Every Texas HVAC owner knows the pattern. Summer brings more calls than your techs can run, and that's exactly when good technicians are busiest and least likely to move. If you want a new tech trained and productive by peak season, the search should start months earlier.
Work back from your peak
A realistic timeline for one experienced service tech:
- Search and screening: 2 to 4 weeks. Longer if you're only posting ads.
- Interviews and offer: 1 to 2 weeks. Faster if you can interview within days.
- Notice period: 1 to 2 weeks. Most techs give two weeks.
- Ride-alongs and onboarding: 2 to 4 weeks before they run calls alone the way you want.
That's roughly 6 to 12 weeks from "we need someone" to a productive tech. For a summer that starts in May, that means starting in January to March.
Know who you're hiring for
Write down, before you start:
- Service, install or maintenance? Different people, different pay.
- Must-have credentials: EPA 608 type, TDLR registration or certification, NATE if it matters to you. See our Texas licensing guide.
- Pay range and structure: hourly, flat-rate, commission, spiffs. BLS puts the median HVAC tech in Dallas–Fort Worth at $28.63 an hour and in Houston at $28.34 (May 2025), and the 75th percentile above $35. See the full pay guide.
- Truck, tools, phone, on-call rotation and summer overtime.
Make the offer easy to say yes to
Strong techs are usually employed, so you're asking them to take a risk. What tips the decision:
- A clear pay step up, shown as expected weekly earnings, not just an hourly rate.
- A take-home truck and a reasonable on-call rotation.
- Training and a path to lead tech or service manager.
- Speed. Interview within days and make the offer quickly. Slow processes lose good candidates to faster shops.
Don't rely on job ads alone
Job boards mostly reach people who are actively looking, and in a tight market many of the best techs aren't. Ask your current team for referrals, stay in touch with good techs you've met, and consider a recruiter who calls working technicians directly.
That's what we do. Tell us about the role: no fee unless you hire, and every placement has a 90-day replacement guarantee.