(Fort Smith, Arkansas, April 26, 2002) - ABF Freight System, Inc.^®, one of North America's largest and most experienced motor carriers, has chosen four locations to receive its prestigious President's Quality Award.

ABF customer service centers in Lexington, Kentucky; Reno, Nevada; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, competed with more than 300 other ABF facilities in a rigorous six-step selection process. Award winners underwent extensive facility evaluations, a nomination process, a Quality Awareness Survey, an on-site validation audit and scrutiny by the ABF Quality Implementation Committee. Finalists were then recommended to ABF President and CEO David Stubblefield, who selected the winners.

Mr. Stubblefield commented, "The winning service centers have teams that are versatile and detail-oriented. Customer satisfaction, claims performance and resource management were just a few of the many considerations for this recognition. I am proud of their accomplishments and their continuing dedication to superior customer service."

Joe Davis, Director, Quality Awareness, said, "The intensive selection process ensures that this recognition is substantial and meaningful by incorporating ABF standards and benchmarks for excellence considered significant to the industry. These recipients have shown a proficiency for the freight business, a dedication to meeting customer needs and a commitment to continued improvement in all areas of their operation."

The President's Quality Award was created as recognition for those locations that exemplify the company's Quality Process. The Quality Process is a company philosophy that defines quality as "conformance to agreed-upon requirements." The Quality Process has played a vital role in ABF's success over the years by creating a shared language among employees, providing guidelines for identifying areas of nonconformance and offering clear channels to address and eliminate problems.

The President's Quality Award will be presented by Mr. Stubblefield to the employees in Reno and Lexington on April 30 and in Cincinnati and Carlisle on May 1. It is the highest internal recognition awarded to ABF service centers.

Joe Davis added, "We consider these four customer service centers to be 'the best of the best' within the freight industry. ABF is a highly respected freight carrier that was recently recognized by the American Trucking Associations as the best less-than-truckload carrier in both Safety & Security and Loss/Claims Prevention. These four service centers exemplify that level of excellence for ABF, and consequently, they are some of the best operations in the freight industry."

ABF Freight System, Inc. offers direct service to all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, Guam and Puerto Rico. In addition to its broad service to Mexico, the carrier offers service to 250 ports in more than 140 countries worldwide. ABF provides guaranteed expedited service for time-critical and time-definite shipments via its TimeKeeper^® service. The company's Web site, www.abf.com, is ranked among the best 50 of all sites by CIO magazine. The carrier has been in continuous service since 1923 and is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ/NMS-"ABFS").

Contact: Mr. Chris Baltz, Director of Marketing & Public Relations-ABF Freight System, Inc.-Telephone: 479-785-8803