost never mentioned. |
| Progression | Flagger to lead flagger to traffic control technician to supervisor is a real and reasonably quick ladder. Name it with the rate at each step. |
Flagger duties, written for a posting
Say what kind of work zones. Highway lane closures, utility work in residential streets, municipal maintenance, or event traffic — they differ in speed, in risk and in hours.
Say the crew structure and whether the flagger also sets devices. A flagger who sets the whole zone is doing a bigger job than one who is dropped at a paddle, and should be paid and described accordingly.
Name the training and the equipment. Certification, the radios, the paddles, the gear you issue, and how often you train. In a job where the hazard is external, this is the substance of the offer.
State the schedule honestly — yard start, shift length, night work rotation — and then name the ladder. Flaggers who stay become technicians and supervisors, and most postings never mention that.
How to customize it by setting
Highway and DOT work
Higher speeds, bigger zones, MUTCD compliance, inspection, and often prevailing wage. Lead with the rate and say whether the work is day or night. State the travel radius.
Utility and municipal
Residential streets, lower speeds, more public interaction and more short-duration setups a day. Steadier hours and usually more local. The public-interaction part is real — say so.
Night work
Most highway lane closures happen overnight. State the shift pattern and the differential clearly; night work is either the attraction or the immediate disqualifier and there is no middle ground.
Pilot car
Driving rather than standing, leading traffic through a single open lane. Requires a licence and often a certification of its own. Say whether the vehicle is provided.
Traffic control technician
The step up: reading and implementing the full traffic control plan, setting complex zones, device inventory and crew lead. If you are hiring for this, say so — it is a different job at a different rate and posting it as “flagger” undersells it.
What it costs to reach flaggers on social
Skilled trades are among the more expensive audiences we buy: in our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark the skilled trades role family — 35 campaigns — ran a median cost per applicant of $14.14, a middle half of $7.58 to $21.49, a blended figure of $10.74 and a 15% apply rate. The wider Skilled Trades and Field Service sector, 335 campaigns, ran an $11.89 median at 18%.
The reason is structural: the people who can do the work are employed, and there are not many of them in any one area. Across all 891 campaigns the apply rate moves cost per applicant from $53.77 under 10% to $4.41 over 20%, a bigger swing than any bid change — and past three impressions a month the median cost roughly doubles in a small audience. Specificity in the offer beats budget. Because no experience is required, this role converts well from the general hourly audience rather than the trades audience — and the certification offer is what makes the creative work.
Building the site crew? See the construction laborer, equipment operator, concrete finisher and groundskeeper job descriptions, plus prevailing wage by state.
Writing the ad version
The description is the document. The advertisement is read on a phone by somebody who has other options at a similar rate. It needs the rate, that no experience is needed and you pay for certification, the yard start time, and whether there is night work — in the first three lines. Our campaign data puts the best-converting length at 201–400 words, and for a role like this the shorter end works.
Three or four questions on the form, then call the same day. Every extra field costs completions, and the flagger you want has applied somewhere else this morning.
What flaggers earn
Flaggers are not broken out as a separate federal occupation. The two occupations they sit inside bracket the pay: construction labourers had a median of $22.66 an hour, $47,120 a year in 2025, and highway maintenance workers $24.16 an hour, $50,260. Entry-level flagging generally starts below both; certified flaggers on prevailing-wage DOT work often sit well above them.
| Comparison role | Median pay (2025) | Openings per year |
|---|---|---|
| Highway maintenance workers | $24.16/hr · $50,260 | ~12,300 |
| Construction and related workers, all other | $24.00/hr · $49,910 | ~3,100 |
| Construction laborers | $22.66/hr · $47,120 | ~205,700 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | $18.82/hr · $39,150 | ~158,200 |
| Security guards | $18.28/hr · $38,020 | ~161,000 |
The comparison that matters is the bottom of the table. Flagging competes for the same candidate as groundskeeping and security guarding — outdoor or standing work, no credential required, entry-level — and it pays roughly four dollars an hour more while providing a certification the worker keeps.
That is the whole recruiting argument, and it only works if the posting makes it. Say the rate, say you pay for the certification, and where the project is prevailing wage, say the prevailing rate, because on DOT work it frequently beats anything else an untrained candidate can get locally.
Frequently asked questions
What does a flagger do?
A flagger sets up advance warning signs, cones, drums and tapers per the traffic control plan, then controls traffic through or around the work zone with a STOP/SLOW paddle, coordinating by radio with the flagger at the other end for one-lane alternating flow. They maintain an escape route and clear sight lines, watch for vehicles entering the zone and warn the crew, let emergency and haul vehicles through, and recover all devices in the correct sequence at the end of the shift.
Do you need certification to be a flagger?
In most states, yes — typically a four-to-eight-hour course through ATSSA or a state programme, with a card that has to be renewed. It is inexpensive relative to a vacancy, which is why requiring candidates to already hold it is a mistake and offering to pay for it is the single strongest lever on this role.
How much do flaggers make?
Flaggers are not a separate federal occupation; they sit inside construction labourers at a $22.66 median and highway maintenance workers at $24.16. Entry-level flagging usually starts below both, while certified flaggers on prevailing-wage DOT projects often earn well above them. Against the jobs flaggers actually compete with — groundskeeping at $18.82 and security at $18.28 — the rate is favourable.
Is flagging dangerous?
It is among the more hazardous roles on a construction site, and the risk comes from passing traffic rather than from the crew's own equipment. Setting up and breaking down the zone are particularly exposed. This is why a posting that describes the traffic control plan, the equipment issued, the training cadence and the escape-route discipline reads as a serious employer to anyone who has done the work.
What should a flagger job description include?
The hourly rate and any night or weekend differential, that no experience is required and that you pay for certification, the yard start time and typical shift length, whether night work is in the rotation, the type of work zones, the gear you provide, the traffic control training you run, the prevailing wage rate where projects qualify, and the ladder to lead flagger and traffic control technician.
Do flaggers work at night?
Often. Most highway lane closures are scheduled overnight to limit disruption, so night work is common in DOT and highway traffic control and less common in utility and municipal work. It is the single biggest schedule question for candidates, so the rotation and the differential belong in the summary rather than in the interview.
Is flagging a good way into construction?
It is one of the few genuine entry points that needs no tools, no trade experience and no credential you cannot get in a day. Flaggers who stay commonly move to lead flagger, then traffic control technician setting complete zones, then supervisor. Naming that ladder with the rate at each step is one of the more effective things a traffic control company can put in a posting.
What is the difference between a flagger and a traffic control technician?
A flagger controls traffic at an assigned position within a zone somebody else has planned. A traffic control technician reads and implements the full traffic control plan: setting complex zones, managing device inventory, and often leading the crew. It is a different job at a different rate, and advertising it as a flagger role undersells it and attracts the wrong applicants.
Other job description templates
Hiring flaggers?
It is one of the few jobs where you can certify somebody on Monday and have them earning on Wednesday. The posting should say that.
Wage, employment, projection and task descriptions for highway maintenance workers (SOC 47-4051), construction labourers (47-2061) and the comparison occupations: O*NET OnLine and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and BLS employment projections. Flaggers are not separately classified in federal occupational data. Flagger certification requirements and work zone standards vary by state; MUTCD and state DOT requirements govern. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.