This traffic control cost calculator builds a budget the same way a traffic control company builds a quote: number of controllers, hours, the hourly rate, a minimum charge, loadings for nights and weekends, vehicles and equipment, one-off plans and permits, then GST. It's for builders, councils, event organisers and project managers who need a number before they book.
It isn't a quote. Rates vary a lot between providers, cities, times of day and jobs. Use it to set a realistic budget, to check quotes line by line, and to see which choices change the price most.
How it's worked out
The calculator follows the usual shape of a traffic control quote:
- Billed hours = the greater of the shift hours and the minimum charge.
- Labour per shift = controllers × billed hours × hourly rate × (1 + loading). The loading is 0 for weekday day shifts, or the percentage you set for night, Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday.
- Extras per shift = vehicles + truck-mounted attenuator (TMA) + VMS or arrow board + travel or other.
- Per shift ex GST = labour + extras.
- Total ex GST = per shift × number of shifts + one-off costs (TGS or traffic plan, permits and fees).
- GST = 10% of the total ex GST.
It also shows the effective hourly rate: labour ÷ (controllers × billed hours), which is the rate after the loading. If the shift is shorter than the minimum, it tells you the job is being charged at the minimum.
The loadings in the boxes (15% night, 25% Saturday, 50% Sunday, 100% public holiday) are placeholders. Every company prices differently, so copy the figures from your written quotes.
What traffic control costs
Industry guides published by traffic control companies give these indicative figures:
| Item | Indicative price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic controller, weekday straight time | about $50–$85 per hour | One Stop Traffic Solutions; Spotto |
| Truck-mounted attenuator with operator | $800–$1,500 per day | One Stop Traffic Solutions |
| Portable traffic signals | $300–$600 per day | One Stop Traffic Solutions |
| VMS board | $150–$400 per week | One Stop Traffic Solutions |
| Arrow board | $100–$250 per week | One Stop Traffic Solutions |
These are marketing figures from single companies, not an industry rate card. They give you a range to sanity-check a quote, but the only reliable price is a written quote for your job. Our guide to how much traffic control costs in Australia explains what pushes the price up or down.
Why rates change with the time of day
Traffic controllers doing on-site construction work are usually covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020), and many are on enterprise agreements that pay more. Both pay penalty rates for nights, weekends and public holidays, and companies pass those costs on. For example, the award's civil construction stream pays night shift at 115% and Saturday shifts at 150%, and casual employees get 275% on public holidays.
Minimum charges come from the same place. Casual employees under the award have a minimum engagement of 4 hours, and controllers have to travel, set up and pack down whatever the job length. Our guide to minimum shift charges explains how different companies apply them.
A worked example
A builder needs a lane closed for three nights to lift steel off a truck. The quote they're checking says two controllers, 8-hour shifts, $85 an hour plus a 15% night loading, and a TMA at $1,000 a night.
- Billed hours: 8 (longer than the 4-hour minimum).
- Labour per shift: 2 × 8 × $85 × 1.15 = $1,564.
- Extras per shift: $1,000 for the TMA.
- Per shift ex GST: $2,564.
- Three shifts: $7,692 ex GST.
- GST: $769.20. Total inc GST: about $8,461.
The effective rate is $97.75 an hour per controller. If the same job ran on weekday days without the TMA, it would be 2 × 8 × $85 × 3 = $4,080 ex GST, less than half the price. That's the kind of trade-off worth raising with the road authority if the work hours are flexible.
Now a short job: two controllers needed for 3 hours on a weekday at $85 with a 4-hour minimum. The calculator bills 2 × 4 × $85 = $680 ex GST, or $748 inc GST, and flags the minimum. Grouping small jobs into one booking can save money.
Things that change the price
- Crew size. The traffic guidance scheme (TGS) sets how many controllers are needed. In NSW, TS 05492 Table 46 requires two controllers on a two-lane road when daily traffic is over 500, the work area is over 250 m, or the sight distance can't be met. The traffic controllers needed tool checks this.
- Speed and road type. Faster roads often need a TMA, more signs, a VMS and sometimes portable signals. In NSW, TS 05492 Table 70 limits which attenuators can be used at each speed.
- Time of day. Night and weekend work costs more, but some authorities only allow work at those times on busy roads.
- Plans and permits. A TGS or traffic management plan, a road occupancy licence or council permit, and any notification letters are usually one-off costs. Our guide to traffic management plan costs covers them.
- Cancellations and wet weather. Check the terms, including how a late cancellation is charged.
- Travel. Regional jobs can carry travel time or a travel allowance.
Comparing quotes
When you have two or three quotes, enter each one into the calculator and compare the line items, not just the total:
- Are the hours and minimum charge the same?
- Is the TGS included, or extra?
- Are vehicles and equipment included in the hourly rate or charged separately?
- What are the night, weekend and public holiday loadings?
- What happens if the job runs over, is rained off or is cancelled?
Our guides to what a traffic control quote should include and the questions to ask before you book have a full checklist. If you run a traffic control company, the charge-out rate calculator works the other way: from your costs to the rate you need to charge.
When to get professional advice
Use this as a budget. For the real number:
- get a TGS or traffic management plan from a qualified designer, because it fixes the crew and equipment
- ask at least two traffic control companies for written, itemised quotes
- check who owns the road and what permits are needed, and how long they take
- confirm the work hours the road authority will allow, because they decide whether you pay day or night rates
GST is shown at 10%. If you're registered for GST, talk to your accountant about how it affects your budget.