Fort Smith, Arkansas, May 5, 1997 -- ABF Freight System, Inc. has added requests for pickup of domestic or international shipments to its extensive menu of online customer service functions available on the Internet. ABF was the first LTL motor carrier to place its rates and service information on the Internet and is the first carrier to offer this latest timesaving feature to its customers. When a customer enters pickup information at www.abfs.com, the information is translated into an Advance Shipment Notification message, similar to the standard Electronic Data Interchange format, and forwarded electronically to ABF's local facility that will initiate pickup.

Other Internet-based services, available around the clock, include:

	Shipment tracing and tracking through the ABF network. Specific shipment location and expected arrival date are continually updated.
	Rate quotations and transit times for shipments moving between points in the contiguous United States and between the United States and Canada. Serving terminal information is also provided for the origin and destination service facilities.
	Routing, service and postal code information throughout North America, including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, highlighting the 40,000 points served direct by ABF. Location, personnel, and contact information are provided for each of ABF's 313 terminal service facilities.
	Personal computer software for rate calculation, special service information, and ABF's Guide to Pricing Application, all of which may be retrieved directly from the Internet.
	Descriptive explanations of ABF's varied service offerings, an archive of press releases and additional company and industry information.

David E. Stubblefield, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABF, noted, "We are proud of our introduction of online pickup requests and the other services that ABF offers through the Internet. This facility provides yet another way to improve communication with our customers and to reduce administrative expenses. We are committed to continual advancement in these Internet-based services, which we will extend and expand during the remainder of 1997."

ABF, with 1996 revenue of over $1.1 billion, is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ/NMS - ABFS). ABF is one of the nation's largest LTL motor carriers with service to all fifty states, plus Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada and beyond.

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