(FORT SMITH, Ark., June 22, 2005) — David Kurre, who helped rescue an accident victim from a fiery collision in April 2005, has been awarded the ABF Medal of Excellence. Kurre is an over-the-road driver based in St. Louis. The award was presented by ABF President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Davidson during an ABF employee Safety Dinner in St. Louis held at the Renaissance Hotel on June 13.

The life-saving incident occurred in the early morning of April 28, 2005, while Kurre was en route to Little Rock from St. Louis. He was driving southbound on Highway 67 near Beebe, Ark., when he came upon an accident scene in the northbound lanes. A pickup truck had collided with another vehicle and caught fire. Kurre stopped, grabbed his fire extinguisher and flashlight and ran to the scene of the accident, as did an off-duty state trooper who was also passing by. Kurre, along with the driver of the other vehicle, fought the fire while the trooper attached a pull cord to the door of the pickup and pulled the door open with his vehicle. Together, they pulled the trapped driver to safety from the burning vehicle seconds before it exploded. The pickup driver was hospitalized but survived the fiery accident.

"David Kurre is a hero and a role model for his profession and for our industry. He is the sort of man whose courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, and above all, selflessness set him apart during a crisis," said Davidson. "He's a fine example of the caliber of people that make up the ABF team. We are proud to recognize his valor with the Medal of Excellence, the highest honor an ABF employee can receive."

ABF created the ABF Medal of Excellence to recognize employees for an extraordinary deed of a life-changing nature. Given only as circumstances warrant, David Kurre is the second recipient of the award. ABF Buffalo driver, Art Lucas, awarded the medal in July 2004, was the first recipient.

Kurre, an ABF road driver since 1998, has logged over 741,000 accident free miles toward his Million Mile Safe Driving Award. He has earned the: Six-Year Certificate of Safe Driving, Five-Year Safety Performance Award and six years of Annual Safety Awards.

Established in 1923, ABF^® is one of North America's oldest and most reputable motor carriers. It continues to be recognized as a benchmark for safety, security, technology and freight-handling standards. Last year, the ATA awarded ABF the Excellence in Security Award, the 28th time the organization has recognized ABF since 1971. ABF's emphasis on quality and value was cited by Logistics Management magazine, which awarded the carrier a 2004 Quest for Quality Award. In addition, ABF was twice recognized by CIO magazine for innovative excellence in information technology, earning the 2005 CIO Enterprise Value Award for the transportation industry and a spot on the 2004 CIO Top 100 Agile Companies list.

ABF operates an extensive network of customer service centers and distribution facilities strategically located throughout North America. Through this network, ABF provides comprehensive shipping services to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries. ABF is certified as an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) carrier by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) carrier to and from Canada. Via its TimeKeeper^® service, ABF provides guaranteed expedited service for time-critical and time-definite shipments.

ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ: ABFS).

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