UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549-1004
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 30, 2013 (August 30, 2013)
ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
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0-19969 |
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71-0673405 |
(State or other jurisdiction of |
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(Commission |
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(IRS Employer |
incorporation or organization) |
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File Number) |
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Identification No.) |
3801 Old Greenwood Road
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903
(479) 785-6000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
the registrants principal executive offices)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions.
o Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE
ABF Freight System, Inc. (ABF), the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS), is providing an update on the most recent information related to ABFs contract with the Teamsters (IBT). ABF and the IBT have agreed to another extension of ABFs current labor contract through September 30, 2013. A copy of the update is furnished as an exhibit to this Report on Form 8-K.
ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS
(d) Exhibits.
99.1 Update from ABF Freight System, Inc., dated August 30, 2013
The following is a safe harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements contained in this report that are not based on historical facts are forward-looking statements. Terms such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, plan, predict, prospects, scheduled, should, would, and similar expressions and the negatives of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are by their nature subject to uncertainties and risk including, but not limited to, a workforce stoppage by our employees covered under our collective bargaining agreement or unfavorable terms of future collective bargaining agreements; relationships with employees, including unions; general economic conditions and related shifts in market demand that impact the performance and needs of industries served by Arkansas Best Corporations subsidiaries and/or limit our customers access to adequate financial resources; union and nonunion employee wages and benefits, including changes in required contributions to multiemployer pension plans; competitive initiatives, pricing pressures, and the effect of volatility in fuel prices and the associated changes in fuel surcharges on securing increases in base freight rates and the inability to collect fuel surcharges; availability of fuel; default on covenants of financing arrangements and the availability and terms of future financing arrangements; availability and cost of reliable third-party services; disruptions or failures of services essential to the use of information technology platforms in our business; availability, timing, and amount of capital expenditures; future costs of operating expenses such as fuel and related taxes; self-insurance claims and insurance premium costs; governmental regulations and policies; future climate change legislation; potential impairment of goodwill and intangible assets; the impact of our brand and corporate reputation; the cost, timing, and performance of growth initiatives; the cost, integration, and performance of any future acquisitions; the costs of continuing investments in technology, a failure of our information systems, and the impact of cyber incidents; weather conditions; and other financial, operational, and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Arkansas Best Corporations Securities and Exchange Commission public filings.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION
(Registrant)
Date: |
August 30, 2013 |
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/s/ Michael R. Johns |
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Michael R. Johns | ||
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Vice President General Counsel | ||
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and Corporate Secretary |
Exhibit 99.1
August 30, 2013
ABF Freight System, Inc., and the Teamsters have reached another contract extension through September 30, 2013, as the two parties work through the process for resolving the two remaining supplemental agreements to the ABF National Master Freight Agreement.
The national agreement was approved on June 27 by a majority of Teamster employees. As previously noted, the increases in contributions to health, welfare and pension plans that were supposed to begin August 1 will not take effect as scheduled until the two remaining supplemental agreements are resolved.
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