(FORT SMITH, Arkansas, April 16, 2003) — Two ABF^® Road Team Drivers received top honors last week, as they were named Captains of the America’s Road Team sponsored by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). The drivers selected from ABF Freight System, Inc.^®, are Ruben Armendariz of the Albuquerque service center and Garland Woods of the Tulsa service center. A third ABF driver, Otto Schmeckenbecher of the Little Rock service center, was selected as team alternate.

Thousands of professional drivers from across the nation compete annually to represent the industry in this highly-regarded position as a member of America’s Road Team. In March, the field of driver candidates was narrowed to 30 finalists, setting up the final round of competition April 6–9 at ATA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. During the thorough selection process, drivers were judged on their safety records, their knowledge of trucking industry issues, their communications skills and their involvement in community service.

ATA President and CEO Bill Graves praised the winners as the “best of the best” in the business. “The commitment of these drivers to improve the safety record and public image of our industry is impressive,” said Mr. Graves, “as are their individual accident-free driving skills.”

Ruben Armendariz has been a road driver for ABF’s Albuquerque service center since 1990. He has accumulated 2 million accident-free miles during his 25-year trucking career. Mr. Armendariz and his wife live in Albuquerque. He enjoys spending time with his family and church, hunting, coaching softball and basketball, and playing golf and racquetball.

Garland Woods, a city driver for the Tulsa service center, has 15 years of accident- and injury-free driving. He has earned ABF’s Bronze Award for 15,000 hours driven without an accident. Mr. Woods and his daughter live in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. He enjoys fishing, weightlifting and coaching his daughter’s basketball team.

Otto Schmeckenbecher has 28 years of professional trucking experience. He has been a road driver for ABF’s Little Rock service center for over 14 years. Mr. Schmeckenbecher and his wife live in Little Rock, where he serves his community as an Assistant Scoutmaster working with the Boy Scouts of America. He enjoys working on home improvement projects, collecting model trains and restoring his 1969 Olds 442.

“Though ABF has been well-represented on America’s Road Team in past years, having two ABF drivers selected to the 2003 team as well as the team alternate is quite remarkable and speaks to our company’s long-standing commitment to excellence in cargo care and safety,” stated Mr. Rich Beaulieu, vice president of transportation at ABF.  “Ruben, Garland and Otto are fine examples of the caliber of drivers who work for ABF. We proudly support them in their new roles as trucking industry ambassadors.”

After several weeks of “team driving” with the current Road Team, the 2003 captains will travel the nation speaking on behalf of ATA to the news media and the public. They will address transportation issues and answer questions about the trucking industry’s commitment to highway safety.  Not only will the Road Team Captains share safe driving tips and offer motorists advice on how to safely share the road with commercial vehicles, they will visit terminals and truck stops and meet with fellow drivers, driver training students and corporate officers. They may also be called upon to testify on trucking and safety issues before Congressional hearings and at the state government level.

ABF’s freight-handling performance has been consistently recognized as best-in-class. Over the past decade, 99% of all shipments handled by ABF have moved without a loss or damage claim. Over the past two decades, ABF has received the prestigious President’s Trophy for safety from the ATA 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 LTL motor carrier both in claims/loss prevention and in security, the first such dual award of its kind. In 2002, ABF was again selected by the ATA as the top LTL motor carrier in claims/loss prevention.

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 the 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: ABFS).

Contact: Mr. Chris Baltz, director of marketing & public relations — ABF Freight System, Inc. — Telephone: (479) 785-8803.