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Transportation Specialist - MERIT PROMOTION ONLY

Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

Summary

This position is assigned to the Office of Freight Management and Operations of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations, in Washington, DC. You will work with the Team Leader and Office Director in the administration and direction of FHWA’s commercial vehicle size and weight enforcement program.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/22/2026 to 05/04/2026
Salary
$90,925 - $197,200 per year

Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2026/general-schedule/

Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Juneau, AK
Montgomery, AL
Little Rock, AR
Phoenix, AZ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses may be reimbursed. See additional information section.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes - The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FHWA.HOP-2026-0002
Control number
865978400

Duties

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As a Transportation Specialist, you will:

  • Provide guidance to Federal and state staff, monitoring and reviewing state certification and plans, assisting in preparation of legislation, and managing and participating in a variety of commercial vehicle size and weight issues.
  • Work with the field offices to conduct annual reviews and evaluations of commercial vehicle size and weight enforcement certifications submitted by the States.
  • Manage the development of regulations, policies, procedures and official interpretations to implement the size and weight requirements for large trucks (and buses) associated with new and existing legislation and revised statutes. Manage the development of issue papers, proposed legislation, budget support and justifications, briefings and testimony for congressional hearings, technical assistance, training, proposed regulations, and other major written and oral presentations.
  • Lead activities involving the Federally designated National Network (NN) for commercial vehicle operations. 
  • Provide national expertise to senior members and officials of national/international technical organizations; such as American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Trucking Associations (ATA), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SCRA), regional State Department of Transportation groups and corridor groups that deal with commercial vehicle laws, regulations, operations and enforcement practices.

The ideal candidate  for this position is a mid-career or senior professional with demonstrated experience and extensive knowledge of Federal commercial vehicle size and weight regulations sufficient to lead on policy recommendations and be known as a national expert. As a technical expert, the ideal candidate should also have the knowledge, skills and experience to implement new programs and experience establishing and meeting long term program objectives. The ideal candidate also has sufficient experience and knowledge to develop and deliver major written and oral presentations applicable to commercial vehicle size and weight matters, to include, but not limited to, proposed legislation, budget support justifications, and congressional hearings.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
  • You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

  • Experience in developing policy statements, guidance and regulations pertaining to commercial vehicles, OR
  • Experience providing technical assistance to field offices and States regarding the policies and procedures of commercial vehicles (i.e. vehicle size and weight enforcement) or equivalent experience such as, applying for, reviewing, processing or enforcing commercial vehicle size and weight permits, OR
  • Experience managing local, state, federal or private company program(s) focused on freight movement or safe operating conditions of commercial vehicles such as trucks or buses.

To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:

  • Experience providing leadership in identifying the necessity for and developing policy statements, guidance and regulations pertaining to commercial vehicles, OR
  • Experience providing leadership to field offices, States, and agency leadership regarding the policies and procedures of commercial vehicles (i.e. vehicle size and weight enforcement) or equivalent experience such as, applying for, reviewing, processing or enforcing commercial vehicle size and weight permits, OR
  • Experience providing leadership in advancing local, state, federal or private company program(s) focused on freight movement or safe operating conditions of commercial vehicles such as trucks or buses.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Technical - Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to freight transportation and vehicle size and weight.
  2. Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring vehicle size and weight programs for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
  3. Stakeholder Management - Knowledge of the concepts, practices, and techniques used to identify, engage, influence, and monitor relationships with individuals and groups connected to highway transportation and the trucking industry; awareness of those actively involved in size and weight matters, stakeholder positions, and impacts on affected groups and transportation sector.
  4. Oral Communication - Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, or other fields related to the position.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

PLEASE NOTE: Salary will be adjusted in accordance with the locality pay for the specific area.

Under this program, relocation assistance is not available to applicants residing in any one of the ADL locations. Relocation is available for applicants located outside of the advertised duty locations. Employees who are not eligible for relocation because they reside in one of the advertised locations may apply for positions in other advertised duty locations; however, if selected, they must move themselves to the locations at their own expense.

Additional specifics regarding the ADL Program are located on Staffnet under April 2022 Alternate Duty Location Program Guide found at http://intra.fhwa.dot.gov/had/adl/index.htm Please visit the “Alternative Duty Location (ADL) Program Guide” via the FHWA Staffnet for details concerning the program.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week,  and position titles.  If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.  The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.


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Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
TRANSJOBS@dot.gov
Address
DOT, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States

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