Right-Sizing technician benefits: What techs actually want

Competition for skilled technicians has heated up and pushed many fleets and independent shops to reevaluate their overall employment packages. Wages remain a top factor in recruiting and retaining employees, but technicians weigh everything from healthcare coverage and paid time off to professional development opportunities.

“Attracting people to this industry has never been harder,” said Dave Forgie, VP of maintenance at Leonard’s Express. “It’s not even just attracting top talent anymore. It’s attracting people to the industry as a whole.”

To ensure the nationwide hauler out of Farmington, New York, has the techs to keep its trucks moving, Leonard’s Express offers a benefits package that includes a tool stipend and PTO.

Laura Marzi, chief marketing officer for employee benefits at insurance group The Hartford, said businesses know they must offer competitive benefits to not only attract—but retain—talent. “Workers will move to another job for better benefits,” she said.

Companies across the U.S. feel the same, leading to a significant uptick in benefits offered. Marzi cited the company’s Future of Benefits study, which found that 36% of employers are adding benefits this year, with 45% planning to add benefits next year. Marzi said this will “mean more choice for workers.”

It also presents fleets and repair operations with a choice: spend the money to provide employees with adequate benefits, or risk understaffing your bays, with throughput and uptime suffering. It’s not feasible to offer everything technicians want, but the benefits should be comparable to your competitors. The problem is that figuring out benefits like health care is easier said than done.

“Providing the right benefits that your shop can afford and that will attract quality employees is a difficult balancing act,” said Jay Goninen, co-founder and president of WrenchWay.

And some benefits are more important than others. The organization’s 2026 Voice of the Technician Survey indicated PTO is one area that cannot be excluded.

“If you combine ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have’ [responses on the survey], paid vacation was important to 99% of technicians,” Goninen said. “Nobody is going to go without vacation time now if they’re trying to attract quality talent.”

Some shops are taking a more strategic approach by first determining which benefits employees value most. Peter Cooper, CEO of Ascend Consulting, said employee surveys, small group discussions, or even casual conversations can help shop operators uncover which benefits make a difference. “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know,” he said.

Priorities often vary depending on a technician’s stage of life, family situation, and career goals, but Ashley Sowell, CEO and co-founder of Integrity Fleet Services Inc., said health insurance and PTO consistently rank the highest across all stages of life. “Top talent is looking at how a company supports their overall quality of life,” she said. “Health insurance and time off directly impact their ability to maintain their health, take care of their families, and avoid burnout.”

Marzi said it’s getting easier for employees to offer more personalized options. “Advancements in products and technology are creating an environment where employee benefits are more tailored to individual life stages, health needs, and financial objectives,” she said, adding that AI-driven solutions can provide personalized benefit recommendations to help employees choose the best options.

Balancing coverage and costs

Health insurance is often the most significant cost component in a benefits package, but costs can vary depending on how much an employer plans to contribute. “It’s actually easy to say you offer it. What it comes down to is how much you’re willing to contribute to the plan,” said Mike Schwarz, co-owner of Iron Buffalo and Trailer.

Sowell said her company uses a shared-cost model that balances employee flexibility with cost. “As a company, we contribute 50% toward employee health insurance premiums and offer buy-up and buy-down options so employees can tailor their coverage,” she said.

By providing multiple plan options, employees can select coverage levels that match their needs while helping the company manage costs. “It allows us to remain financially responsible while still providing flexibility and meaningful support to our team,” Sowell said.

The rising cost of premiums has made offering health insurance even more challenging. Several years ago, Iron Buffalo made a substantial investment to ensure plans were affordable across all family configurations, but the company experienced a significant rate increase at the end of 2025. Schwarz said they chose not to increase the company’s contribution rate, meaning it was passed along to employees.

While U.S. businesses with 50 or more full-time employees are typically required to offer health insurance, smaller businesses have more flexibility. This helps them control costs while still providing health benefits. “There are creative options out there that small businesses don’t always realize they have access to,” Cooper explained.

The consultant who meets with shops across the U.S. said one often overlooked option is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement. With HRAs, employers provide a set amount that employees can use for healthcare expenses, but any unused funds stay with the employer if an employee leaves. “It’s one of these hidden gems that isn’t understood or talked about,” he said.

Marzi said voluntary insurance can also help employers expand coverage without dramatically increasing costs. “They supplement core employer-paid benefits like medical insurance but are not usually employer-funded,” she said.

Offerings can include dental and vision coverage, disability insurance, and supplemental health plans, such as hospital indemnity policies that provide cash payments for specific health events and critical illness coverage. While health coverage is expensive, Schwarz said Iron Buffalo has been able to add dental and vision coverage for about $10/month per employee.

In addition to caring for employees’ physical health, Cooper said he is a “big believer in Employee Assistance Programs” that support employees’ mental health. “I have seen a lot of really good employees turn into very bad employees because of a life change,” he said, adding that employee assistance programs are typically affordable for the company.

Prioritizing PTO

Sowell said that, in many cases, time is valued even more than money because it directly impacts quality of life. “In a physically demanding shop environment, rest and recovery matter, not just for morale, but for safety and performance,” she said.

Today’s techs also expect immediate accrual or front-loaded PTO structures. Kerry Brothers Truck Repair starts every employee with four weeks of paid vacation from day one. “I would say the four weeks of vacation really is a big one for people,” said William Kerry, president of Kerry Brothers. Employees can also take more time, if needed, but it is unpaid.

Leonard’s Express starts all new hires with five days of paid PTO, which increases as employees gain tenure. Forgie said he’ll use PTO as a negotiating tool when recruiting a promising candidate and can increase the number of days available to land the tech.

However, managing PTO requests in shops can present operational challenges, and they have to be managed carefully to avoid service disruptions. Iron Buffalo’s Schwarz uses a shared calendar system that limits how many employees in each role can take time off at once.

“Certain times of the year everybody wants off—around holidays or in the middle of summer,” he said. “You have to plan ahead so the shop can still operate.”

Kerry Brothers manages time-off requests through a program called Gusto, with team leaders holding approval authority over their direct reports, keeping decisions close to the people with the most visibility into daily staffing needs.

Unlimited PTO, or flexible time off, has gotten popular in some industries, but it doesn’t work as well in a shop environment. “It’s more challenging in a shop setting where staffing levels directly affect productivity and turnaround times,” Sowell said.

Scheduling can also be important for employees. The WrenchWay survey found that 42% of technicians preferred four 10-hour days over the traditional five-day workweek. 

In its North Carolina shop, Leonard’s Express runs rotating four-day, 10-hour schedules. In upstate New York, where the shop is larger and coverage needs are more complex, the shop has a rotating Tuesday–Saturday and Monday-Friday structure that ensures weekend coverage without permanently assigning any technician to a Saturday shift. “I really empower my shop managers to do what they feel best,” Forgie said.