(FORT SMITH, Arkansas, October 10, 2002) — Richard Lang, Director of Customer Service for ABF Freight System Inc.®, has been selected by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) as the 2002 “Claims/Loss Prevention Professional of the Year.” This award was recently presented to Mr. Lang by the Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council of the ATA.

Lang has been involved with ABF’s claims prevention initiatives for twenty-six years and has directed that area for ABF® since 1998. Under his leadership, ABF has been recognized by the ATA as the top LTL motor carrier in claims/loss prevention for both 2001 and 2002. 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.  

The “Professional of the Year” award, sponsored by The St. Paul Companies, is the highest honor given to a professional in the field of motor carrier claims and loss prevention. According to the ATA, the award “recognizes the significant achievements and contributions of a claims/loss prevention professional who exceeded the scope of their normal responsibilities to advance the profession.” In making this award, the ATA noted that Richard Lang “possesses all of the qualities that embody the spirit of the award and is a true professional who goes above and beyond.” 

“Under Richard’s direction, ABF continues to set the trucking industry standard for claims-free freight handling,” commented Roy Slagle, ABF Vice President — Administration and Treasurer. “Even as we achieve record low-claims levels, Richard is pushing for further improvement and remains committed to ABF’s goal of zero-defects. The ATA has made a great choice in selecting Richard to receive this award.”

ABF Freight System Inc. is one of North America’s largest and most experienced motor carriers, and its performance has been consistently recognized as best-in-class. Over the past two decades, ABF has received the ATA’s prestigious President’s Trophy in virtually every year that it has been eligible. In each of the last 30 years, ABF’s safety ranking has been first, second or third within its trucking category. In 2001, the ATA selected ABF as the top motor carrier in security.

ABF offers 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. A photo image of Mr. Lang is available upon request to marketing@abf.com.