Texas healthcare and tech employers have issued a new round of layoffs affecting hundreds of workers across the state.
New filings with the Texas Workforce Commission show that DLH Solutions plans to cut 298 jobs at its Dallas Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy facility in Lancaster on November 29, according to the agency’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification database.
The notice marks one of the largest single job reductions reported to state regulators in recent months.
DLH describes itself as a federal contractor focused on “science research and development, systems engineering and integration, and digital transformation.” The company says it provides technology-driven support for public health and national security missions, leveraging artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and cloud-based applications, according to its website.
DLH’s most recent public announcement, issued on November 10, stated that the firm hired a new vice president for Health IT Strategy and Operations to help “drive strategic alignment, operational excellence, and innovation across the company’s Health IT portfolio.”
The DLH cuts come as other Texas tech-related employers report new job losses.
Another notice filed with state regulators indicates that Austin-based startup AI Fleet eliminated 56 positions, effective November 4. The company, which uses artificial intelligence to optimize freight operations, cited the “sudden and unexpected loss of a key supplier” on October 31 as the immediate cause of the downsizing, according to a filing reported by the Austin Business Journal.
AI Fleet told the publication that its board voted to “align the company around the most efficient parts of our business” and that the rapid shift made it unable to provide its typical 60-day WARN notice. “This was a tough but strategic decision to align the company around the most efficient parts of our business,” Chief Commercial Officer Samantha Brody said in a statement. She added that the company plans to “lean deeper into our AI-driven technology” and continues to operate normally, serving its customers.
The Austin company has raised nearly $50 million since its founding and previously announced major investments to expand hiring and product development. Its technology uses artificial intelligence to manage truck routing, loading, and utilization, and promises drivers newer trucks, guaranteed weekly pay, and home time. The layoffs affected long-haul drivers, regional drivers, and office employees at the company’s headquarters on East Sixth Street and at its truck yard in Hutto.
The latest job cuts follow a turbulent year for Texas freight and logistics technology companies.
Earlier reporting by The Dallas Express examined the industry’s heightened concerns over automation in long-haul trucking, including the rollout of self-driving Class 8 trucks on the Interstate 45 corridor between Houston and Dallas.
Union leaders, trucker advocates, and independent driver groups have argued that autonomous freight systems could displace thousands of workers even as companies claim the technology improves efficiency and safety.
The WARN data does not explain what led to the staffing decisions at DLH or whether further reductions are expected. State officials only publish the information employers provide as part of the WARN Act, which requires advance notice of certain large-scale layoffs.
DLH says on its website that it employs more than 3,000 workers nationwide and maintains headquarters in Atlanta and the National Capital Region.