Texas tops the list of the US states that have the largest concentration of logistic companies that prioritize pay increases for their workers.
Not only that, but the Lone Star state is also number one for logistics companies that plan to boost work-life balance, beating the second-place state, New York, by several percentage points.
That’s all according to data collected from a new survey by Tech.co. The full insights are available for download now as a part of the Tech.co Logistics Report 2025.
14% of Texas Logistic Businesses Prioritize Driver Pay and Benefits
According to the survey, which polled hundreds of US logistics owners and managers, 14% of Texas-based logistic businesses self-reported plans to focus on raising wages this quarter.
That marks the largest figures across all surveyed states. It’s even well ahead of the second-place state in this category, Florida, which had 8% of respondents claiming boosting wages was a priority for them in the near future.
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Here are all the top states for wage increases in the logistics industry, by how many businesses report that they plan to do so:
- Texas: 14%
- Florida: 8%
- Tennessee: 5%
- Georgia: 5%
Texas is four whole points ahead of Florida, marking a 50% increase from the number of companies looking to increase wages in the Sunshine state.
13% of Texas Logistic Businesses Are Planning Work-Life Balance Improvements
Similarly, 13% of Texas-based operations in logistics said that they planned on increasing the work-life balance at their operations during the next quarter. Here’s which states had the most operations with those goals at the top of their minds:
- Texas: 13%
- New York: 9%
- Virginia: 5%
- Illinois: 5%
Once again, Texas is four percentage points ahead of the second-place state. Is everything really bigger in Texas? The results seem to indicate as much.
US Driver Shortage Remains “Critical”
The nation overall is still struggling to retain drivers, which might go towards explaining the companies that are focused on increasing the perks that drivers tend to care about, from work-life balance to the size of their paychecks.
Nearly nine out of every ten freight companies (88%) who report that these workforce limitations pose a “critical, immediate operational risk” say that they have seen recruitment and retention worsen in the past year, according to our 2025 Logistic Report.
Granted, it’s clear that plenty of businesses aren’t focused on boosting wages and maintaining work-life balance — after all, the Texan highs of 14% and 13% that we cited earlier are still low in comparison to the percentage of companies that don’t yet have firm plans to improve worker benefits.
What Are the Top Tactics for Addressing Workforce Shortages?
Increasing wages and improving work-life balance are the top two ways freight companies are hoping to increase driver retention. 56% of companies said increasing compensation and benefits was a key tactic, while another 56% picked work-life balance improvements.
Also on the list are “providing better training & development opportunities” (44%) and “enhancing recruitment efforts” (43%).
Finally, “improving company culture” earned 27% of respondents’ votes, putting it solidly below the four other, more specific tactics. Drivers may want to consider moving Texas, this data indicates, if higher wages and a more balanced work environment are important to them.
