Methods, systems, and devices are described for data transmission using header compression techniques that may include dropping all of a portion of a payload for one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs). A wireless communications device may determine that a robust header compression (RoHC) mode is in an initialization and refresh (IR) state, indicating a full Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), including complete header information, is to be transmitted. The wireless communications device may identify that a payload of at least part of a media frame is to be transmitted in the IR state, and drop at least part of the payload when a probability of segmenting the payload during transmission in the IR state exceeds a threshold.