(FORT SMITH, Arkansas, November 1, 2004) – ABF Freight System, Inc.^®, has been named as the exclusive recipient for the entire transportation industry of CIO magazine’s Enterprise Value Award. The award recognizes exemplary application of information technology (IT). ABF^® will be honored at the 2005 CIO Perspectives on Enterprise Value Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., February 6-8, 2005.

Underscoring the collaboration between IT and business management, this prestigious award is bestowed upon a select group of organizations that leverage IT to achieve business results. CIO selected ABF as the best in transportation because of its innovative tools for managing freight transportation via Internet-based applications. The company’s Web site, abf.com, provides the infrastructure that powers its e-commerce applications.

“Transportation Internet sites no longer simply offer routine information. They provide an indispensable real-time link between carrier and shipper. ABF’s e-commerce solutions empower our customers with critical information about their shipments and unprecedented control over the supply chain,” says ABF President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Davidson. “Since the early days of the Internet, ABF has offered online customer support unsurpassed in the transportation industry. It’s an honor to have those efforts recognized with the CIO Enterprise Value Award.”

Michael Newcity, ABF manager of e-systems and market development, says ABF has developed a virtual glass pipeline for its customers, allowing complete shipment visibility from pickup to delivery. “Mindful of the demanding schedule facing a typical shipper, ABF developed an e-commerce system that optimizes the flow of vital information by intuitively matching relevant online tools and shipment information to the specific needs of individual users. The system actually redesigns itself to give customers ultimate control.”

Wireless technology enhances the speed and utility of the system by streamlining procedures across the motor carrier’s North American transportation network. City drivers, dockworkers, dispatchers and others are connected to the system and to customers in real time via handheld microbrowsers. This allows for rapid shipment pickups, paperless dock operations and optimal load planning.

“Shipments become instantly visible on dispatch systems throughout North America, allowing freight to be properly consolidated and moved to destination quickly and securely,” says Wes Kemp, ABF vice president of terminal operations. “The system even allows customers to schedule regular delivery of customized shipment reports for e-mail distribution or placement within abf.com’s secure Reports Center.”

Currently, abf.com has more than 25,000 registered users and represents 16,000 shippers who account for 80 percent of ABF’s revenues and annual shipment tonnage. Ranked a Top 10 Web site by BtoB magazine and one of the Best 50 by CIO magazine, abf.com functions include bill of lading generation, pickup planning, precise customer-intelligent quotations, proactive tracking, e-mail notification, customized logistics reporting, dynamic rerouting and XML connectivity. In addition, abf.com was instrumental in CIO magazine naming ABF as one of the Top 100 Agile companies for 2004.

“In today’s challenging business environment, it is more important than ever for IT to show a clear and direct contribution to business results,” says Abbie Lundberg, CIO magazine editor in chief. “ABF proves that IT can contribute in a number of different ways to an organization’s success, including, but not limited to, having a demonstrable impact on the bottom line.”

Established in 1923, ABF is one of North America’s oldest and most reputable 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.

ABF’s safety, security and freight-handling performance has been consistently recognized as best-in-class. Acknowledging this performance, the ATA presented ABF with the 2004 Excellence in Security Award. In 2003, ABF was awarded the President’s Trophy for safety by the ATA, for an unprecedented fifth time. ABF has also been a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) approved carrier to and from Canada since 2003. During the past decade, 99 percent of all shipments handled by ABF have moved without a loss or damage claim. 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 is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS).

Contact: Mr. Danny Loe, director of marketing & public relations
Telephone: (479) 785-8803

Additional background information.