Renewal Requirements

Important Recordkeeping and Audit Information

Renew PTOE Online

The renewal process ensures that PTOEs maintain good standing in the transportation profession and continue to enhance their knowledge of the technology and scientific principles related to the practice of traffic operations. Renewal will be granted for a three-year period upon written application meeting the following conditions and accompanied by the renewal fee.

1. Renewal application shall include a signed and sealed declaration that the applicant’s (1) professional engineering license, (2) membership in any professional society or (3) employment or engagement as a professional engineer has not been suspended nor terminated for unethical or illegal actions during the past certification period. Evidence of a currently valid engineering license shall be submitted. Absence of the above declaration or evidence may be cause for the TPCB to refuse certification renewal
2. Continuing Professional Development – Renewal application shall include evidence in a form acceptable to the TPCB that the applicant has engaged in at least 45 Professional Development Hours (PDH) of activities during the past certification period, which should meet the following criteria:
   1. The subject matter of the activity shall be professional level traffic operations engineering.
   2. The activity shall be educational in nature and have the clear purpose and objective of maintaining, improving or expanding professional skills and knowledge. The study should relate primarily to technical competence in:
      1. traffic operations analysis;
      2. operational effects of geometric designs;
      3. traffic safety;
      4. traffic control devices;
      5. traffic engineering studies, or;
      6. social, environmental and institutional issues in traffic operations practice.
   3. The activity shall be in addition to activities of the certificate holder’s normal work assignment
   4. PDH must be earned during the immediate past certification period.
   5. The applicant for renewal shall self-certify that the number of PDH claimed and the activities they are based on meet the above criteria.
   6. Certificants must file a renewal application within 90 days of renewal date. Failure to do so will require that the candidate reapply and retake the applicable certification exam.
   7. Expiration date for renewals will be three years from the date that the certification expires.
   8. For each educational activity meeting the above criteria:
3. Requirements – Every licensee is required to obtain the equivalent of 15 PDHs per year. (45 PDHs obtained anytime during the renewal period.)

The responsibility of maintaining records to be used to support credits claimed is the responsibility of the individual professional. Records required include, but are not limited to:

1. A log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor's or speaker's name, and PDH credits earned; and
2. Attendance verification records in the form of completion certificates or other documents supporting evidence of attendance. 

ITE has set up the Professional Development Record Keeping System as a took for transportation professionals to keep track of PDH credits earned. Units of activities entered in a log will be converted into Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Supporting documentation should be maintained and can be stored in the system. The log created by the ITE Professional Development Record Keeping System conforms to the guidelines set forth by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

In the event you are audited, you must be able to show evidence as noted above to support the minimum number of certification hours required for renewal. In the certification and licensure industry, it has become common for a certain percentage of recertification applicants’ attestation materials to be audited and verified. TPCB has worked with its psychometrician to determine that percentage and TPCB has implemented a policy in which 20% of application materials will be audited.

PDHs may be earned as follows:

1. Successful completion of college courses
2. Successful completion of continuing education courses
3. Successful completion of short courses/tutorials and distance-education courses offered through correspondence, television, videotapes, or the Internet
4. Presenting or attending qualifying seminars, in-house courses, workshops, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions, or conferences
5. Teaching or instructing in 1 through 4 above
6. Authoring published papers, articles, books, or accepted licensing examination items
7. Active committee/leadership in professional or technical society
8. Patents
9. Active participation in educational outreach activities pertaining to certification which involve K-12 or higher education students
10. Units. The conversion of other units of credit to PDHs is as follows:
    1. 1 college or unit semester hour 45 PDHs
    2. 1 college or unit quarter hour 30 PDHs
    3. 1 continuing education unit 10 PDHs
    4. 1 hour of professional development in coursework, seminars, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions, or conferences 1 PDH
    5. For teaching in 1 through 4 above, apply multiple of 2*
    6. Publications
       1. Each published peer-reviewed paper or book in the certificants area of professional practice 10 PDHs
       2. Each published paper or article (other than 6.a above)in the certificants area of professional practice 5DHs
    7. Active committee/leadership in professional and technical society (each organization) 2 PDHs
    8. Each patent 10 PDHs
    9. 1 hour of outreach activities 1PDH (not to exceed 3PDHs)

* Teaching credit is valid only for teaching a course or seminar for the first time only. Teaching credit does not apply to full-time faculty. Source: Continuing Professional Competency Guidelines NCEES October 2010