Civils & Heavy Infrastructure - Texas contractors, Virginia based
Craig Outhwaite
Vice President, PSR Talent Solutions
Book 30 minutesCraig recruits construction management and project delivery professionals across Texas' heavy civil and infrastructure market, covering highways, bridges, transportation infrastructure, underground utilities, earthworks and major TxDOT projects.
Based in Virginia and working directly with contractors across Texas, Craig brings 15 years of recruitment experience from the UK construction and civil engineering market. He specializes in placing white-collar construction professionals, from Project Engineers and Project Managers to Superintendents, Estimators and senior operational leaders.
His approach starts with relationships and a genuine understanding of the challenges contractors face when securing talent. Daily conversations with candidates, hiring managers and business leaders keep him close to project activity, hiring demand, salary expectations and the availability of experienced professionals.
Established recruitment experience. Real-time market intelligence. Informed, targeted searches that connect the right people with the right opportunities, first time.
From the market
What Craig is hearing right now.
Experience changes the salary conversation
A TxDOT track record and major-project experience can command a premium. Leadership responsibility moves the number further.
Base salary is not the whole package
Vehicle allowances, performance bonuses, per diem and project-specific incentives sit outside the published base ranges.
The estimate sets the stakes
Small changes in delivery cost can have a disproportionate impact on margin. Preconstruction expertise deserves the same attention as project leadership.
In the field
Latest insights from Craig.
The cost of getting the estimate wrong
A hypothetical $100M bid: a 5% increase in delivery costs takes a $5M margin down to $0.25M. An illustration of why estimating expertise matters, not a market statistic.
Craig at CECON, Corpus Christi
Civil engineering, Texas infrastructure and the people delivering it. Hear directly from Craig in his Corpus Christi video.
Watch Craig’s video on LinkedIn
DFW Heavy Civil Salary Insights - Q4 2026
Experience commands a premium. Leadership moves the number further.
Contractor-side base salary benchmarks for TxDOT, highway, bridge and transportation infrastructure roles in Dallas-Fort Worth. Published October 2026.
- 10
- Roles benchmarked
- $80k
- Entry-level base
- $210k
- Top of base range
- $75k
- Widest base band
Across project management, field leadership and preconstruction
Bottom of the Project Engineer base range
General Superintendent and Senior Estimator; provisional bands
Senior Estimator, the role with the most spread; provisional
Four questions before your next heavy civil hire
- 01
What have they actually delivered?
Look beyond the job title to the size and complexity of projects, packages and responsibilities.
- 02
Is TxDOT experience essential to this role?
Be clear about where proven experience on state work and its specifications matters to delivery.
- 03
Does the package reflect the responsibility?
Benchmark the people, crews and packages they will lead, not just the title on the offer.
- 04
Are you comparing base salary or total compensation?
Separate base pay from vehicle allowances, bonuses, per diem and project-specific incentives.
The evidence
What DFW heavy civil pays in base salary.
Contractor-side base salary only. Excludes allowances, bonuses, per diem and incentives.
Project management & engineering
Field leadership
Preconstruction
† Provisional senior-level band, pending further local validation.
These are PSR Talent Solutions' indicative market benchmarks for the Dallas-Fort Worth heavy civil market, not a statistically representative salary survey. They draw on advertised compensation, published salary advertisements, specialist candidate and hiring-manager feedback, and reflect the market as of October 2026 rather than a completed quarter-end review. Strong candidates with major-project and TxDOT experience can sit above these ranges.
Read the DFW salary insights PDFVehicle or truck allowance
Compare the practical value of the allowance alongside base pay.
Annual performance bonus
Understand the criteria and how performance is rewarded.
Per diem & project incentives
Daily living allowances and project-specific incentives are excluded from these base ranges.
The practical takeaway
The right hire is not just a salary match. It is a match between the project, the responsibility and the experience needed to deliver it.
Source: PSR Talent Solutions DFW Heavy Civil Salary Insights, Q4 2026 edition, published October 2026. Contractor-side base salary only; excludes allowances, bonuses, per diem and incentives. Senior Superintendent, General Superintendent and Senior Estimator bands are provisional, pending further local validation.
Talk it through
Ask Craig what this means for your team.
A direct line to the person working this market every day - salary benchmarks, availability and realistic timescales. No forms, no obligation.
Expertise
Roles Craig recruits.
- Project Engineers
- Senior Project Engineers
- Assistant Project Managers
- Project Managers
- Senior Project Managers
- Superintendents
- Senior Superintendents
- General Superintendents
- Estimators
- Senior Estimators
- Senior Operational Leaders
Partnerships
Who Craig works with.
- Heavy civil contractors delivering highways, bridges and transportation infrastructure
- Contractors delivering major TxDOT projects across Texas
- Underground utilities and earthworks contractors
- Hiring managers and senior operational leaders building project delivery teams
The backing behind Craig
A specialist in the Texas market, with 20+ years of construction recruitment behindCraig.
PSR Talent Solutions is the US sister company of PSR Solutions in the UK - the same team, the same values and the same infrastructure and processes that built a two-decade reputation in construction, civils and infrastructure recruitment.
- 2005
- Established
- 80+
- People
- Platinum
- Investors in People
- 200,000
- Registered candidates
20+ years as construction and infrastructure recruitment specialists
Specialist consultants and support teams at PSR Solutions in the UK
Awarded Platinum accreditation twice - held for another year running
Backed by a 100,000+ strong professional network
- Investors in People Platinum
- ISO 9001
- ISO 45001
- APSCo
- ConstructionLine Gold
- Cyber Essentials
- Disability Confident Committed
How a search works
Market knowledge is the start. Delivery is the point.
For hiring teams
- 01
Discovery call
A comprehensive call to understand your business, culture and hiring goals, so we are aligned from the outset.
- 02
Role brief and search strategy
A detailed role brief and a tailored search strategy built to attract top-tier talent suited to your organization.
- 03
Curated shortlist
A shortlist of fully screened, high-quality candidates - never a pile of resumes.
- 04
Interview management
The full interview process managed end to end, keeping it smooth and efficient for clients and candidates alike.
- 05
Offer and negotiation
From offer through to negotiation, every stage handled with precision, clear communication and momentum.
- 06
Account management and executive search
Dedicated account management focused on long-term partnership, alongside specialist senior and executive search for leadership hires.
- 07
Honest, high-integrity placements
Fast response times, real market insight and a commitment to the right fit over simply filling the role - including support with corporate social responsibility and ethical hiring initiatives.
What candidates get
- 01
A real conversation first
A proper phone or video chat before anything else - what you want from your next move, not just what your resume says.
- 02
Your resume goes nowhere without your say-so
Confidential roles you will not find posted anywhere, and nothing sent to anyone until you have said yes.
- 03
Walk in prepared
Who you are meeting, what they care about and how to position your experience - so you present with confidence at every stage.
- 04
Backed all the way through the move
Offer, resignation and the counteroffer conversation - someone in your corner right up to day one.
The same care on both sides of the search - which is why the shortlists hold together all the way through to a signed start date.
Want the full Texas heavy civil picture?
No pitch and no forms - just a conversation about who is available, what they are being paid and how your hiring plans compare to the market.