(FORT SMITH, Arkansas, October 9, 2002) — ABF Freight System Inc.® has been recognized by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) for the second consecutive year as the top LTL motor carrier in claims/loss prevention. The “Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention” award was recently presented to ABF® by the Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council of the ATA.

In announcing its selection for this award, the ATA noted that ABF has “consistently demonstrated outstanding performance in the areas of claims/loss prevention.” The ATA added that ABF has “far exceeded expectations as most outstanding in its written policy, employee selection, training programs, claims reductions and security procedures.”

In accepting the “Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention” award, Richard Lang, ABF Director — Customer Service, stated, “Thousands of times each day we make commitments to deliver our customers’ shipments on time, intact and damage-free. If we fall short, our customers may lose time and money and the goodwill of their own customers. This award is a testament to the dedication and success of the entire ABF team in fulfilling our promises to our customers.” 

ABF’s claims and loss prevention initiatives have positioned it as a leader in freight handling. Over the past decade, 99% of all shipments handled by ABF have moved without a loss or damage claim. ABF recently achieved a quarterly record for low claims, with 99.23% of all shipments moving claims-free.  

Mr. Lang added, “As part of ABF’s Quality Process, we join in focus groups with customers to eliminate existing and potential loss or damage problems. In doing so, ABF is able to leverage the knowledge and expertise of our frontline employees, some of the most experienced freight-handlers in the industry. Through this process, ABF has attracted many new customers that had previously experienced claims problems with other carriers.”

ABF Freight System Inc. is one of North America’s largest and most experienced motor carriers, with direct service to all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico. In addition to its broad service to Mexico, the carrier offers service to 250 ports in more than 130 countries worldwide. Via its TimeKeeper® service, ABF provides guaranteed expedited service for time-critical and time-definite shipments. The company’s Web site, www.abf.com, is ranked among the best 50 of all sites by CIO magazine and top 10 Web sites by BtoB magazine. ABF 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.