(FORT SMITH, Ark., Sept. 13, 2005) — The Web Marketing Association has awarded ABF U-Pack Moving^® a 2005 WebAward for its Web site at upack.com. U-Pack^® was named the Best Institutional Services Web site for 2005, a category won by Standard and Poor’s in 2004.

The annual WebAward Competition judges Web site development against an ever-increasing Internet standard and against peer sites. The competition provides “a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Net today,” says William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. “More than 2,100 sites from 33 countries were adjudicated in 95 industry categories during this year’s competition. Entries were judged on design, copywriting, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation and use of technology.”

“The U-Pack Web site provides a resource for consumers interested in do-it-yourself household moving,” says Kay Lynn Clay, U-Pack business development manager. “A central principle of the site is to create a consumer-oriented source with the most relevant online tools and information needed to plan a long-distance move. The site features an enhanced graphical interface and streamlined applications designed to provide information on moving quickly and efficiently.”

Examples include a Quick Quote Tool and rotating Moving Tips on the upack.com homepage. “There’s also a Calendar View that helps consumers determine which days are best for scheduling a move, as well as a Box Estimator to give consumers an idea of how many moving boxes they’ll need,” says Clay. “And there’s an online order form for a free informational DVD on packing, moving and the U-Pack moving experience.”

The WebAward competition’s judges represent the various relevant disciplines and are distinguished experts in their fields. Judges include members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, content providers and webmasters. “This site was very informative and covered all of the bases for what a user could need,” one judge wrote of upack.com. “It explained the service in simple language that convinced me of its trustworthiness. If I were in the market to make a move, I would have requested a quote.” 

The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and corporate web development on the World Wide Web. Staffed by volunteers, this organization is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, public relations and design professionals from around the country who share an interest for improving the quality of advertising, marketing and promotion used to attract visitors to corporate Web sites.

Introduced in 1997 by ABF Freight System, Inc.^®, ABF U-Pack Moving combines the economy of rental truck moving with the convenience of full-service moving. U-Pack has been a choice of do-it-yourself movers, as well as corporate, institutional and military relocation specialists. U-Pack is a safe, dependable and hassle-free moving option. For a typical U-Pack move, ABF delivers a 28-foot trailer or a smaller portable container to the customer’s home. The customer has two business days to load. Then ABF drives and delivers the trailer or container to the destination, where the customer has two days to unload before ABF retrieves it.

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 American Trucking Associations 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 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 CIO Top 100 Companies list in both 2004 and 2005.

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.The annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT). This year’s theme is the “Bold 100,” which recognizes what the magazine calls “intelligent risk-taking – innovation in the use of information technology to increase your organization’s ability to compete with new products and services, to heighten customer satisfaction, and to continuously adapt processes to enable innovation throughout the business.”

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

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