Heartland Express, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTLD - www.heartlandexpress.com.) The perennial leader for driver pay in the truckload industry announced today that they are implementing an additional 3 cent per mile pay raise for all “system” and regional drivers! This raise coupled with the increase given in early 2004 makes the pay for these drivers 15% higher than 2003! It will move Heartland’s top solo and team company driver pay from $.43 to $.46, and Owner Operator solo and team pay from $.88 to $.91 (before their additional fuel stabilization program).

The raise will go into effect during the first quarter of 2005. The 3 cent company pay increase will be implemented as a penny increase on 1/1/05, 1/29/05, and 2/26/05. The 3 cent Owner Operator increase will be effective on 1/1/05. This increase will solidify the Company’s industry leading driver compensation package. According to a recent survey the average wage for a driver with 3 years experience for the companies surveyed was approximately $.33 per mile. With Heartland this same driver will earn $.44 per mile or more than 33% HIGHER than that average rate!

Executive Vice President and CFO John Cosaert made clear the beliefs held by Mr. Russell Gerdin, Founder, President, and CEO of Heartland Express in a letter to Heartland’s drivers stating, “…he believes in (our drivers) and believes that (they) have the toughest job in the industry. He has spent a lifetime defending and lobbying for drivers. Over the years I have been beside Mr. Gerdin when he has stood before our industry and Wall Street taking a leadership role declaring that as an industry we have to do more for our drivers!”

Mr. Cosaert went on to say, “Heartland can give an increase such as this because of the service our drivers provide to our customers. Their professionalism is the key to ensuring that we maintain our excellent reputation! We’re committed to performance just as we are committed to maintaining our leadership position with respect to driver pay!”

Heartland Express is also known for their unique approach to drivers who run in the Northeast part of the country. In August of 2004 they introduced a program called GREEN MILE$, where company drivers running in this area can make an unprecedented $.50 per mile and operators make $.95 per dispatched mile, loaded or empty, PLUS their added fuel stabilization program pay.

In addition to being recognized as a place to go for top wages, Heartland’s regional fleets offer increased hometime opportunities for those drivers needing more flexibility. The typical regional driver gets home most weekends. Heartland currently operates regional fleets out of Iowa City, IA; Columbus, OH; Carlisle, PA; Chester, VA; Kingsport, TN; Olive Branch, MS; Atlanta, GA; and Jacksonville, FL. The pay rates in these regional operations are believed to be significantly higher than those of most over the road positions in the industry.

In an earlier announcement Heartland stated that they were replacing their entire tractor fleet with 2005 and newer International 9400i model tractors. The International truck was chosen with the driver in mind and offers more amenities than their current fleet of Freightliners. This transition is well under way with a substantial number of tractors already replaced. The company is committed to having this transition completed by the end of 2006.

Heartland Express is currently recruiting Company and Owner Operator solo drivers and teams. They continue to retain the best quality, driver-friendly freight and are adding new freight every week. The service that Heartland’s drivers provide makes Heartland a premier truckload carrier in a highly competitive market and the company is looking to grow their fleet of experienced professional drivers.

Heartland Express is an irregular route truckload carrier based in Coralville, Iowa serving customers with primary shipping lanes east of the Rocky Mountains. They offer long-haul, regional, and dedicated opportunities. Any professional driver interested in getting more information about Heartland Express can call them at 1-800-441-4953 or access the company website at www.heartlandexpress.com.

The press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are based on information currently available. These statements and assumptions involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual events may differ from these expectations as specified from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to the extent it becomes aware that it will not be achieved for any reason.

Birmingham, AL – At a time when some major carriers brag about having been in business for “20 years,” CRST Malone is celebrating its 77th year of growth and prosperity. In a business that changes daily, what is different about CRST Malone? What has allowed them to succeed where others have failed?

“There is no single answer,” says Mike Gannon, president of CRST Malone. “It’s a combination of things. However, if I had to name one factor, I think it would be the support we offer our owner operator partners.”

Gannon goes on to mention all the components of support - steady freight, a nationwide network of agents, and the CRST Malone “Gold Pin Club” which offers discounts on tires, fuel, maintenance, and more.

Director of Capacity Development Sherry Bass adds, “I’m very proud of the fact that during 2004, our owner operators experienced, on average, a 16 cent-per-mile increase in revenue to the truck.”

“So many company’s have talked about higher pay,” adds Gannon. “But because our owner operators are paid a percentage of gross, they don’t have to wait for us to ‘raise’ their compensation. We’re partners in the truest sense of the word – when we earn more, they earn more.”

And earning more is much easier at CRST Malone because the company is 100% owner operator, eliminating competition with company trucks. “Common sense tells you that carriers with company trucks are going to give the best and most profitable freight to their company-owned equipment,” adds Bass. “Their owner operators get the leftovers. CRST Malone owner operators don’t have to worry about that because we don’t have company trucks.”

Bass goes on to tout the company’s Lease Purchase Program. “We really make it easy for a qualified driver to become an Owner Operator,” she adds. “With payments as low as $1,200 per month, we set them up to succeed.”

A lot has changed since 1928, and who knows what changes 2005 may hold, but come what may, this Birmingham-based flatbed carrier is ready to meet any challenge head on!

CRST Malone is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and currently partners with over 1500 owner operators running throughout the contiguous United States. For more information about becoming a CRST Malone Owner Operator, call 1-800-366-6361 or visit www.crstmalone.com.

Birmingham, AL – Harry Brodhead believes his generation is the last that will be able to say that driving is in their blood. Today, drivers come to the profession through many different circumstances, but Mr. Brodhead is one of those drivers who inherited the driving bug. “My grandfather was in the trucking business,” Brodhead says. “And my dad and his four brothers. Then my grandmother took it over and passed it to my uncle. I grew up crawling on the floor with toy trucks, making noises as I shifted gears and all that.”

Fast-forward to 2005, where Brodhead has been driving for over 30 years, has been an Owner Operator for 22 and with CRST Malone for nearly 10. His experience and dedication were recently recognized with a 2 Million Safe Mile plaque.

When asked what it takes to achieve 2 Million Mile status, Harry Brodhead has a thoughtful reply. He explains that his success is based upon three things:

1. “Number one, you have to be able to want to do this job. If you don’t really want to do a job, you won’t do it well.”
2. “The next thing is you have to have patience and be a mind reader. Know what this guy is going to do, what that guy is going to do out on the road. If you lose your patience, you are going to get in a wreck.”
3. “Third, you have to take care of your equipment. Running with shabby equipment, like low break lining, is going to get you in trouble”

“Attitude, patience and good equipment will get you there, “ Brodhead explains. “Anybody can do it. You just have to want to.”

Harry Brodhead is accustomed to running between 13,000 and 14,000 miles a month and prefers to run in the Southwest. “I try to do anything I can do to get to Texas,” he says. Another thing about Harry, he doesn’t like change. “Once I get settled into something, I stick with it. Jumping around with a truck is very expensive. I wouldn’t want to buy new fuel authority or new plates.” Like most senior drivers, he has learned changing companies doesn’t get you ahead. It puts you behind.

As a business owner, Mr. Brodhead enjoys being in charge of his destiny. “I’m doing what I want to do, the way I want to do it. They have to realize, the financial responsibility is mine. I know what I have to make every month. I have to know that I’m putting myself in a good spot for another load. You have to take care of you first. I’m a straight talker. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it.”

“I’ve been out here 30 years, I love it,” Brodhead says. And to think he hesitated for so long before buying his first truck. “I wish I would have become an Owner Operator a whole lot sooner. I was always afraid. But then I was working for a guy who had several trucks and it go to be where he wasn’t taking care of his equipment so I made up my mind to do it myself. I bought a truck.”

Brodhead is quite satisfied with driving for CRST Malone. “I would tell anyone to try and work here,” he says. “When they call you up for a load, you can turn it down. You can take what you want to take and go where you want to go. These last two years, have been the best two years I’ve had, even with the price of fuel. I really got going. Call them up and see what you think.”

If you are ready to make a change, CRST Malone is as committed to your success as you are. CRST Malone is 100% Owner Operator, which means steady freight and no competition with company trucks. Since you are paid a percentage of gross there is no waiting for a pay raise; we have them all year long! Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, CRST Malone currently operates 1500 trucks running throughout the contiguous United States. To learn more information about becoming a CRST Malone Owner Operator visit www.crstmalone.com or call 1-800-366-6361.