Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	May 04, 2018
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	ARCBEST CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000894405
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		25,641,511
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1