Heartland Express HTLD

Mr. Michael J. Gerdin has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since 2011. Mr. Gerdin does not serve on any committees of the Board. He was appointed President in 2006. Mr. Gerdin served as the Company's Vice President of Regional Operations from 2001 until 2006. From 1998 to 2001, he was President of A & M Express, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. From 1983 until 1998, Mr. Gerdin held a variety of positions within the Company, including positions in the operations, sales, safety, maintenance and driver recruiting departments. Mr. Gerdin previously served on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Motor Truck Association, an educational and advocacy group for the trucking industry. Mr. Gerdin served as a director of West Bancorporation and West Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., from 2013 to 2023. Mr. Gerdin serves on the Iowa State University College of Business Dean's Advisory Council.

Mr. Christopher A. Strain, has served as our Vice President of Finance, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer since November 2017. From May 2015 to October 2017 he served as Vice President, Controller, and Secretary. He held the position of Secretary from November 2017 to May 2020. Mr. Strain has served in our accounting and finance department since 2007. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Strain was employed by Deloitte & Touche, LLP, from 1997 to 2007 as a certified public accountant. Mr. Strain is currently an inactive holder of the certified public accountant certification.

Mr. Kent D. Rigdon, has served as our Chief Operating Officer since July 2022. From May 2014 to June 2022 he served as Vice President of Sales. Mr. Rigdon has served in the Operations and Sales departments since 2002. Including experience with another company, Mr. Rigdon has 36 years of experience in the transportation industry.

Joshua Helmich has been appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer of Heartland Express, Inc., effective January 1, 2026. Mr. Helmich will also continue to serve as the Company's Secretary, but in association with the integration of CFI has ceased to serve as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CFI, effective December 31, 2025. Mr. Joshua S. Helmich, age 49, has served as Secretary of Heartland Express and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Contract Freighters, Inc. (CFI), a subsidiary of the Company acquired in August 2022, since December 2023. Prior to his role at CFI, Mr. Helmich served as Vice President, Controller, and Secretary of Heartland Express from May 2020 to December 2023. Mr. Helmich was our Vice President and Controller from May 2018 to May 2020. Mr. Helmich has served in our accounting and finance department since 2015. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Helmich was employed by Target from 2003 to 2015. Mr. Helmich was employed by Deloitte & Touche, LLP, from 1999 to 2003 as a certified public accountant. Mr. Helmich is currently an inactive holder of the certified public accountant certification.

Mr. David P. Millis has served as a director since 2020. Mr. Millis is an employee director of the Company. Mr. Millis does not serve on any committees of the Board. Mr. Millis is the President of Millis Transfer, LLC (Millis Transfer) a subsidiary of the Company, where over the last 49+ years he has worked in nearly every area of the organization, from truck wash to President. He has held top leadership roles focused on Accounting/Finance, Administration, and Operations before being named President in 1992. On April 16, 2026, David P. Millis, President of Millis Transfer and a director of Heartland Express, Inc., informed the Company of his decision to retire as President of Millis Transfer, effective April 24, 2026. Mr. Millis will continue to serve as a director of the Company following his retirement.

Ms. Brenda S. Neville has served as a director since 2017 and is Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Neville is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Iowa Motor Truck Association (IMTA). Prior to being named President of IMTA in 2008, Ms. Neville was named Vice President and retained the position for 12 years. In the 39 years that Ms. Neville has been with IMTA she has been a strong advocate for Iowa's trucking industry both on the state and national level, as well as providing assistance and expertise in public policy development and trucking industry specific research. IMTA is a statewide trade association that is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa and represents approximately 700 member companies, as well as a number of different divisions that are affiliated with the trucking, towing and transportation industry. Ms. Neville is a current board member of Trucking Association Executive Council (TAEC)/Federation of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), advisory member for Iowa Freight Management Council and a committee member on the ATA Technology & Engineering Policy, ATA Automated Trucking Policy, ATA Image & Communications, and ATA Nominating and Bylaws Committees. Ms. Neville is a 1985 graduate of University of Northern Iowa with a B.S. in Business/Marketing. Ms. Neville also holds a Certification in Institutes of Organizational Management (IOM) from University of Oklahoma/US Chamber of Commerce and a Certification in Association Management (CAE) both of which she obtained in 1993.

Dr. Brenda M. Lantz has served as a director since 2023 and is Vice Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee and is a member of the Compensation Committee. Dr. Lantz is the Associate Director of North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (the UGPTI) as well as the Program Director for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Center (the CVSC) at UGPTI. As Associate Director, Dr. Lantz, helps lead the UGPTI's research, education, and outreach activities. She assists in managing and promoting the institute while working to improve coordination among the institute's centers and encouraging synergy among staff. As Program Director of the CVSC, Dr. Lantz serves as a point of contact for universities, law enforcement, and other agencies seeking assistance to establish partnerships to improve commercial vehicle safety in the U.S. Western region. She also conducts safety-related research and analysis. Dr. Lantz holds a Master's degree in Statistics from North Dakota State University, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration, Supply Chain and Information Systems, from the Pennsylvania State University. She has more than 32 years of experience in transportation research, primarily in the commercial vehicle safety field, and has worked extensively with both government and private industry agencies.

Ms. Amanda M. Hupfeld has served as a director since May 2025 and and is Vice Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Hupfeld is the Chief Financial Officer of LimoLink Incorporated, a worldwide chauffeured transportation services organization. Ms. Hupfeld has served as LimoLink Chief Financial Officer since 2007 and has been a director of LimoLink since 2009. Ms. Hupfeld's experience includes all aspects of the day-to-day corporate management with a focus on both short-term and long-term strategic planning. Her responsibilities include the oversight of financial reporting, budgeting, risk management, information technology and tax compliance. Ms. Hupfeld is a director and audit committee chairperson of F&M Bank, a regional bank with branch locations in Iowa and Minnesota. Prior to joining LimoLink, Ms. Hupfeld worked for McLeod USA where she held progressive accounting roles from 2001-2007, culminating in Corporate Controller. While at McLeod USA Ms. Hupfeld was responsible for the preparation of SEC filings along with the oversight of the financial statement audits including coordination with external auditors. Ms. Hupfeld was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP from 1996 to 2001 as a certified public accountant.

Mr. David P. Spalding is presented as a nominee to serve as a director. Mr. Spalding joined Iowa State University as the fifth Dean of the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business in August 2013 and retired from that position in June 2025. In addition, he served as the Vice President for Economic Development and Industry Relations starting in July 2018 and continues to serve in that role. At Iowa State, Mr. Spalding also served as Interim Senior Vice President Operations and Finance from July to September 2024 and Interim President from January to February 2026. Before arriving at Iowa State in August 2013, he served for eight years at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Most recently, Mr. Spalding served as Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor to Dartmouth's President. Before Dartmouth, he had a 29-year career in finance in New York City. He was most recently Vice Chairman of The Cypress Group LLC, a private equity firm that he co-founded and co-managed. He has served on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards over his career, including 18 years on the board of Lear Corporation, a Fortune 250 company.

Mr. K. Eric Eickman, age 53, has served as our Vice President of Information Technology since November 2016. Mr. Eickman has served in various departments in the Company since 1995. Mr. Eickman is currently an inactive holder of the certified public accountant certification.