Seth Runser is the President of ABF Freight, an ArcBest company and one of the nation’s largest and most trusted less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers. With a deep institutional knowledge of freight operations gained from more than 15 years at the company, Seth is advancing ABF Freight’s growth through strategic operational direction. He’s also committed to implementing processes that provide industry-leading customer experiences with every interaction.

As our company celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023, Seth is focused on developing meaningful, actionable goals that align to ArcBest’s overall strategy and mission to help lead us into another successful century. He’s also a champion of our Quality Process, promoting a commitment to excellence and a culture of safe freight handling.

Additionally, Seth has been a key enabler of helping develop and accelerate ABF’s sustainability initiatives to help improve the environmental efficiency in our equipment, operations and service centers. In his time as president, ABF has begun purchasing and piloting electric straight trucks and yard tractors and has started a multi-year renovation plan to update our service centers with more energy efficient LED lighting, and in some locations, solar panels. Seth has also played a critical role in helping the company conceptualize City Route Optimization for the ABF Fleet, which changes the way shipments are routed, leading to a reduced carbon footprint for both our customers’ operations and our own.

Seth joined ABF in 2007 as a management trainee and has gained extensive knowledge working in various roles across the country — including serving as Operations Supervisor, Regional Training Specialist, Service Center Manager and Regional Vice President of Operations. In 2019, he relocated to the corporate headquarters in Fort Smith where he served as Vice President of Linehaul Operations before being named Chief Operating Officer in February 2021 and ABF President in July 2021.

Seth is an Arkansas Trucking Association board member and holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Kent State University.

Awards and Accolades

Personal awards and accolades
2021 Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Forty Under 40 winner
2014 President’s Quality Award winner
2012 and 2016 President’s Club winner

ABF awards and accolades
The only seven-time winner of the American Trucking Associations’ President’s Trophy
The only nine-time winner of the American Trucking Associations’ Excellence in Security Award
The only eight-time winner of the American Trucking Associations’ Excellence in Claims & Loss Prevention Award

In the Media

Good Things – Arkansas Trucking Report
Forty Under 40: Seth Runser
City Highlights Investment Made by ABF Freight System’s New Facility