Companies Heartland Express Inc
Heartland Express (HTLD): executive pay, fiscal 2025
Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.
Velarion Intel: free for 3 days, no card →Email me Heartland Express Inc’s executive pay brief as a PDF
You get it on this page the moment you ask, and a copy by email. Every figure is cited to its filing.
After the PDF, up to three short notes on the deeper reports for this company. Reply “unsubscribe” to any of them, any time.
CEO pay, last three years
- $1,012,483FY2023
- $1,070,507FY2024
- $1,070,362FY2025
CEO total pay was $1,070,362 in fiscal 2025, down from $1,070,507 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $1,050,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $0 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Gerdin | $1,050,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $20,362 | $1,070,362 |
| Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, President and Director | ||||||||
| Christopher Strain | 364,000 | 0 | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17,433 | 392,393 |
| Vice President of Finance, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Kent Rigdon | 327,600 | 0 | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,552 | 345,112 |
| Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Joshua Helmich | 286,000 | 0 | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14,416 | 311,376 |
| Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary | ||||||||
| David Millis | 190,424 | 0 | 99,996 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,420 | 294,840 |
| Director and Millis Transfer President | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Gerdin | $1,070,362 | $1,070,507 | $1,012,483 | ↓ −145 |
| Christopher Strain | 392,393 | 372,899 | 331,160 | ↑ +19,494 |
| Kent Rigdon | 345,112 | 343,332 | 334,440 | ↑ +1,780 |
| Joshua Helmich | 311,376 | 298,769 | — | ↑ +12,607 |
| David Millis | 294,840 | 295,652 | 328,485 | ↓ −812 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
Heartland Express adheres to a conservative compensation philosophy that relies primarily on base salaries to provide stability and focus on business objectives, while using discretionary equity-based incentives to align management with long-term stockholder value creation and discourage short-term risk-taking.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | — |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. David P. Millis | RSU | 2025-10-22 | — | — | 11,947 | — | $99,996 |
| Joshua Helmich | RSU | 2025-01-01 | — | — | 1,000 | — | 10,960 |
| Kent Rigdon | RSU | 2025-01-01 | — | — | 1,000 | — | 10,960 |
| Christopher Strain | RSU | 2025-01-01 | — | — | 1,000 | — | 10,960 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. David P. Millis | $99,996 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
| Joshua Helmich | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kent Rigdon | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Christopher Strain | 10,960 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Strain | RSU | 1,000 | — | $9,380 |
| Kent Rigdon | RSU | 1,000 | — | 9,380 |
| Joshua Helmich | RSU | 1,000 | — | 9,380 |
| Millis | RSU | 11,947 | — | 99,996 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. James G. PrattIndependent | $78,500 | $0 | — | — | — | $78,500 |
| Dr. Benjamin J. AllenIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Not standing for re-election | 73,000 | 0 | — | — | — | 73,000 |
| Ms. Brenda S. NevilleIndependent | 68,500 | 0 | — | — | — | 68,500 |
| Dr. Brenda M. LantzIndependent | 62,250 | 0 | — | — | — | 62,250 |
| Ms. Amanda M. HupfeldIndependent | 44,176 | — | — | — | — | 44,176 |
| Mr. David P. MillisEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Mr. Michael J. GerdinEmployee director · Board Chair | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Mr. David P. SpaldingIndependent · Newly elected | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | $1,500 |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 12,500 / 7,000 / 7,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $3 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $326,426 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $0 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $326,426 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Heartland Express as a peer
Companies that benchmark against HTLD
5 companies name HTLD as a compensation peer
- FORWARD AIR CORPFWRDFY2024
- MARTEN TRANSPORT LTDMRTNFY2025
- RADIANT LOGISTICS, INCRLGTFY2026
Each company listed discloses HTLD in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named HTLD in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Peer reciprocity
The companies Heartland Express Inc names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schneider National, Inc. | 2025 | Mark Rourke | $1,000,000 | $5,704,174 | $0 | $569,120 | $7,380,101 |
| 2 | Werner Enterprises, Inc. | 2025 | Derek Leathers | 974,077 | 4,200,000 | 0 | 745,106 | 6,048,549 |
| 3 | Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | 2025 | Adam Miller | 950,000 | 3,242,667 | — | 803,130 | 5,011,329 |
| 4 | Pamt Corp. | 2025 | Lance Stewart | 440,590 | 1,537,000 | 0 | 0 | 2,127,590 |
| 5 | Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | 2025 | David Parker | 753,021 | 0 | 0 | 100,000 | 1,794,678 |
| 6 | Marten Transport, Ltd. | 2025 | Randolph Marten | 801,483 | 342,998 | 0 | 0 | 1,154,303 |
| 7 | Heartland Express Inc | 2025 | Michael Gerdin | 1,050,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,070,362 |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartland Express Inc | not disclosed | Restricted Stock 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PRSU 50 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer |
| Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | not disclosed | PRSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer |
| Marten Transport, Ltd. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Grant Thornton LLP |
| Pamt Corp. | not disclosed | RSU 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Schneider National, Inc. | not disclosed | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | Yes — RELATIVE TOTAL SHAREHOLDER RETURN (rTSR) | Frederic W. Cook & Co, Inc. |
| Werner Enterprises, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Frederic W. Cook & Co. |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-14 | 65,269,917 | 455,547 | 48,297 | 99.31% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-08 | 67,340,368 | 1,797,600 | 26,999 | 97.4% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-09 | 66,884,218 | 7,702,497 | 24,999 | 89.67% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-11 | 73,167,067 | 379,297 | 22,391 | 99.48% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-05-12 | 71,878,118 | 1,799,162 | 27,063 | 97.56% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-13 | 73,348,624 | 479,090 | 8,154 | 99.35% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-14 | 99.31%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-08 | 97.4%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-09 | 89.67%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “In tabulating this vote, abstentions will be disregarded and have no effect on the outcome of the vote.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “In tabulating this vote, abstentions will be disregarded and have no effect on the outcome of the vote.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “In tabulating this vote, abstentions will be disregarded and have no effect on the outcome of the vote.”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (32 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Michael Gerdin. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 22. As printed: 1,070,362. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Christopher Strain. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 392,393. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Kent Rigdon. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 345,112. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Joshua Helmich. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 311,376. View filing ↗
- Section 01, David Millis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 294,840. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Mr. David P. Millis RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Joshua Helmich RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Kent Rigdon RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Christopher Strain RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mr. James G. Pratt. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 78,500. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Dr. Benjamin J. Allen. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 73,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ms. Brenda S. Neville. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 68,500. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Dr. Brenda M. Lantz. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 62,250. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ms. Amanda M. Hupfeld. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 44,176. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mr. David P. Millis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mr. Michael J. Gerdin. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mr. David P. Spalding. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: —. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-05-15. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.31% (votes for as printed: 65,269,917). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-09. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.4% (votes for as printed: 67,340,368). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-14. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 89.67% (votes for as printed: 66,884,218). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 326,426 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 326,426, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Schneider National, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Schneider National, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,380,101. View filing ↗
- Werner Enterprises, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-31. CEO total compensation as printed in Werner Enterprises, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,048,549. View filing ↗
- Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. CEO total compensation as printed in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,011,329. View filing ↗
- Pamt Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-27. CEO total compensation as printed in Pamt Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,127,590. View filing ↗
- Covenant Logistics Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Covenant Logistics Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,794,678. View filing ↗
- Marten Transport, Ltd., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Marten Transport, Ltd.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,154,303. View filing ↗
- Heartland Express Inc (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. CEO total compensation as printed in Heartland Express Inc's own proxy. As printed: 1,070,362. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Marten Transport, Ltd. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Marten Transport, Ltd. names Heartland Express Inc in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Schneider National, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Schneider National, Inc. names Heartland Express Inc in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗