<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000799233-22-000054.txt : 20221104
<SEC-HEADER>0000799233-22-000054.hdr.sgml : 20221104
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20220928135810
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000799233-22-000054
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20220928

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000799233
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	TRUCKING (NO LOCAL) [4213]
		IRS NUMBER:				930926999
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			NV
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		901 HEARTLAND WAY
		CITY:			NORTH LIBERTY
		STATE:			IA
		ZIP:			52317
		BUSINESS PHONE:		3196457060

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		901 HEARTLAND WAY
		CITY:			NORTH LIBERTY
		STATE:			IA
		ZIP:			52317
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.htm
<TEXT>
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<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="ifce662ae88914a6f8741eddf62a0c7c3_1"></div><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">September 28, 2022</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Division of Corporation Finance</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">United States Securities and Exchange Commission</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">100 F Street, N.E.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Washington, D.C. 20549</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Attention&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">         </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Ms. Jennifer Gowetski</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">                        </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Ms. Amanda Ravitz</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Re&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">                   </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Securities and Exchange Commission (&#8220;SEC&#8221;) Comment Letter dated September 16, 2022, regarding Heartland Express, Inc. (the &#8220;Company,&#8221; &#8220;Heartland,&#8221; &#8220;we,&#8221; &#8220;us,&#8221; or &#8220;our&#8221;) Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed April 1, 2022, File No. 000-15087 (the &#8220;Proxy&#8221;) </font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Dear Ms. Gowetski and Ms. Ravitz&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">The following is in response to the written comment we received from the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the &#8220;Staff&#8221;) of the SEC, dated September 16, 2022, related to the Proxy. For your convenience, we have included the text of the Staff's comment from the SEC comment letter in bold immediately followed by the Company's response.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%;text-decoration:underline">Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed April 1, 2022</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%;text-decoration:underline">General</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:18pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-22.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">1.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">       </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Please expand your discussion of the reasons you believe that your leadership structure is appropriate, &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;addressing your specific characteristics or circumstances.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">       </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Response&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%"> </font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">        Please see response under Comment 2 below.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:18pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">2.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">   </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Please expand upon how your board administers its risk oversight function. For example, please disclose&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:54pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%;padding-left:31.8pt">the timeframe over which you evaluate risks (e.g., short-term, intermediate-term, or long-term) and how you apply different oversight standards based upon the immediacy of the risk assessed&#59;</font></div><div style="padding-left:54pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%;padding-left:32.15pt">whether you consult with outside advisors and experts to anticipate future threats and trends, and how often you re-assess your risk environment&#59;</font></div><div style="padding-left:54pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%;padding-left:32.15pt">how the board interacts with management to address existing risks and identify significant emerging risks&#59; and</font></div><div style="padding-left:54pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%;padding-left:32.15pt">whether you have a Chief Compliance Officer and to whom this position reports.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div style="text-align:right"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">HTLD01</font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Responses&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:18pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">The Company acknowledges the Staff&#8217;s comments under 1 and 2 above and confirms that in future filings it will revise its disclosure to expand on why the leadership structure is believed to be appropriate, addressing specific characteristics and circumstances, and expand on how the board administers its risk oversight function.</font></div><div style="padding-left:18pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:18pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">The Company appreciates your assistance in the Company's compliance with applicable disclosure requirements and enhancing the overall disclosures in the Company's filings. Should you have any questions or comments regarding the Company's responses, please contact me by phone at (319) 645-7060.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:193.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Sincerely,</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:193.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%;text-decoration:underline">&#47;s&#47; Christopher A. Strain</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:193.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Christopher A. Strain</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:193.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Vice President-Finance, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:193.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">(Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">c&#58; Mr. Michael J. Gerdin</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Mr. Matt Warne, Grant Thornton LLP</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-weight:400;line-height:107%">Ms. Heidi Hornung-Scherr, Scudder Law Firm, P.C., L.L.O.</font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div style="text-align:right"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">HTLD02</font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
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</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
