8-K

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): September 30, 2013 (September 30, 2013)

ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	0-19969	71-0673405
(State or other jurisdiction of	(Commission	(IRS Employer
incorporation or organization)	File Number)	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 registrant’s 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.

oWritten communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

oSoliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

oPre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act  (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

oPre-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 ABF’s contract with the Teamsters (“IBT”). ABF and the IBT have agreed to another extension of ABF’s current labor contract through October 29, 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.

99.1Update from ABF Freight System, Inc., dated September 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 Corporation’s 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 Corporation’s Securities and Exchange Commission public filings.

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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:	September 30, 2013	/s/ Michael R. Johns
		Michael R. Johns
		Vice President — General Counsel
		and Corporate Secretary

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

September 30, 2013

ABF Freight System, Inc., and the Teamsters have reached another contract extension through October 29, 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.