ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF LAVON MORTON AS ASSISTANT TREASURER (NASDAQ/NMS: "ABFS")

(Fort Smith, Arkansas, December 2, 1996) - Arkansas Best Corporation announced today that Lavon Morton will join the Company on December 2nd as Assistant Treasurer, reporting to Dave Loeffler, Vice President - Treasurer. Mr. Morton is moving from Ernst & Young and has extensive knowledge about Arkansas Best, having served as the E&Y Partner on the Arkansas Best audit in 1994 and 1995 and as the E&Y Tax Partner assigned to Arkansas Best for a number of years prior to 1994.

Mr. Morton is a native of Arkansas and a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. He joined E&Y in 1972 as an auditor and was admitted to the Partnership in 1984. He served as Partner in Charge of the Tax Department in the Little Rock Office from 1985 to 1994, when he returned to the Audit Department to head up the trucking industry practice for the Little Rock office. Mr. Morton is a member of both the Tax Committee and the Accounting Principles Committee of the National Accounting and Finance Council of the ATA, and he has served as a National Resource within E&Y on accounting and tax issues affecting the trucking industry.

Arkansas Best Corporation was one of Mr. Morton's first audit assignments in 1972, and he has served in either an audit or tax capacity continuously since that time. He participated in audit and tax planning activities in the Company's Navajo and East Texas acquisitions, as well as the more recent Clipper and WorldWay acquisitions.

Lavon is married to Brenda Yelvington and they have a daughter. Kameron, born in June.

Contact:      Mr. Randall M. Loyd, Director - Financial Reporting
                     Telephone: (501) 785-6200