William M. Whim ABF Road Driver Kansas City, MO

(Fort Smith, Ark., September 20, 2000) - ABF Freight System, Inc.® driver William M. Whim has been selected as the 2000 National Driver of the Year by the American Trucking Association. The Kansas Motor Carriers Association submitted Whim's nomination after he was named the 2000 Kansas Driver of the Year.

Whim, a road driver at ABF's Kansas City, MO, facility, was selected for this honor by a panel of judges from government and law enforcement agencies closely associated with the trucking industry. The ATA's National Truck Driver of the Year award is based not only on safe, accident free driving records, but also on a driver's other contributions to highway safety and a record of providing assistance to others. This award is considered the highest honor a commercial driver can achieve.

Mr. John Dale, ABF Vice President - Safety & Security, commented, "Bill is a highly skilled, professional driver that takes his job duties very seriously. The ATA has made a great choice in selecting Bill, and we are proud that he is part of the ABF team. Our highways are safer and our economy is stronger because of thousands of professional truck drivers just like Bill."

As National Driver of the Year, Whim will receive a financial award, a trophy, and a diamond lapel pin. Presentation will be made at the Awards Banquet of the ATA Safety Management Council's National Meeting in St. Louis on October 4th. He will also be recognized at the ATA Management Conference in San Diego on October 30th.

ABF Freight System, Inc.® is one of the nation's largest and most experienced motor carriers, offering direct service to all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, Guam and Puerto Rico. In addition to the carrier's broad service to Mexico, ABF provides guaranteed expedited service for time-critical and time-definite shipments via its TimeKeeper® service. The company's Web site, abf.com, is ranked among the best 50 of all sites by CIO magazine. ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ/NMS-ABFS).

Contact: Mr. Chris Baltz, Director of Marketing ABF Freight System, Inc. Telephone: 501-785-8803