What is the nature of the 500-share award reported by HTLD’s CAO?

The 500 shares are restricted stock granted under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan. According to the disclosure, the award vested immediately upon grant, meaning the restrictions lapsed at once, subject to shares deemed withheld for tax obligations.

Heartland Express (HTLD) CAO receives 500 restricted shares and tax withholding

Filing Impact

(Neutral)

Filing Sentiment

(Neutral)

Form Type

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Heartland Express CAO and Secretary Joshua Stefan Helmich reported compensation-related stock activity involving the company’s common stock. He received 500 restricted shares under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan, which vested immediately, and 167 shares were deemed withheld to cover tax obligations on the vesting. After these transactions, he directly holds 8,113 shares.

Insider Trade Summary

2 transactions reported

Mixed 2 txns

Insider Helmich Joshua Stefan

Role CAO and Secretary

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	500	$0.00	--
Tax Withholding	Common Stock	167	$13.30	$2K

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 8,113 shares (Direct, null)

Footnotes (1)

The reporting person received 500 restricted shares of Heartland Express, Inc. common stock as an award under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan. The award vested immediately. Represents the number of shares deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person.

Key Figures

Restricted stock award: 500 shares Shares withheld for taxes: 167 shares Shares held after transactions: 8,113 shares +1 more

4 metrics

Restricted stock award 500 shares Restricted shares granted under 2021 Restricted Stock Plan; vested immediately

Shares withheld for taxes 167 shares Deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding on restricted stock vesting

Shares held after transactions 8,113 shares Total common shares directly held by CAO after reported transactions

Tax withholding reference price $13.30 per share Price per share used for 167-share tax-withholding disposition

Key Terms

restricted shares, 2021 Restricted Stock Plan, tax withholding obligations, grant, award, or other acquisition, +1 more

5 terms

restricted shares financial

"The reporting person received 500 restricted shares of Heartland Express, Inc. common stock as an award under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan."

Restricted shares are company stock that cannot be sold or transferred immediately because they are subject to legal or contractual limits, such as a required holding period or performance conditions. They matter to investors because these locked-up shares can affect a company’s available stock for trading, future dilution, and insider incentives—imagine a gift that can’t be cashed until certain conditions are met, which changes when and how much supply can suddenly enter the market.

2021 Restricted Stock Plan financial

"The reporting person received 500 restricted shares of Heartland Express, Inc. common stock as an award under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan."

tax withholding obligations financial

"Represents the number of shares deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person."

grant, award, or other acquisition financial

"Grant, award, or other acquisition"

Payment of exercise price or tax liability by delivering securities financial

"Payment of exercise price or tax liability by delivering securities"

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

05/18/2026 - 05:59 PM

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Helmich Joshua Stefan

(Last)

(First)

(Middle)

901 HEARTLAND WAY

(Street)

NORTH LIBERTY

IOWA

52317

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC [ HTLD ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director	10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)	Other (specify below)
	CAO and Secretary

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/15/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price		6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Common Stock	05/15/2026		A		500⁽¹⁾	A	$0	8,113	D
Common Stock	05/15/2026		F		167⁽²⁾	D	$13.3	7,946	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares	8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)		10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Explanation of Responses:

1. The reporting person received 500 restricted shares of Heartland Express, Inc. common stock as an award under the 2021 Restricted Stock Plan. The award vested immediately.

2. Represents the number of shares deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person.

Remarks:

	Joshua Stefan Helmich, by Chris Strain, attorney-in-fact, pursuant to POA previously filed	05/18/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

FAQ

What insider transactions did HTLD CAO Joshua Stefan Helmich report?

He reported a grant of 500 restricted shares and tax withholding of 167 shares. The restricted stock award vested immediately, and some shares were deemed withheld to satisfy tax obligations, leaving him with 8,113 directly held shares afterward.

Was the HTLD insider activity an open-market buy or sell?

No, the reported transactions were compensation-related, not open-market trades. Helmich received 500 restricted shares as an award, and 167 shares were deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations once the restricted stock vested immediately.

How many Heartland Express shares does the CAO hold after these Form 4 transactions?

Following the reported transactions, Joshua Stefan Helmich directly holds 8,113 shares. This reflects both the immediate vesting of 500 restricted shares and the 167 shares deemed withheld to cover associated tax withholding obligations on the vested award.

Why were 167 Heartland Express shares disposed of in the Form 4?

The 167 shares represent stock deemed withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations. These shares related to the vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person, rather than a discretionary open-market sale of Heartland Express common stock.